Living the Christian life
Luke 24: 13 – 35 Acts 2: 14a, 36 – 41
I’ve just read a book by Rob Bell, an American Pastor, that has caused a huge amount of controversy and upset amongst some Christians. He was a Conservative Evangelical with the belief that people must give their lives to Jesus and be saved and all those who didn’t would go to hell, and that the bible is infallible and mustn’t be questioned. Rob Bell has had a complete turnaround in his views and he explains this in his book. His main reasoning for his change of heart is that if we believe in a God who loves us, who loves the world and everything in it, then why should only a few, who declare their belief in Jesus, be saved. He expands on this throughout the book, asserting always that God is love and does not want anyone to die and be condemned to an eternity of not knowing him, that he wants all to be with him. This man has obviously had a very significant journey of change in his thoughts and beliefs and has had the courage to tell us about it.
It caused me to look back on my own journey from believing the very strong evangelical beliefs that I’d been told and accepted since being a new Christian to then going on to have those beliefs questioned and challenged. It was very hard for me, as I’d based my whole faith on what I’d been told. It has been a long slow journey of faith, and continues to be, from even doubting that God himself existed to gradually realising deep in my heart that God loves everyone and wants everyone to know his love and to be with him when they die.
For our course, Sally and I have been speaking to some in the congregation about their journey, their thoughts on faith, on the church and other issues. It’s been a wonderful thing to do and a privilege. It’s been lovely to hear about the faith journey that each person has been on, the joys, the pain, the doubts, each journey very different and very valuable. It would be good to do more of this. In our Gospel reading from Luke, we are told the wonderful story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, on a journey, walking away from Jerusalem after the events of the Crucifixion. We wonder why they were walking away from Jerusalem, perhaps it was because they wanted to get away from all the confusions and sadness, try to clear their minds and to work out just what had happened.
One of the things that most struck me about this journey was that they didn’t recognise Jesus when he joined them as they walked, they didn’t see who he was. Surely they would, surely we would if in that same situation. Before this, there’d been other times when people had not recognised the resurrected Jesus – there was Mary who mistook him for the gardener, and only recognised him when he spoke, the disciples by the Sea of Galilee did not recognise him. This is one of the many mysteries – why did people not recognise him, was his resurrection body so very different (yet he still had the scars of the nails), were Mary’s eyes so full of tears that her sight was blurred. We don’t know. Yet, so many times in our lives we don’t recognise Jesus with us, helping us through the difficult times, but also with us in the good times. People have said to me that they wish they could have an experience of Jesus, something tangible that they could recognise. But when we look at a beautiful view, when we see a new born baby, feel a sense of awe and wonder, when we feel a deep peace in a difficult situation, isn’t that Christ with us?
It sounds as if these disciples were overcome with their grief and disappointment, as we hear when one of them says “We had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.” I’m sure we’ve all had situations where we’ve been disappointed, we’ve wanted a certain outcome and it hasn’t happened. And yet, these men were speaking without understanding, Jesus did come to redeem Israel, but not in the way they’d expected it. Sometimes when we’re disappointed about something, God has a better plan, God has greater things that we can’t see at the moment but often we see later.
The moment when they recognised Jesus, when their eyes were opened, in the breaking of the bread, must have been wonderful. As they talked excitedly after Jesus had gone, about what had happened, they began to see how Jesus had been with them “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us” in other words, of course, we knew he was with us, our hearts were telling us. So for us, much of the time, we find it hard to recognise Jesus with us at the time, but later, as we look back, talk to others, we can see in wonder how God has helped us.
Luke goes on to tell of these two disciples going back to Jerusalem and excitedly telling the other disciples about their experience, and as they did, Jesus appeared again.
There are many reasons given why Luke wrote his gospel. It’s known as the historical gospel because he likes to give the dates and times of events, and he says to his reader at the beginning of the gospel “it seemed good to me to write an orderly account for you so that you may know the truth.” the truth about Jesus. So one can rely on good documentation and evidence of what he has written, wonderful evidence of the resurrection of Jesus.
In many situations we often find it difficult to see Jesus with us, as I’ve said, only recognising his presence as we look back. Looking at the situations in the world, terrible suffering in war, struggles for justice and peace, where is your God, as the psalmist was challenged. One can only watch and pray – pray and know that God is there in the midst of them, that he is supporting and helping, through those who do acknowledge him, but through those who don’t as well. Most of the time the papers publish the worst stories, those that are the most newsworthy, but occasionally they publish stories of hope and joy. The Royal wedding of course has been such a story. But also I found the story of a Franciscan sister showing great courage in challenging a Wall Street banker on the excessive amount of money being paid to investment bankers whilst the country was in recession. As an illustration of trusting that God is working even though often we can’t see him, someone gave the picture of the night sky, we can see some stars but many others we cannot see even though they exist. So with each situation we see and pray for, we trust that God is there, working mightily, even though we can’t see him.
So, as we come to the Lord’s Table this morning, let us ask him to graciously make himself known to us afresh in the breaking of the bread.
Amen