Easter 5: True Vine and Pruning

 This week, we continue our exploration of the post-Resurrection appearances of Jesus. Today we look at one of the earliest and most familiar ones—the Road to Emmaus.

The account comes in the Gospel of Luke right after the women encounter the angels at the empty tomb (see last week). Two of the followers of Jesus are going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They are talking about everything that happened over the past few days when a stranger catches up with them. He starts the conversation by asking, What are you discussing with each other while you walk along? Cleopas responds, Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?

Jesus, probably tongue in cheek, asks, What things? Immediately they say, the things about Jesus of Nazareth [who] our chief priests and leaders…condemned to death and crucified him….it is now the third day since these things took place…some women of our group…were at the tomb early this morning…they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive.

Imagine the scene, the grieving followers returning to their home with more questions than answers. They had seen their rabbi, who they had hoped was the one to redeem Israel, brutally killed. Now the women, surely delusional, claim to have seen angels, but there is no body at the tomb. No wonder they are talking as they walk.

Jesus is about to give them some answers. First, he seems to chide the pair, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared...beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. They must have been stunned as this stranger interpreted the Hebrew prophecies as telling how the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory.

Has there been a time when suddenly a passage of scripture seems crystal clear and has more impact on your situation than ever before?

The travelers on the road are so impressed that they invite Jesus to eat 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. This icon called ‘Road to Emmaus’ is by Sister Marie Paul OSB of the Mount of Olives Monastery, Jerusalem (1990). It shows both the journey to Emmaus and the revelation in the bread.* 

Jesus is known by the action of blessing and breaking the bread. The pair don’t hesitate, they return to Jerusalem to tell everyone else what happened. On Maundy Thursday, I heard a sermon that traced God’s action as always being Taking-Blessing-Breaking-Giving.

·         God Takes human form and Blesses it. God is Broken on the Cross as Gift to all creation.

·         Jesus Takes bread and Blesses it many times. Then Jesus Breaks the Bread and Gives it to feed the 5000 and for the last supper and other times.

·         God Takes our lives and Blesses them. God Breaks us as Gift to the world.

When have you felt Taken-Blessed-Broken-Given?

The Sunday Gospel (John 15:1-8) is an expression of another way God Takes-Blesses-Breaks-Gives. Jesus states, I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. God Takes and Blesses Jesus as the Vine. Then God Breaks the branches by pruning. God looks at every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. Jesus says we are then Given by abiding. He promises, Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing…My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.

We are promised that we are Beloved—Taken and Blessed as God’s own. Then we are pruned and Broken so that we bear fruit Given to the world as disciples. It is never fun to be pruned or broken. However, just as a human vineyard owner tends and prunes the vines to get a better harvest, the pruning is for our own good. Sometimes we can feel like the pruning is too harsh, until we come to the other side of some trial. Then we see how God has strengthened us through the trouble and made our faith stronger so that we can do God’s work better.

* I found the icon on a blog by Patrick Comerford who has some interesting points about the way Jesus listens patiently to Cleopas and his friend; and about entering into the hospitality of God. You might find it interesting.  

Change of Outlook

The Easter story is all about change. Change of heart, of focus, of perspective, of life. The pair of travelers on the Road to Emmaus had not yet understood the totality of the change that had happened. As they walked along, “They were talking with each other about everything that had happened…Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him.” (Luke 24: 14-16)

Like Susan and Lucy in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (CS Lewis) the travelers were confronted with something beyond their comprehension. Susan and Lucy see the Witch and her minions torture and kill Aslan. They keep watch throughout the night. As dawn nears, they start “walking aimlessly”. The girls don’t know what to do now that their beloved Aslan is dead. Then the Stone Table cracks! “Who’s done it?” cried Susan. “What does it mean? Is it more magic?”

The pair on their way to the town of Emmaus are just as confused about the events of the past 3 days. They begin to explain to the stranger, “About Jesus of Nazareth. He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.” (Luke 24:19-24)

In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe the girls get their answer immediately. “Yes!” said a great voice from behind their backs. “It is more magic.” They looked round. There, shining in the sunrise, larger than they had seen him before, shaking his mane (for it had apparently grown again) stood Aslan himself. “Oh, Aslan!” cried both the children, staring up at him, almost as much frightened as they were glad…”

Jesus doesn’t do anything as dramatic. Instead, “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27)

Jesus reveals himself via the familiar task of breaking bread.  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. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:30-32)

The pair rush back to Jerusalem where they relate “what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.” (Luke 24:35) It was in the sharing bread that the travelers understood who Jesus was. Their outlook changed. They no longer saw a stranger, they saw their beloved teacher and friend.

Have there been times when you have met someone in an unfamiliar situation, or out of the normal context and not recognized them until they reminded you of the common bond. Children are often astonished to meet their teachers at the grocery store because the teacher is someone who they only know in the context of the classroom. The idea that Ms. Jones has to go grocery shopping can amaze them.

Has there been a time or situation where you didn’t recognize God’s action right away because it wasn’t what you were expecting? How did you eventually understand that it was God?

Next week we’ll continue looking at how God makes us change our outlook and focus, and sometimes our vision of life and mission as we meet the disciples in the time of transition before Pentecost.

Refreshed by Story

We are embarking on a journey in an ‘Easter’ way of life. Easter morning marks a new year, a new beginning. Just like January 1 marks the start of the secular calendar and Advent 1 marks the beginning of the Church Year. The empty tomb, as it says in Acts, ‘turned the world upside down’. And it changes our life if we let it.

In order to start off a new year, we might need to rest up from the busy-ness of the weeks leading up to that new year. Before January 1, there is all the Christmas rush and excitement, leaving some of us exhausted by the time New Year’s Day rolls around. Similarly, the bustle of getting ready for Easter, all the lovely, meaningful services of Holy Week, and the day itself can leave us feeling a bit tired and let down in the days called the Great 50 Days of Easter (the time in the church year between Easter and Pentecost). There can be a feeling of let-down.

We want to be joyful and celebrate, but we can find ourselves running on empty. Our soul’s batteries need to recharge and our gas tanks need refilled. How can we do that? One way is to let the great Story of Easter itself sink into our heart and imagination. Which is your favorite Easter appearance? Is it Mary Magdalene at the tomb? Is it on the Road to Emmaus? Do you connect with Thomas as he asks for a sign?

Take this favorite episode and really explore it. Give yourself the gift of plenty of time. Read it in more than one translation. Read it aloud. Search for art that represents the scene. 

Imagine yourself in the scene. If you want to consider the appearance to Thomas…Are you Thomas, are you the others in the room, or maybe you are a time traveling observer? What thoughts and feelings do you have as you participate in the scene and hear Jesus say ‘put your hand here, and be not faithless but believe’?

Sit quietly with the story, and read it again. Let the truth of the Risen Christ permeate your soul. Offer a prayer that pulls together all your experiences.

Let God be present in the Bible story, let God be present in your story. After sitting with your favorite Easter appearance story, consider how Jesus has appeared to you recently, or in the past year, or in the dim and distant past. Was it the smile of a friend, an unexpected affirmation, the answer to a prayer…?? Recollect that time in your life. How did it feel to have Jesus present actively in your life? Do you take time to recognize God every day and invite Jesus to ‘come in’, as the disciples did on the Road to Emmaus? They were amazed when they recognized Jesus. You and I might also be amazed at how often and how close Jesus is in our lives.

Jesus wants to be present and refresh our hearts every day. This Eastertide is the perfect time to intentionally allow God to be present. Seeing Jesus in the day-to-day will refuel our engines and recharge our batteries. 

Next time we'll look at another way to be refreshed during this Eastertide. 

In the Breaking of the Bread

Since Easter we’ve been looking at the 4 Gospel accounts of the women who came to the tomb on the first day of the week-only to find the stone rolled away and Jesus risen. Mary Magdalene features in all these accounts, but there are others to whom Jesus appeared that first Easter day. Among them are Cleopas and his companion. Last year I wrote about the response of these witnesses. Today, we continue our theme of the changes wrought by the Resurrection experience in those who encountered the Risen Lord.

Mary found herself turning from Dark to Light, the Myrhh Bearers found that there was a new and deeper righteousness than tradition. The angel told the women to “Look and See”. The Resurrection ushered in a new creation and we are called to be part of that creation. So, too, are we called to both see life through new eyes and be seen as witnesses to that new life.

Cleopas and his friend left Jerusalem feeling very sad. All their hopes for Messiah have been dashed by the Crucifixion. They tell the Stranger who joins them, “The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.” (Luke 24:20-24)

Even though they have heard the report of the women, they cannot believe that such a thing is possible. While it isn’t stated, the men probably mutter that “the women had some sort of hysterical response to finding the body gone.” After all, Peter and John checked it out and didn’t see Jesus.

The Stranger sets them straight, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” Cleopas and his friend may have stopped and stared at the Man with them. This was not the normal teaching of the rabbis. He doesn’t stop there. “Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” (Luke 24:25-27)

It’s no wonder that they ask him to stay and eat with them when they arrive in Emmaus. The pair have found hope in the Stranger’s words. They want to hear more. Instead, they get a revelation of Who their Companion has been when “he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.” In that moment they understood and he “vanished”.

Immediately “They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem.” During the seven mile walk-or more likely run-the pair were, no doubt, buoyed by the amazing news they had to share. When they arrived, “they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, ‘It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.’ Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.” (Luke 24:33-35) 

Jesus had revealed himself to Cleopas and companion in the ‘breaking of the bread’-reminiscent of the Last Supper with them all and foreshadowing the Eucharist. The travelers went from great sadness to greater joy when they understood that the Lord was indeed alive and that all that happened was part of the fuller plan of salvation history.

Where does Jesus reveal himself here and now? How does Jesus among us impact and inform our own walk of faith?

This Sunday as you receive the Eucharist, I offer to you a saying attributed to St. Augustine:

See what you BelieveBecome what you See

As the Bread and Wine, the Body and Blood, are presented, consider all that those elements mean and represent. Oswald Chambers reminds us, “The process of being made broken bread and poured-out wine means that you have to be the nourishment for other people’s souls until they learn to feed on God. They must drain you completely— to the very last drop. But be careful to replenish your supply, or you will quickly be utterly exhausted. Until others learn to draw on the life of the Lord Jesus directly, they will have to draw on His life through you. You must literally be their source of supply, until they learn to take their nourishment from God. We owe it to God to be our best for His lambs and sheep, as well as for Him.”

How can you and I be the Broken Bread and Poured Out Wine to those we meet day-to-day?
See you in Pentecost!

I'll Lead you All in the Dance

Cleopas and his friend had unknowingly spent the day with Jesus, the Risen Lord of the Dance. (Luke 24:13-35) Last week we looked at how Jesus finally revealed himself to the pair and then ‘vanished from their sight’. (the picture is Caravaggio's interpretation of the men at the meal.) Let’s imagine the scene. I’ve named Cleopas’s friend Amos for this little vignette.

Cleopas and Amos stared at each other, unable to believe what had just happened. The warm bread turned cool in their hands but they did not take a bite. The barley beer sat untouched on the table. A few minutes earlier the men had been hungry from their walk from Jerusalem. Now food was the last thing on their minds.

Cleopas spoke first. “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road?

Amos nodded slowly at first and then with more enthusiasm. “Yes, while he was opening the scriptures to us!”

“How could we have not known?”

“We didn’t recognize Him.”

Cleopas stared at the bread in his hand. “I knew Him when he blessed and broke the bread, just like He did so many times while we travelled with Him!”

“I felt my heart leap when He lifted the bread from the platter, as if it was something more special than just bread.” Amos cupped his bread in his hand, holding it like a precious jewel.

“We must return to Jerusalem!” Cleopas leapt to his feet. “Peter and the others-we have to tell them.”

“Yes!” Amos snatched his cloak up. “We must tell them that the women were right. Jesus is alive!”

The pair rushed out the door, leaving their meal untouched, except for the bread they each clutched, almost unconsciously. The road back to Jerusalem stretched down the hillside. They gave no thought to safety but rushed headlong past startled travelers coming into Emmaus and those also setting out from the town.

Panting a bit, the men paused a couple miles down the road.

“He is alive,” Amos repeated what he said in Emmaus. He whirled in an ecstatic circle.

Cleopas lifted his head and hands to the sky. “Messiah has come! Jesus is Messiah!”

“Amen and Amen!” his companion shouted. The two men had never felt so alive. Both whirled with arms spread wide as if to encompass the entire vista of Jerusalem which could be glimpsed dimly in the distance.

“They are drunk. Stay close to me.” Cleopas heard a man tell his wife. The woman clutched her husband’s arm and the couple edged past.

Amos heard too and laughed. “If only you knew!” he shouted after the pair.

“Come on!” Cleopas started out again.

He set a swift pace, not quite running as when they left Emmaus, but fast enough to pass a small donkey caravan and another pair of men walking toward the capital. They barely paused at the Roman guard post a mile from the gates.

“We have family in the city that we must see,” Cleopas told the bored soldier who barely glanced at them.

Amos glanced back at the setting sun as their shadows stretched toward the walls of the city. “We have to arrive before the gates close.”

“Not my affair.” the Roman shrugged as he let them pass.

Amos started running and Cleopas followed. The Roman’s sneer “Crazy Jews” followed them.

The two men had to slow when they arrived in the crowd of merchants and travelers all pushing toward the gates, eager to enter the city before nightfall.

“We have urgent family business,” Cleopas again explained to a harassed sentry at the gate when they finally reached it.

“You and half this forsaken country,” growled the man, but he waved them through.

Inside the city, Amos turned right. The pair followed winding back streets to the house where Peter and the other disciples were staying. They pounded on the door. Cautiously it was opened. James looked out.

“Cleopas? Amos? We thought you returned to Emmaus.” The man was astonished.

“Let us in. We have much to tell you!” Amos pushed against the door.

It was a dusty, windblown pair that burst into the room. The gathered group stared at them. Peter stood up.

“What happened to you?”

“Jesus is alive!” Amos could not contain the news any longer.

“He was known to us in the breaking of the bread!” Cleopas added, producing the bread from his bag.

The disciples crowded around. A huge smile slowly spread across John’s face. “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!”

Cleopas and Amos looked at John, then at Peter who nodded. “Yes, the Lord did appear to me.”

Everyone was quiet drinking in the awe of the multiple announcements. Before anyone could say another word, Jesus himself was in the room. There were gasps and a couple of frightened murmurs.

“Why are you troubled and why do you question?” The figure held out his hands in a familiar gesture. “See my hands and my feet. It is I. Touch me. A spirit does not have flesh and bones.”

A few bravely reached out to lay a hand on His arm. Jesus looked around with a smile at those who still hung back.

“Do you have anything to eat?”

James passed a piece of broiled fish to the Master who ate it and grinned at the group standing with mouths gapping open. Then he sat down and began to teach, just as in the weeks before his death. Each man relaxed and found a comfortable spot to listen.

Cleopas and his friend had the amazing experience of walking, talking, and then breaking bread with the Risen Lord. Theirs was indeed a special encounter. To them was given the honor of speaking face to face with the Risen Lord and their response was to race back and report to the others.

Like Cleopas we have the opportunity and honor to walk and talk with our Lord at any time. Christ is present in the prayer times, in the beauty of nature, in worship and in our daily lives. We can meet and walk with the Lord of the Dance when we visit with friends and strangers.  An ancient Celtic prayer attributed to St. Patrick reminds us that Christ is really always with us, “Christ beside me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ within me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me.”

What do we do when we have a special encounter with the Holy One? Do we race out and tell our friends? The chorus of the Lord of the Dance song encourages us to Dance as we are and where we are, because “I’ll lead you all in the Dance, said He!”

Dance then, wherever you may be
I am the Lord of the Dance, said He!
And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be
And I'll lead you all in the Dance, said He!
(...lead you all in the Dance, said He!)

We end this series as we began with the Lord of the Dance video. Next Sunday is Pentecost when the disciples received the Holy Spirit and the church was empowered. After Memorial Day, a new series will explore the image of the Holy Bridegroom throughout scripture. Join me then.

I am the Life

Since Easter, we’ve been walking with the disciples on the Road to Emmaus, a city “7 miles (60 stadia) from Jerusalem.” Most likely, according to Biblical archeological scholars, Emmaus can be identified with Nicopolis, on the main road from the coast to Jerusalem. This particular location is actually further than the 7 miles noted in the scripture. However, some early Bible translations list the distance as 160 stadia (closer to 15 or 20 miles), which would be correct for Emmaus/Nicopolis. 

The road would have been uphill from Jerusalem to Emmaus, but for men used to walking to get to their destinations, it probably would have been about a 4 or 5 hour hike. This picture from Biblewalks.com gives you an idea of the terrain the men covered in their walk. You can see that the current highway to Jerusalem curves around the hill, but the older road seems to take a more direct route down the hill. There are some other interesting pictures of the ruins of Emmaus/Nicopolis at the same website.

After their interesting conversation, of several hours, with an unknown Companion about the “things that have happened [in Jerusalem] in these days” and the Stranger’s eye-opening explanations of the scriptures, the men still don’t really understand that it is indeed the Risen Lord walking with them. We might slight them for their blindness, but how often do we not see that God is walking with us in our troubles and trials and in our joys and celebrations?

Cleopas and his companion don’t want the conversation to end. “As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked 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.” (Luke 24:28-29)

We aren’t told if the men were stopping at an inn or at their home. Either way they are given food, including the staple of life: bread. “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.” (Luke 24:30-31)

The one thing that convinced these men that their strange companion was the same Jesus that they had known before was his ceremonial action in breaking the bread. In that bread, we too can have the Resurrection Life. As the Lord of the Dance song says,

They cut me down and I leapt up high
I am the Life that'll never, never die!
I'll live in you if you'll live in Me -
I am the Lord of the Dance, said He!

Our Risen Lord offered to Cleopas and his companion bread, blessed and broken. Then “their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.” When we receive the Eucharist, we are partakers of that same Bread, blessed and broken. Do you and I recognize the Risen Lord in the Bread? Do we remember that Our Lord promises to “live in you, if you’ll live in Me”? Do we sometimes forget that we have the honor of being at the Heavenly Banquet Table every time we come to Communion?

Once, several years ago, I heard a sermon where the priest reminded her listeners that it is indeed a joy, honor, and privilege to receive the “Body of Christ, the Bread of Heaven”. She suggested that we come to the Communion rail with joyful expressions and open hands because we are coming to a party. Then she added we should say ‘Thank you’ after receiving the Sacrament, just as we do at any dinner.

Next week, we’ll conclude this series with the response of Cleopas and his friend. After Pentecost, a new series will start focusing on being the Bride of Christ as individuals as well as the Church as a whole.  

They Thought I'd Gone

This week, we glance back at Good Friday and Easter in the words of the song (Lord of the Dance) and in the companions explanation on the Road to Emmaus. Jesus has asked Cleopas and his friend to explain the events in Jerusalem. They say, ‘our leaders crucified him’. You can hear the horror in their voices as they say it. But then the conversation continues and the tone changes to incredulity.

“Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of 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.” (Luke 24:21-24)

In the movie Jesus of Nazareth, Mary Magdalene comes to the disciples huddled in fear in the upper room. She bursts in full of her wonderful news, only to be met with blank looks and skepticism. She says something along the lines of “you don’t believe me. You think I am mad. I know He was dead. I wept at his feet at the cross. But I saw him. He said my name.” Her contempt for their cowardice is convicting and Peter along with the others risks leaving the safety of the locked doors to run, with John, to the tomb.

As the song, Lord of the Dance, says, “They buried my body and they thought I’d gone, but I am the Dance and I still go on.” The men on the leaving Jerusalem and heading for Emmaus did not yet understand that they were talking to the One who danced right out of the grave. They were walking with the One whom the women claimed was alive!

We aren’t all that different from the disciples. We don’t always see Jesus walking with us or understand all that the Empty Tomb means. Saint Ephrem (4^th Century poet, musician, theologian) sums up how Christ defeated death in his sermon which says, in part, “The cross of Christ gives life to the human race. Death trampled our Lord underfoot, but he in his turn treated death as a highroad for his own feet…concealed beneath the cloak of his manhood, his godhead engaged death in combat, but in slaying our Lord, death itself was slain… He who was also the carpenter’s glorious son set up his cross above death’s all-consuming jaws, and led the human race into the dwelling place of life… Your murderers sowed your living body in the earth as farmers sow grain, but it sprang up and yielded an abundant harvest of men raised from the dead.” (read the sermon) The final line reminds me of the Lord of the Dance and of the Easter hymn Now the Green Blade Rises by John Clum. 

What locked doors are we-you and I-hiding behind, fearful to let the Lord of the Dance in? Because our Lord has triumphed we can take courage, like Mary Magdalene, to be brave enough to speak convicting words of love to the world. The men on the road to Emmaus thought their hope was dead. Instead, it was just STARTING! The Love of God has conquered all that we might fear. Just like the hymn tells us, “Now the green blade rises from the buried grain, Wheat that in the dark earth many years has lain; Love lives again, that with the dead has been: Love is come again, like wheat that springs up green.”

We should join with St. Ephrem, who ended his sermon with a call to action. “Come then, my brothers and sisters, let us offer our Lord the great and all-embracing sacrifice of our love, pouring out our treasury of hymns and prayers before him who offered his cross in sacrifice to God for the enrichment of us all.”
Next week, Jesus reveals himself to the travelers.

I Cured the Lame

We continue with our Dance on the way to Emmaus as the men resume their conversation with the Stranger who has come up to them. They tell him in Luke 24:20-21, “our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him.” As it says in the song “Lord of the Dance”:

I danced on the Sabbath & I cured the lame
The holy people said it was a shame!
They whipped & they stripped & they hung me high
And they left me there on a cross to die!

Jesus came to challenge the status quo and the leaders did not like that. Healing on the Sabbath was breaking the Law that said no work could be done on the holy day. So, “they left me there on the cross to die.” And that death was the core of the pair’s disappointment and sorrow. “But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel,” they tell their Companion.

All the days of walking with Jesus and listening to him preach and watching him heal had made them believe that he was the Promised One, the Messiah. Their conviction that Jesus was more than an ordinary Rabbi was brought up short when he died, leaving them with just the forlorn words, “we had hoped…”

There are probably no sadder words than “we had hoped…” for a baby, “we had hoped…” to purchase a new house, “we had hoped…” for whatever. There times when we feel that our hope has evaporated. We pray and pray and nothing seems to be happening. Or we struggle to make sense of senseless acts of violence in the news. Or we mourn a loss and life seems empty and pointless. Cleopas and his friend felt that same hopelessness as they trudged from Jerusalem to Emmaus.

In those times, Jesus walks beside us. Often we, like Cleopas, do not recognize His presence. The unexpected note from a friend makes us smile. That is the Lord offering hope. A bit of good news offers a ray of sunshine. That is God in the situation. We read of self-less acts of heroism by everyday people. That is Jesus acting through them.

Just this past week, we were reminded of the pain caused by the misguided hatred of humanity when bombs exploded in Boston. With Cleopas and his friend we can ask, where is Jesus? We can think that hope is lost and that there is only darkness. However, in the Dance of Life, the Lord of the Dance is not conquered when our hopes are dashed. Instead, that is often when God's work really starts. Our God still Dances on the Sabbath and cures our lameness, our hopelessness, our sorrow, our despair. We, individually and corporately, can be the hands and feet of God to the hurting world.

Next week, we’ll see how the “Dance goes on.”

They Came with Me

In this time that is called the Great Fifty Days, between Easter and Pentecost, this blogger invites you to come along with the disciples on the Emmaus Road and contemplate the joyful dance we are invited to enter with our God.

You remember the story of the disciples in Luke 24:13-35 who were on the road on Easter. It had been an emotional week. There was the joyful entry into Jerusalem to the crowd’s adulation, but only days later, the same crowd crying “Crucify!” These men, Cleopas* and his friend, were followers of Jesus. They weren’t part of the “Twelve”, but like many others they had followed the Rabbi from Galilee with great anticipation. The men were some of those who, in the words of the song (Lord of the Dance) joined the Dance:

I danced for the scribe & the Pharisee
But they would not dance & they wouldn't follow me
I danced for fishermen, for James & John
They came with me & the Dance went on.

So we meet the pair “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.     And 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 stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?’ He 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…” (vs. 13-19).

 

Jesus comes up to them, but they don’t recognize Him. You have probably had the experience of not recognizing someone when they are not in their normal context. Perhaps it is your child’s teacher who you bump into at the grocery or a friend you haven’t seen in a while or a neighbor you see at a restaurant. Sometimes you think, “I know that person,” but can’t quite put a name to the face, and other times you don’t recognize them at all until they speak to you and remind you of the connection.

Certainly Cleopas and his companion weren’t expecting to have Jesus join them on their 2 hour walk to Emmaus. It isn’t surprising that they don’t recognize him right away. Jesus asks what they were talking about and Cleopas is stunned that anyone would not know all that happened in the past week. “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” he says in amazement.

Jesus, as so often with God, lets Cleopas and his friend explain their disappointments to him before revealing Himself. God knows exactly what our needs and concerns are, but God waits for us to bring those problems to God. If you are a parent, you can relate. It would be easier to give your toddler what you know he wants. However, you also know she won’t grow up to be well functioning unless you make her tell you that she wants a snack or that particular toy. It’s part of learning to interact, but can be painful for us as parents to wait and insist that the need be articulated.

God waits for us to bring our disappointments and needs to God because, like the toddler, we have to learn to articulate what we want. Have you ever noticed that when you are take time to pray about something it suddenly seems less onerous or the solution presents itself?

Jesus let Cleopas and his companion tell him “about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people.” It was important for them to explain what they were feeling in order to be ready for the transformation that was coming.

The Dance can only go on if we are willing to let go of our pre-conceived notions of Who God is and How God is supposed to act and respond. It’s something I admit I struggle with. We probably all do. Like the toddler, we want God to do things our way. “I want” is a favorite phrase. Perhaps we need to let God lead in the Dance and do more following…

Dancing involves following the lead of our partner. In the Dance of Life, Jesus is supposed to lead and we end up tripping over our feet when we try to be in charge. Next week we’ll continue to contemplate this song and the story of the road to Emmaus. Meanwhile…let’s try letting God lead the steps.

*There is an interesting ancient tradition that says Cleopas was brother of St. Joseph, and also father of James (the Less) and Jude and grandfather of James (the Greater) and John.

Lively-Family

So far, in this Lent series about living into our baptismal covenant, we’ve considered the need for community in order to “continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers”. Many prayer styles help us “persevere in resisting evil, repent and return to the Lord” and journaling is a way to learn how to tell our story as we “share the Good News of God in Christ.”

An important part of the Baptismal Covenant is moving beyond our comfort zone to “seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself.” As I noted at the beginning of this series, community is how we live into all the parts of our baptismal vows. Sometimes on our journey of faith it is harder to love our selves than to love our neighbor. We know the faults that we try to keep hidden from the rest of the world and that can make us think that we are unlovable.

Not true! God loves us just the way we are. Look at the characters in the Bible-and some of them were really wild characters. God loved each of them and used them to move the Kingdom forward. When we read the Bible stories, we notice, as this blog says, [that] “our ancestors in faith were so unafraid of their beautiful mess. What a witness that the full spectrum of human emotion is woven tightly in their relationship with God. What a witness that the people who eventually wrote down the sacred account of humanity and God felt no apparent need to conceal the bruises and wounds to pretty up humans and, for that matter, God. God, it seems, cares little for our perfection, which doesn't exist, except as a false idol. God's love for the whole of who we are and God's work with the whole of who we are is uncomfortable for many of us.” The women and men in the Bible are part of the community in which we live our Baptismal vows.

Last weekend, I attended a retreat, which is a great way to interact in a community that is made up of new and old friends. One thing we did to build community was to choose prayer partners and also to hang prayers on a tree in the garden of St. Francis on the Hill. We then each took a prayer or 2 off the tree when we left.
The keynote speaker was Bishop Vono of the Diocese of the Rio Grande. He talked to us about the Road to Jerusalem and the Road to Emmaus noting that the Road to Jerusalem is life. While it isn’t easy, life is a journey that we participate in as pilgrims not tourists. Pilgrims look for LIFE and discover our personal story in the scriptural record. As pilgrims we are on a journey to being awake (although that won’t completely happen until we die and wake up to the fullness of life).

At the beginning of the retreat we participated in a Renewal of our Baptismal Covenant because Baptism is the start to the pilgrimage to our life. Through it we enter the community, the Family, of God.

The Road to Jerusalem may have times when we experience “outrageous suffering” on the journey. The good news is that we aren't journeying alone. Teresa of Avila said, "The feeling remains that God is on the journey too." After we go through the dark Jerusalem, we find ourselves on the Road to Emmaus where we meet Jesus and find that our minds are opened to the scriptures and to salvation and to each other.

What does this have to do with ‘loving our neighbor and ourselves’? On our journey, we come to terms with our own “beautiful mess” and then we can live lives that reflect the story of scripture so that others are drawn to the Truth and the Mystery. We begin to be awake and to live Holy Mystery in our lives and interactions so that the Gospel becomes person-centered and actively life-centered. Our stories, individually and corporately, become part of the sacred strand that runs through history and life.

Next time, we’ll look at the line in the Baptismal Covenant about striving for justice… What does that mean to you in your journey from Jerusalem to Emmaus?

Transformation when God seems Absent

Transformation is about acknowledging our scars and wrestling with God in order to draw near to God’s grace and truth. So why does it sometimes feel like God is pulling away or absent? The road stretches out empty in front of you and there doesn't seem to be an oasis anywhere in sight.

It happened to the Chosen People-the Israelites-throughout the Bible. Sometimes they turned from God to serve idols of the tribes around them, sometimes it just seemed that God wasn’t there when they needed help. In Exodus, we learn “the people of Israel groaned under their bondage and cried out for help.” (Exodus 2:23) God seemed far away and the people thought that they were forgotten. After all, for 400 years Pharaoh “made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field.” (Exodus 1:14) We know that they were not really forgotten, because we know the rest of the story-we know how God "brought them us out of Egypt with a mighty hand." (Deuteronony 26:8)

In Isaiah God says, “For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will gather you.” (Isaiah 54:7) The disciples felt abandoned after the Crucifixion, but Jesus comes and gathers them back with reassurance. While they still doubt and do not understand what has happened, He meets them where they are. Jesus comes to them in locked rooms, on the road to Emmaus, and on the seashore where he has fixed them breakfast. In each case, Jesus reassures the men and women that he will be with them.

Taylor* uses the analogy of a parent who leaves the children with an older sibling as babysitter. We (as Christians) are like that responsible sibling. We may feel like we’ve been orphaned because we cannot see or hear God. However, Jesus promises, “I will not leave you desolate…We will come and make our home with you [us].” (John 14:23) Taylor says this “is very good news for babysitters…there is someone else at home, in us and in those for whom we care, which means we do not have to be God-sized for them. We can be human-sized instead, with room within us for God to dwell and heal all our hearts from the inside out.” Instead of having to be in charge, we can be children together and hold each other's hands.

Edward Hays’ Dragon* tells George “The desert is not always a pleasant place. Our littleness and our inabilities usually come to the surface when we are left alone.” Then the Dragon tells a story that can point the way to finding God when it feels like there is only silence or emptiness.

“This is a story about the Our Father…Secure and comfortable, the Our Father was at peace with his spiritual life…then…a sense of hollowness and a lack of meaning became a shadow that followed him each time he went to pray…he read articles and attended conferences…sought out an Indian guru…his prayer life remained as barren as the Sahara. So in frustration, like so many others, he completely abandoned praying and became involved in social reform. [Even after living for a year in the Rocky Mountains as a hermit he was aware that his problem was still with him. He finds an old man in a cabin on his way down the mountain and shares his story of frustration with the old man, who told him] “You are a special and sacred word of God made flesh. To pronounce your own unique word is to pray the most beautiful and holiest of prayers…God doesn’t create things; God only creates prayers…To learn how to pray is to learn to pronounce your own sacred word-to speak yourself!...You must see yourself as you are. Everything about the original you is perfect. God does not have bad ideas…Speak your own word clearly and with dignity. That is what it means to submit to the will of God…when you are true to your special word, what Jesus said will be true in your life-he and the Father will come and make their dwelling place with you, always!”


Being transformed is about acknowledging that we have scars that need to glow, about wrestling with God to find the Truth that God speaks in and through us. Transformation is also about trusting that God is present even when it feels like God is absent. The disciples didn’t recognize Jesus immediately after his Resurrection. Sometimes we don’t realize God is with us, esp. in the dark and painful times of life. God met the Israelites in their bondage in Egypt, Jesus met the disciples in their despair and lonliness, God will meet us when we think that there is no where to go.

Taylor notes that “when we too are marooned on the sea in the middle of night, afraid that we have come to the end of something without any idea how to begin again…it is probably a good idea to pay attention to [strangers] since Jesus has a whole closet full of disguises…How does any of us know [‘it is the Lord’]?...by watching…by listening…by living in great expectation and refusing to believe that our nets will stay empty…for those with ears to hear, there is a voice that can turn all our dead ends into new beginnings.”
Where are you in being transformed by God? Hurting from your scars? Wrestling with God? Wondering where God is? Listen and you may just hear a messenger offering hope. See you next week when we’ll explore some of the messengers God uses.