4th Sunday of Easter!
Prayer
Luke
24:13-35
First Movement:
I
can remember when I was a kid our main outreach each year was a Revival. We would get a guest speaker and/or special
singers and schedule a week of meetings to invite people to. We were encouraged to invite folks. We hung flyers around town. We put it on the radio that so and so church
was having a Revival all are invited.
Then the week would come; our evangelist was usually literally preaching
to the choir. It would turn out to be
pretty much of a disappointment and the evangelist would have to shift into
either encouraging us for working so hard and telling us the important thing
was we were there or sometimes they might brow beat us because we had not
worked hard enough. Either way, the
Revival didn’t usually do what we hoped it would.
Later,
I can remember different programs we would try.
One I can remember was “Friend Day.”
We bought this packet of stuff that had posters and radio advertisements
that we were having friend day. It gave
you an outline of what you were to do and when.
I can remember that during the weeks ahead the pastor would announce
that he/she was bringing a friend and it was to be some known city official and
would have them visit that Sunday. I’ve
brought my friend, now who will you bring etc.
On Friend Day, we were suppose to have a big Sunday where we brought our
friends. Afterward, it had a programmed
way to follow up. Friend Day was
somewhat successful. We did have a lot
of people there that Sunday, but follow-up was hard, and we didn’t really see
lasting benefits. A lot of the friends
were people who went to church somewhere else.
There
always seems to be a new program to have a special Sunday or special service to
get people here. These things can be
effective, but they will not always be effective. We had a Conference Lay Leader a few years
back that was always noted as saying “We have to keep the main thing the main
thing!” I would add to that, we will
only be successful when the church keeps the main thing the main thing! The main thing isn’t just getting people here
for a certain meeting or group of meetings!
It is about touching them with the love of God that keeps them coming
back! (more later)
Second Movement:
Our story today is from the gospel of Luke,
and it happens at the end of Resurrection Day or Easter evening! Luke says that two disciples were walking on
the road to Emmaus. One of the disciples
is named Cleopas. He is not one of the
twelve and we encounter him nowhere else in the Bible, and the other disciple
is unnamed. They are just followers of
Jesus that are walking along to Emmaus.
We haven’t even been able to identify with any certainty where Emmaus
was! These things are not significant to
the story.
They
are walking along and Jesus joins them.
They do not recognize him; this seems to be a continuing theme, people
not recognizing Jesus when he first appears to them. For Luke, Jesus or God is only recognized by
divine revelation! Jesus asks them what
they are talking about, and they respond to him like, “Where have you been the last couple days? Haven’t you heard what all things have
happened the last few days?” Jesus
says, “What things?”
They
proceeded to tell Jesus about Jesus of Nazareth who was a great prophet and
teacher and how the chief priests and
leaders had handed him over to be crucified!
They told how they thought he was the Messiah and then this
happened! Now, besides all this, now the
third day since all this happened some of the women in our group astounded us
by going to the tomb this morning and finding his body is not there! They came back and told us how they had seen
a vision of angels who said he was alive!
Jesus
then picks up the conversation with, “Oh,
how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe.” He explains that all of this is what the
prophets declared would happen. He tells
them it was necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then
enter into glory! He begins with Moses
and all the prophets and interprets the things about himself in all the
scriptures.
As
they come to Emmaus, Jesus acts like he is going on, but they invite him to
stay with them. When they are setting
down to a meal, Jesus takes the bread breaks it, blesses it, and gives it to
them. Then their eyes are opened, they
recognize him and he vanishes from among them.
Then they said to one another, “Were
not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while
he was opening the scriptures to us?” Then
they went forth and told how he had been made known to them in the breaking of
the bread!
Third Movement:
It
is likely that Luke intended this story for and that it has been used as a
model for encountering and worshiping the risen savior!
First, Christ is
known by revelation. Paul has put it to
us another way. We can sow the seeds,
others may water the seeds, but only God gives the increase! People will not get it until God moves on
their hearts. This doesn’t mean that we
don’t sow the seeds! This doesn’t mean
that we don’t water, but it is only God who can make Godself known to people
through God’s prevenient grace! It is
only God who reveals Christ to us!
Secondly, our
hearts burn within us at the spoken word!
This sets up the spoken message and word as a priority in our worship of
God. How can people know unless someone
tells them? The spoken word should reveal Christ as the promised Messiah who is
making all things right! The spoken word
should reveal Christ as the Messiah we all need! The spoken word should give us guidance for
life! The spoken word should show us
that, as our hearts burn within us and we encounter Christ, we should go tell
others!
Thirdly, Christ is
made known to us as we encounter Him at the table. Wesley talked to us about the means of
grace. Means of grace being things
through which God’s grace comes to us.
Reading the word and hearing the word are means of grace. We’ve already talked about the spoken word,
but it is a way that God reveals Godself to us!
Other means of grace are prayer, singing, service, and deeds of
kindness, but Wesley saw the sacrament of Holy Communion as a special means of
grace. That is inline with what Luke is
saying here.
We believe that
Holy Communion is a special encounter with the risen Christ. As we take of the physical elements, we
believe that spiritually we can encounter Jesus at the table. We believe that someone can come to faith by
accepting Christ at the table. We
believe Christ can give all of us what we need at the table. We believe communion is a special encounter
with Christ! We believe Jesus is made
known to us in the breaking of the bread and taking of the cup!
Fourthly, but not
least, go forth and tell about our encounter with the risen Christ! This is the way the gospel spreads! It is not through some special program, but
only, as we go forth and tell about our encounter with Christ. Yes, programs work sometimes. Picnics work sometimes! Activities work in that they get Christian
people to brush shoulders with folks who are on the outside so we can tell of
our encounter with the risen Christ!
They will only work when we keep the main thing the main thing and tell
what Jesus has done for us! We can keep
the main thing the main thing even without the programs! The main thing is we encounter Christ, let
Christ change us, and go and tell!
If we do this, we
are keeping the main thing the main thing!
If we do this, we will be successful and we will see the church
grow. It won’t matter so much what magic
programs we try! This is the plan in
which we can find success! First, Christ
is known by revelation; Second, our hearts burn within us at the spoken word;
Thirdly, Christ is made know as we encounter Christ at the table; and fourthly,
go forth and tell of our encounter with Christ!
Luke outlines it
for us here in his gospel! We will see
others come to Christ! We will see other
believers come to join us because they will want to be a part of a church who is
positively offering Christ, and we will grow like we never believed we
could! You want to be a part of a
positive church who is growing in Christ?
Have you had your sadness and despair turned to joy, hope, and
excitement because of what God has done for you? Go tell what Christ has done for you so that
those you know can have their hopelessness turned to joy! Do your part in making Jesus known to your
relatives and friends! Share the love of
God! Offer them Christ! Thanks be to
God!
Prayer
of Confession
Service
of Communion
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