A Sermon Preached by Rev. Jean Niven Lenk

¹³Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, ¹⁴and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. ¹⁵While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, ¹⁶but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. ¹⁷And he said to them, ‘What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?’ They stood still, looking sad. ¹⁸Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, ‘Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?’ ¹⁹He asked them, ‘What things?’ They replied, ‘The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, ²⁰and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. ²¹But 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. ²²Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, ²³and 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. ²⁴Some 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.’ ²⁵Then he said to them, ‘Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! ²⁶Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?’ ²⁷Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.

²⁸ As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. ²⁹But 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. ³⁰When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. ³¹Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. ³²They 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?’ ³³That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. ³⁴They were saying, ‘The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!’ ³⁵Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

"The Emmaus Church ”

A Communion Meditation Preached by
The Rev. Jean Niven Lenk

at the

First Congregational Church of Stoughton

United Church of Christ

It has been two weeks since we celebrated Christ’s resurrection, but for the third Sunday in a row, our gospel lesson takes place on the first Easter. So much happened on that day 2000 years ago – on so many fronts, in so many hearts – that it is impossible to contain it all in just one scripture reading, in just one sermon, or in just one worship service.

This morning, we have what has been called “the perfect story,”¹ and the “most beautiful of the Resurrection narratives.”² It is the account of Cleopas and his unnamed companion on the evening of that first Easter day. Dejected and hopeless, they are walking the long road home to the village of Emmaus. The eleven disciples have locked themselves away in a room somewhere in Jerusalem, but these two followers of Jesus become traveling companions, leaving not only the city behind, but also the heartbreaking events of the previous week.

Their two-hour journey offers plenty of time for them to share with each other their disappointment, sorrow, grief, and shattered dreams, to offer each other a sympathetic ear and listening heart. Jesus had seemed like the one that all Israel had been hoping for: a triumphant conqueror who would free them from the tyranny of Rome and usher in a new kingdom, one He called the Kingdom of God. Jesus had held great promise, and they kept waiting for him to reveal his mighty power. But, instead, he had been nailed to the cross by the Romans.

So these two traveling companions are in the depths of despair, talking about all that has happened, when they suddenly realize someone is walking with them. It is the Resurrected Christ, but Luke tells us that their eyes are “kept from recognizing him.”

“What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” the stranger asks, inviting them to unburden themselves and share their pain. And their words spill out, telling the whole story – of Jesus’ betrayal and suffering, his undeserved punishment, their unfulfilled hopes and dreams.

“How foolish you are!” Jesus admonishes them, “How slow of heart!” Don’t you remember the teachings of the prophets, the promises of salvation? Don’t you remember what you’ve learned in synagogue? And he goes over it all with them; “…beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpret[s] to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.”³ Spoken by the Risen Christ, the words of scripture become the Word of God, the Word made flesh.

Cleopas and his companion arrive at their home in Emmaus just as night is falling, but they don’t want the conversation with this stranger to end. And so they extend him their hospitality and invite him in to share their meal, giving him the honor of saying the Hamotzi, the traditional blessing over the bread: “Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha'olam, hamotzi lechem min ha'aretz" “Blessed are you Lord God, Sovereign of the Universe, you bring forth bread from the earth.”

Jesus has said this blessing over the bread hundreds of times, but three days before, as he shared a last supper with his disciples, he gave this ritual new significance. “This is my body broken for you; do this in remembrance of me.” And as Jesus breaks the bread at that Emmaus table, the two companions’ eyes are opened, and they realize that the one who has accompanied them on their journey is the Risen Christ.

Almost immediately, he vanishes into thin air, but the experience on the road and at the table have transformed them forever. “Did not our hearts burn within us?” they ask each other. And without delay, the two head back to Jerusalem; in the dark of the night, their eyes have been opened to the light of the Resurrected Christ, and in the fullness of their joy, they proclaim “The Lord has risen indeed!”

The story of the Road to Emmaus is the story of the Church – Christ’s universal church, and this church, too. Fellowship, hospitality, the reading of scripture, the celebration of sacrament, and the sharing of the Good News – these are all ways in which Christ promised to be present to and with us, and they are what we do here as the family of God and the body of Christ. On our journeys of faith, we become traveling companions to each other, offering sympathetic ears and listening hearts as we share our burdens and sorrows. We offer hospitality to each other and to strangers. We listen to the Word of God. We break bread and share communion with one another. And we go out and tell others about the living Christ’s presence in our lives. In all these activities, in all these ways, “God happens.”

And when God happens, we are transformed. Our eyes are opened to see differently, and our hearts beat with a burning love. When God happens, we can recognize a stranger as the living Christ in our midst. When God happens, we are met by Christ right where we are, even in our deepest sorrows and loneliest walks through life; we are met by Christ whether or not we realize he is with us. And when we are truly open to God happening in us and with us and through us, we want to tell others, so they too can have an experience of the living Christ.

I have said it before – it is my hope and my prayer that you always leave church a little different than when you came in, whether it’s the church gathered or the church scattered. After all, how can we not be changed by being present to one another, whether it is in a hospital room, a living room, the Fireplace Room or around the table at Coffee Fellowship? How can we not be changed by opening our doors and our hearts in welcome to others? How can we not be changed by hearing the word of God, and sharing communion with one another? The ministries of presence and hospitality, the worship of Word and Sacrament – these are hallmarks of the Church – Christ’s universal church, and our church, too. And just as we are transformed, we are called to tell others about the living Christ that their lives, too, might be changed.

Cleopas has an unnamed companion; give that person your name; put yourself in the Emmaus story. Because we are called to travel with others on a journey of faith. We are called to welcome the stranger in our midst, to offer hospitality, to invite others to break bread with us. Jesus has promised that wherever two or three are gathered in His name, “you can be sure that [he’ll] be there” too.⁴ And such an experience of the living Christ will transform us.

As we carry out our ministries within and beyond these walls, may we recognize Jesus in our midst. As we participate in worship – in the hearing of scripture and the sharing of communion – may our eyes open and our hearts burn as we encounter the living Christ. And as the church both gathered and scattered, may we proclaim the life-changing news that “The Lord has risen, the Lord has risen indeed!” Amen.

1. Reynolds Price, A Palpable God, as cited by Patricia de Jong, “A Brief Encounter,” April 21, 1996, First Congregational Church of Berkeley, CA.

2. Joseph S. O’Leary: Essays on Literary and Theological Themes http://josephsoleary.typepad.com/my_weblog/2006/04/index.html.

3. Luke 24:27.

4. Matthew 18:20, The Message by Eugene Peterson.