Latest / Belin Memorial UMC / Rev. Will Malambri - "Long Walks and Quiet Dinners"
Transcript
- Belin Memorial UMC: Out of reference for the gospel that comes to us today from Luke, I invite you to stand. Now on that same day, two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. He said to them, what are you discussing with each other while you walk along? They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, Are you the only one, a stranger in Jerusalem, who does not know the things that have taken place there these days? He asked them, things? They replied, The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet, mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified. But we had hoped. that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women in our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see him. Then he said to them, ⁓ how foolish you are and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared. Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory? Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself and all the scriptures. As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked on ahead as if he were going on, but they urged him strongly saying, stay with us. because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over. So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us? That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, the Lord has risen indeed and he has appeared to Simon. Then they told him what had happened on the road and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread. This is the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. You may be seated. Well that's our story. At least the story for most of us who are followers of Jesus. It's different than the others. In the others, the women saw the empty tomb. Peter and John raced to go see it themselves. Later, Jesus burst into a locked room where the first disciples were hiding. A week later, he showed up again so Thomas could see the nail marks in his hand. Those are their stories. Emmaus is ours. You noticed at the end of the story, the two disciples who are making their way to Emmaus went back to tell the 11 what they had experienced. Those were not two of the 11. They are the never named, never famous two of many, yet essential to the movement disciples. people like you and me. And like us, they were doing what we do to sort through life. Overwhelmed by the sadness of what Jesus had been through, dismayed by the assumed state of things after His death, they took a long walk. A stranger approached him. The Greek word for stranger there is actually more like foreigner or alien, which they were sure he must have been. What else could explain the fact that he was clueless about these events that have been so significant in their lives and throughout Jerusalem? those events that had shocked their world and sent shockwaves throughout the whole city. He had to ask what they were discussing, where was he from? Still notice how they treated this foreigner, respectfully, courageously. They didn't know if he was for the Roman authorities or the Jewish leaders. Still, they shared their version of the story. They willingly listen to his interpretation, this person they've just met. Finally, they insisted that he come to their home for dinner. Now notice what the foreigner saw in them. When he asked what they were discussing, Luke says they stood still, looking sad. we can imagine. We know what that's like. Just the idea of having to say aloud again the bitter reality of a loved one's death. or the end of something that was incredibly good while it lasted. or the hope we once held that has been ripped away from us. It stops you in your tracks. You can't help but look sad. And if you can draw up the strength to even tell that story one more time, then words like, we had hoped spill out. had hoped, once thought. No more. Now over. or so it seemed. Something happened on that long walk together that the stranger interpreted the scriptures to them, how the law and prophets had pointed to these events. No doubt he also told them how the law and prophets pointed to an enduring hope, a promise that no matter how unlikely it seems in the moment, God will win. The conclusion of any story as bad as it may be in the midst of it is that God will win. The conclusion of the Emmaus story is that those two unnamed regular guy followers of Jesus went back to Jerusalem and told the 11, the Lord is risen indeed. They came to that conclusion. not from seeing an empty tomb. not from having an angel appear to them and an earthquake. But the ways you and I come to believe, the way you and I continue to believe, they got it through what New Testament scholar Margaret Amor calls long walks and quiet dinners. Aren't those the ways? Or at least representative of the ways that most of us connect with the risen Lord. Long walks. Quiet dinners. I do my best praying on walks. That they're the times when my prayers are closest to conversations with God. On walks, it's not just me filling the moments with a few words of thanksgiving and a long list of requests. On walks, I actually leave space for God to talk. Most often, our dog, Duke, is a companion on those walks. A few weeks ago, that led me to a revelation that walking a dog is not unlike our attempts at walking with Jesus. For example, over time we improve in our obedience. When Duke was younger, if he successfully pulled the leash out of my hand, he was gone like a prisoner on jailbreak. But now if the leash hits the ground, he looks back at me, reminds me to pick it up because we need to keep on walking. He and I are learning obedience. That's not to say that there's not still times of distraction. For Duke, it's an endless supply of somehow very interesting smells that keep him abundantly distracted. and in fears they continue to arise. His great fears are sprinkler systems. If he sees one or even hears one, he will pull me into the road to make sure we don't go near it. as a reminders that fears, distractions can get us off our path with God. Even sometimes taking us into a more dangerous situation just so the one that we're anxious about is avoided. Some of that may be habit. In our neighborhood, they put up barriers on the sidewalks in front of houses that are under construction, which means you have to cross the street to the other sidewalk or just walk in the road in front of that lot to get around that particular site. But I've noticed that even after the barriers have been removed, Duke will take us on the path that we had been going to reroute around those barriers. He learned and then became habituated to this new path. The more direct, better path is right in front of our faces, open to us. And yet we go out this other way to keep doing what we'd been doing. Reminder that habits are easily formed, but hard to break. So even when it's not the most direct route, I am thankful to say we are making progress in some way back to where we are going, back to our destination. That is until we pause so that he can make a mess. Which grace stands ready to clean while he wants to get away from it as quickly as he can? The only time I have to tug Duke back to me is when I am cleaning up the mess that he has just made. He doesn't want to own it. He wants to leave it behind. Aren't we that way? I made a mess. I'm leaving it as quickly as I can. You can clean it up if you want to, Lord. There are extended times on our walks that are quite quiet. It's good for thinking, good for praying. But they don't always yield new insights or even leave me feeling more connected with God. We walk anyway. knowing that silence does not mean absence. It may mean peace. The way those entrusting relationships do not have to fill every moment with words. The walks do inevitably lead to interactions. We build community on our walks. It is notable that people and dogs will speak to us in ways when Duke is around that they will not if he is not. Walking with Jesus is like all of that. We're slowly maturing into obedience, even as we continue to deal with distractions, fears, and messes of our own making. Grace gets us back on track, cleaning up those messes. Habits are formed and reformed over time. Progress is imperfect, but at least perpetual. Our relationship with Jesus and others is fostered as we make our way. Life with Jesus is like a long walk with or without a dog. And it regularly ends up leading us to quiet dinners. for all the appeal of a resurrected Jesus descending on a temple, amassing thousands to finally give him the praise that he is due, showing those who killed him how wrong and impotent they were. What we get in the gospels is Jesus appearing to a person here, small group there, two people taking a long walk, then sitting down and having dinner with them. After that meal, they would have, or during that meal, they would have reclined near each other. Host and stranger becoming increasingly close. close even though they still did not know who that stranger was. till he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him and He vanished from their sight. It was during a quiet dinner that those disciples, those followers, finally realized they had been with the Lord, that He had chosen to draw near them, that He had come to help them on their path. That's the risen Christ for you. or show up on a long walk. who appear in a conversation with a stranger. He's present in a shared meal like this one. Those may not be as flashy as earthquakes or blinding lights. But if the result is, we live as though he is risen indeed. And those may end up being just exactly what we need.