Acts 2.14a, 36-41, Luke 24.13-35
The Third Sunday of Easter, 26 April 2020 - churches closed
They were on the road between fear and hope,
and although they did not know it, he walked beside them.
Between the place where all was lost and the place of resurrection,
although they did not know it, he walked beside them.
At the moment when we join them on their journey, those two disciples were on the road between fear and home, for home is where you head when things fall apart, all is lost, when hope is gone; home is the one place of security when life has become dangerous; home, the place to seek recovery when your world has unravelled.
If you’ve ever experienced any kind of major loss or unravelling, then you can empathise with Cleopas and his companion on their journey, you can appreciate how their heads would be reeling as they relived the events of Jesus’ fatal week in Jerusalem which they’d witnessed at close quarters. If declining circumstances have ever made you fearful then you can sense these men’s hearts pounding every time they remembered that they were now on the wanted list of the powerful ones who’d crucified their leader.
All they were after now was a return to a safe place where they could try to make sense of the great adventure which they’d been on and its terrifying conclusion, make space to recover, and find a way to move on again.
And thinking about moving on from this pivotal moment in their lives, would these disciples simply want a return to normal, desire nothing else but to go back to the way things had been before this all began? Or would these companions want now to make change, to take all the lessons they’d learned from Jesus who had so inspired them to embrace a new way of being, and in that spirit to seek to re-shape their lives going forward?
These are questions so familiar to us in the moments we share now, the people of the world on a journey seeking safety and security, asking how we got into this situation and beginning to consider the best ways we can shape a future together.
For we are on the road between fear and hope,
Between the place where all is lost and the place of resurrection,
And although we may not know it, he walks beside us.
Now Jesus walked beside those disciples as an unknown stranger, and in these times of the coronavirus we acknowledge those unknown strangers who walk with us: those who deliver food to our doorsteps then disappear; those who, hidden behind face-masks, tend our needs in hospital; those whose eyes we’ve never before tried to meet as they empty our waste bins; those in call centres who receive our phone calls when we’re feeling sick, or seeking financial help, or trying to buy an essential item we can’t find elsewhere. Strangers of many different races and creeds, we now applaud as friends, people who we’re starting to feel we could shape our future with.
We are learning through our contact with unknown strangers that this road we travel can lead to hope. And in that spirit, even though we may not recognise him, we can welcome Jesus into our homes. Invite him in by listening to the voices trying to bring grace and love into our public dialogue. Invite him in by being generous in spirit to the strangers helping us through these strange times. Invite him in by opening up the scriptures to rediscover how God has acted in the past and promises to act again with all who seek him.
We can have faith that this journey we are on will lead to resurrection, if we welcome Jesus into our homes, invoking him in prayer, sharing our concerns with him. If we bring to him our hopes and dreams for the future, acknowledging before him our deep desire for things to get back to normal whilst reaching towards a willingness to change our lives, for the better wellbeing of all.
We may feel very lonely in our isolation just now. But Jesus walks beside us.
Our hearts may be crying out for a return to normal. And here is Jesus, meeting us every time we break bread at home.
We may be feeling fearful for our future. So may our open hearts burn within us as we recognise that he has been with us all along; that he’s with us now, and will ever be.
A closing prayer.
We need your presence on this long road, Lord.
The road between fear and hope,
the road between the place where all is lost
and the place of resurrection.
Like the disciples walking the road to Emmaus,
we are in need of your company.
Jesus, walk beside us, in your risen power,
bring a sense of wonder to each waking hour. [1]
Notes
[1] Adapted from a prayer written by Carol Penner in Leading in Worship. Source: re-worship.blogspot.com.
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