On the Way to Wonder

 Can you think of “eye opening” experiences that changed the understanding of your world.  For my generation, the shooting of JFK shook people to the core for they thought the President of the USA was infallible.  Again men landing on the moon was remarkable.  Tonight astronauts return from the international space station and the trip includes an American and two Russians!  Money can go from the USA to Kenya in minutes with the proper app.  I spoke with my daughter in Canada as if she were next door.  We live in a world where the miraculous happens daily. The miraculous has become ordinary.  Perhaps we do not realize what a revolutionary event it was for Cleopas and friend to encounter the risen Christ.  As they neared their hometown of Emmaus and invited this stranger who had joined them walking on the road and who was explaining scripture to them, Jesus unrecognized, in to spend the night.  They were still on an intellectual journey trying to understand.

         “When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him and he disappeared from their sight. (Luke 24:20, 21)”  Christians call the breaking of bread and the sharing of drink “communion.” We believe that as we confess sin, are forgiven and then eat the elements, relationship, communion is restored.  We are reminded that even as bread builds our body, Christ died to build us.  Even as wine flows into our blood to build our blood, that close is Christ to us, strengthening us for our journeys.

         Today you may be struggling with broken relationships because of what and what.  Arguments?  Distance?  Language? Disease? Death?  Communion somehow crosses those barriers.  When I was a chaplain in a memory care unit, communion was given to people who could not talk and were a shadow of themselves and yet, as they received the bread and drink, they suddenly could say the Lord’s Prayer and their faces beamed as the elements entered their bodies.  Many could sing Amazing Grace but not talk.  Those are sacred moments.

         Is there someone you need to restore relationship with today?  Christ in the bread and the drink is able to cross barriers and restore: our hearts, our faith, our minds, and our relationships.  He still meets us today in communion experiences.  He meets us in ways technology cannot duplicate.  He walks with you, strengthening and seeking to encourage you. Spend time communing with him today!

Questions are funny things.  A question can really be an accusation.  Why did you do such and such?  Didn’t you know?  I still remember in kindergarten one day when my mother was observing, the teacher asked me what day it was.  Petrified at being pointed out, I blanked.  The teacher feeling my embarrassment, gave me a clue, “It sounds like ‘thirsty.’”  I could not come up with the name and have not forgotten that humiliating moment.  Jesus, however, always asks questions to draw a person out to help them understand more.  As he comes along side Cleopas and friend walking to Emmaus on Easter evening, he politely asks what they are chatting about. Luke 24:17-27.  They counter with a question, “Don’t you know what has been happening in Jerusalem?”  Of course he knew but he wanted them to share how they understood the events, so he asks, “What things?”  That question opened the floodgates of their hearts.

         It seems to me that this little scenario involves two aspects worth reflecting on.  If Jesus were to join you and a friend chatting and were to ask what you are chatting about, what would it be?  How much of our conversations are about food or movies or friends, possibly current events.  Think about a conversation you might have had yesterday and ponder what insight Jesus might have brought to your discussion?

         On the other hand, what might we ask Jesus to explain were he to join a conversation?  Cleopas and friend were talking about events that needed to be understood in terms of their historical perspective and future implications.  All that had happened to Jesus was predicted in the Old Testament.  What appeared random actually was prophesized.  My first son visited this weekend and we chatted about his three daughters, my granddaughters, and how their character was forming and becoming and where that might lead.  We laughed and reflected about my thoughts of what my children might become and where they are today.  Some I was right on and others have pleasantly surprised me. 

         Jesus is not asking Cleopas and friend questions to accuse them but to draw them out so he could inform them, give them historical context and a foundation for the reality they were living through but so little understood.  I find it deeply comforting that when life feels so random and out of control, God understands and walks with me through the chaos.  Full disclosure might be more than I can handle now but believing that he holds the whole truth and some day we might talk about it, is comforting.  Then again, maybe events are not about me but are unfolding for the sake of another and I am the “best supporting actress.”  That is worth an Emmy also! 

Cleopas and friend, perhaps husband as they lived together, are walking away from Jerusalem on Easter evening and headed to their home in a town seven miles distant.  They were discussing the events of the day.  We don’t know if they saw the crucifixion or if they just were caught up in all the stories flying around Jerusalem.  The soldiers were saying the body was stolen but the soldiers had not been executed for negligence at their job.  And…how could trained soldiers be overwhelmed by fishermen disciples.  Perhaps the crowd that cried, “Crucify him!” had changed their mind and stolen the body?  Others were saying they had seen Jesus.  Mary Magdalene claimed she met him at the tomb but she was a woman and probably confused with grief.  Some said that when the earthquake occurred, graves opened and the dead were seen walking in the city.  So many stories were circulating in the city and what could it all mean?   A third person joined them as they walked to Emmaus and they all started comparing notes.

         I wonder if it was not unlike the discussions after the mob overran the US capitol in January.  It was so far from what everyone expected that news commentators talked for days about what happened, who might have been involved, who was responsible, who got hurt, and what would happen now.  We can imagine the “stay tuned” heart-beat of Cleopas and friend.  The surprising element is that the third person who joined them seemed very knowledgeable about Jewish writings and could explain how it all tied together.

         How many times does Jesus walk beside us and we just don’t recognize him.  Perhaps our eyes are prevented from recognizing him too but he is there in the heart of a friend who listens to our tale.  He is there when just the right song comes on the radio and speaks to us.  He is there when the phone rings and we receive an unexpected phone call.  He is there when we go to the mailbox and find a surprise check.  He may even be there in a sunrise, sunset, bird’s song, or child’s hug.  So many times Jesus walks with us and we just don’t realize.  Jesus cared about these two people who were not part of the “in crowd” and he cared about their confusion.  He walked with them and spoke into their dynamic.  He walks with you  today too.  Lord help us to listen and recognize your voice.

Cleopas and friend were walking to Emmaus that first Easter evening, discussing the events of the day.  They were headed seven miles away from Jerusalem, the center of all the action.  Luke 24:13-35 goes into an extensive explanation of this encounter.  There must be something that caught Luke’s attention.  It seems that Jesus goes out of his way to appear to unlikely people, for example Cleopas and friend and later to Saul who becomes the apostle Paul.  Again Jesus is not recognized as he comes alongside these two.  Perhaps they were not that familiar with Jesus’ ministry and had joined the followers of Jesus later.  I wonder if they are headed in the wrong direction as there was “no room in the inn.” They might be Roman by ethnicity as the name Cleopas is not very Jewish. In any case, they are emmersed in their discussion.  Jesus takes time for them.

         I like the explanation that these two might have been Roman and that Cleopas might have been a woman as “a” is a female ending in Latin. Cleopatra would be another version of this name.  Most scholars agree that Luke’s intended audience was the Gentiles, the non-Jews, you and me.  If so, this story then goes out of its way to show how even the Gentiles were included in the resurrection accounts and their confusion was a concern to Jesus.

         Jesus goes to Scripture, explaining to them how his life and resurrection fulfilled Scripture.  That would further support God’s interest in not just the Jews but also others who are not as familiar with prophecy.  It would include most of us. Many of us would claim we were walking the wrong direction, away from formal religion or church experience, when Jesus appeared to us.  As a young adult, I loved the poem about the Hound of Heaven  by Francis Thompson. He pictures the resurrected Christ as one who “chased me down the labyrinths of my mind” until cornered, I turned to God. 

         Perhaps like Mary Magdalene, we warm to Christ’s approach to us as he calls our name.  But perhaps you are like these two people, headed away from the action but discussing all you have heard but not understood.  Jesus still cares and comes to us and is willing to explain and answer our questions.  What direction are you headed today?  Do you need the warmth of knowing Jesus calls you by name or do you need the help to explain the questions that cloud you mind and sight.  Jesus can meet us on whatever road we travel today.  We may not recognize him walking beside us but he is there, trying to explain and reach out to us.  Thank you, Lord.

P.S. “Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country.  These returned and reported it to the rest, but they did not believe them either. (Mark 15:12,13)”

         It is still Easter day or evening and Mark has a postscript after his account of Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene at the tomb.  Jesus is risen but the disciples did not believe. It seems that the Gospel of Mark ended here but a postscript was added including other appearances of the risen Jesus.  Matthew and John do not mention this incident but Luke fills in missing details.  Luke wants us to remember these two people.

         “Afterward.”  Do you remember what you did Easter afternoon – watch a football game on TV?  Have a family gathering – properly spaced of course?  Organized yourself for the next day?  After a big event there is often the wind down, perhaps the move on to the next expectation, or “the debrief.”  I remember coming home from church and we would talk about the sermon.  In order to get my nickel allowance for the week, I was expected to remember the sermon and report in.  In the narrative we will ponder this week, two people are walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus, a small town about seven miles away, and debriefing the events of the day. 

         What senses – sight, hearing, taste, smell, or touch – do you suppose were aroused in them by the resurrection story that now stimulated their conversation?  What is it about Easter morning that captures you imagination “afterwards;” the trumpets that told your ears to wake up, the pancake breakfast that woke-up your tongue, the beautiful spring outfits that impressed your eyes, or the warmth of a hug from a friend who greeted, “He is risen!”  Easter is an experience that captures not only our thughts but also our bodies because it talks about something real.  These two people walking along a dusty road, discussing the death of their hero and a possible missing body were so intent in their conversation they did not even look when someone joined them.

         “Afterwards,” is also today, Monday.  Perhaps as the Mamas and Papas sang in their song about Monday, we can identify with that sense of lostness that follows a huge disappointment – a death – the weight of the soul, the burning eyes from crying, the slump of the shoulders and the questions that swirl in our hearts.  We know this feeling of Easter evening or Monday morning.  Perhaps the challenge for us this week is to connect the experience of the disciples with the feelings we have in hearing about the death of heroes like Prince Phillip, or friends from Covid or the loss of a job or the trials going on in our courts over racial injustice and murder, to connect that heaviness we feel as we try to understand the news with the heaviness these two people were feeling as they walked.

         They were not alone but they did not recognize it yet.  We are not alone but perhaps we cannot feel that yet.  They processed with each other and perhaps we need a friend to listen or we need to be a friend who listens.  “Afterwards” for any impacting event in our life, it is good to take time to ponder, to discuss, to grieve if necessary, and to try and figure out what comes next.  Life can be very confusing but Jesus walks with us even if we do not recognize him. Hopefully there are friends to reach out to when we are ready.  Blessings as you face the challenges of this week and process with a friend.  Jesus is there with you.

The angel told Mary Magdalene that first Easter morning, “ Don’t be alarmed.  You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified.  He has risen!”  One of the most famous Easter hymns written in 1739 by Charles Wesley was “Christ the Lord is Risen Today.”

         Charles Wesley wrote between 6,500 and 10,000 hymns!!!  In 1738 Charles and his brother both had conversion experiences that deeply impacted the course of their lives.  Charles had been ordained in the Church of England but had a “heart-warming” experience at Aldersgate Hall, an old iron foundry converted into a church.  This experience seems to have ignited and jettisoned his musical talents.  Charles, his father, his son and his grandson were all talented musicians.

         Charles wrote this hymn for the opening of Aldersgate Hall in 1939.  Charles had a gift for making Christ real and three dimensional.  He gave converts something they could identify with, grasp and embrace and possibly die for at that time. 

         Methodism was founded by the Wesley brothers but Charles always was faithful to the Church of England.  They believed, “the resurrection assures us of God’s tomorrow.”  That hope allows us to deal with the trials and tribulations of today.  Mary Magdalene went to the cave expecting to anoint the body of her dead friend who had not made the Jews great again. Instead she met angels who gave her hope and purpose.  As we finish this first Easter siting of the risen Christ and we finish the first week of Easter, may we listen to the words of Charles Wesley’s song and feel the hope of the resurrection.

“Have you checked under the bed?” was my mother’s advice whenever I had misplaced something.  I said it to my children too.  My sister and I pondered Mary Magdalene’s experience with the resurrected Christ.  She was going to the tomb thinking she would find the body of Jesus but found the body missing.  After all, that was where she saw him last put!  Peter and John didn’t believe her and went to the tomb also to see that indeed the body was missing.  The tomb was the logical place to find Jesus, as that was where he had last been seen. The challenge is that God’s logic does not work like our logic.

         God tells us to love our enemies and to turn the other cheek.  Resting one day a week will help us to be better workers the other six days.  I listened to a podcast about the success of Chick-fillet.  One day a week they are closed and yet bring in profits exceeding another top fast food competitor.  It is in the death of Christ that we find eternal life.  That does not make sense to our minds.  The angel said he has risen and they were to return to Galilee.  That doesn’t make sense.  God’s ways challenge us to take steps of faith, trusting God rather than ourselves.

         The Easter testimonies we will look at for seven weeks do relate “that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched – this we proclaim concerning the word of life.  (1 John 1:1)” The resurrection story was experienced by real people that really saw, heard, felt, smelled and tasted the events.  It is not fiction.  It is fact.  Perhaps the question I need to ask myself is, “Where am I looking for Jesus today?”

         Matthew 22:31and 32 says,

³¹ And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, ³² ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is God not of the dead, but of the living.”

We look for God in places of life, among the living, for he is the God of the living.  It is hard to believe as we cannot see, people like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but like Mary, we can hear God today call our name.  We can feel love in a hug.  We can see God in nature.  We can feel God in the laughter of children.  And we can taste God’s blessings in forgiveness.  If you are having trouble connecting with God, perhaps you are looking in the wrong place.  A good place to start looking is in a place of life.

Three women went to the tomb of the crucified and buried Jesus, expecting to anoint his body with spices.  But they are surprised to see the stone rolled away.  What had happened?  Next they hear from an angel in the tomb, “Do not be afraid.  He is risen.”  The four gospels have slightly different versions of the exact sequence of events now.  The women returned to tell the disciples to share that the body was missing but they were not believed.  Peter and John run to the tomb and confirm that the body is missing.  They return to the disciples but Mary Magdalene lingers.  She has seen with her eyes, heard with her ears, but she is still confused.  John 20:10-18 shares that a man then speaks to Mary from behind, asking who she is looking for.  “Thinking he was the gardener, she said, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.’  Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’”  Mary turns and cries out for she recognizes Jesus.

         It is in this personal encounter that the reality of what “He is risen” begins to take meaning and the truth of the resurrection deeply impacts Mary’s life.  We can watch movies.  We can hear testimonies from others.  But when we personally encounter Jesus calling our name, our lives change.  I suspect she may have given him a huge hug for he then says, “Do not hold on to me.”  Eyes, ears, and touch – the resurrection is real for Mary.  People who have come later in history and who did not experience that hug may not have stories of “holding” Jesus but often there are stories of the feeling of being engulfed in love and of feeling completely known.  Many love to hold a cross that gives that sense of connection.

         I believe President Biden is president and I have seen him speak on TV and heard his words but he has never called me by name.  He does not know me.  I will probably never even get near him.  Christianity claims that we worship a risen Savior who knows our name, calls us to our better self, and walks with us in the transformation.  Mary’s story of her experience of the resurrected Jesus is the foundation for a life journey of faith that transforms.

         John 10 talks about Jesus being the “Good Shepherd.”  “I am the good shepherd.  I know my sheep and the sheep know me. V.14”  “My sheep listen to my voice.  I know them and they follow me. V.22” Isaiah 49:16 ponders if a nursing mother can forget her child but concludes, “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands, your walls are ever before me.”   In this world where we sometimes feel like a social security number, a phone number, a driver’s license number, or some other impersonal identification, a resurrected savior who calls us by name and knows us is the beginning of an eternal relationship.  We may mistake him for the gardener and not recognize that he is behind us, but he “has our back”, and is calling our name.  May we learn to recognize his presence during this Easter season as we hear the testimonies of those who saw the risen Lord face to face.  He knows our names; they’re written on the palms of his hands.