St. James Episcopal Church
Greeneville, TN
Year A - 3 Easter - April 26, 2020
Have you ever noticed that many of the post-resurrection stories… those “post-easter” stories about the risen Jesus are centered around meals? We know from today’s lesson that the disciples didn’t think it was the Lord Jesus until after sitting down at the table with him in their home at Emmaus.
Jesus comes among the disciples on the road, but they don’t recognize him.
I always appreciate when the gospel writers allow a space where you can insert yourself into the story. Luke only names one of the disciples, Cleopas, and leaves the other disciple walking with Cleopas unnamed.
Do you remember what I said on Easter Sunday about the unnamed disciple that outruns Peter and gets to the tomb first? I said that any of us could be this unnamed beloved disciple. So today, we are put into the story in a different context. We are walking with Jesus on the road to Emmaus, but we don’t recognize him.
I wonder why? Maybe it’s that we know his teachings from someone else. Perhaps it’s that we never met him in person. We watched him die, we watched as he was placed in the tomb, we are sad and are probably moping down the road between Jerusalem and Emmaus, and are disappointed because Jesus and his ministry didn’t quite measure up... Measure up to the expectations that everyone had for him.
He wasn’t the savior of the world that was hoped for. He wasn’t the messiah that they thought rode into Jerusalem on a colt just a week prior. He wasn’t the one expected to free Israel from Rome. They felt that he was taken and crucified before he could make a difference…
You can feel almost feel the disappointment in the story… And then Jesus reveals everything that was spoken about him by the prophets... but… we still don’t know it’s him – we don’t recognize him... they don’t recognize him…
They get to Emmaus, and it’s quickly becoming evening… So, in the act of hospitality and welcome, that is so common in that region of the world, they invite this total stranger into their home to share some dinner and a bed. They didn’t recognize that it is Jesus. To them, this man walking along the road was just a stranger... a stranger that has somehow revealed the prophetic scriptures to them.
They don’t recognize Jesus until he takes, blesses, breaks, and gives the bread to them like he has done so many times before. It is not a mistake – Meals are very much a central part of Jesus’ ministry. And we know that some of the dinners that he has with folks get him into all kinds of trouble… Like when he eats with “sinners” and tax collectors and harlots and those outside both the social circle and the circle of faith.
Other meals shared with Jesus feed the multitudes... like when Jesus feeds the five thousand by taking what is available and blesses it, breaks, and distributes it until ALL are fed... Providing enough for everyone and having enough left over to fill 12 baskets.
On his last evening with his followers, Jesus shared a meal with them, and during that meal, he offered his whole self… At his last supper with his friends, Jesus takes bread, blesses it, breaks it, and shares it – and tells them, this is my body - and he takes the cup of wine and blesses it and shares it and says that this is my blood…
This offering of his WHOLE self, became the act - which becomes for us the most magnificent celebration and expression of thanksgiving and sacrifice to God… The celebration which would sustain them and continues to sustain us and feed us / nourish us / after he is gone.
Our eating together is always a sign of celebration… It is a celebration of our relationships being lived out. It doesn’t matter if we are feeding or being fed. Most church communities, like St. James, enjoy having meals together. And we long for the day that we will once again be able to share a meal.
We enjoy having meals together because we like being with each other, and we love eating and sharing good food. It is a necessary act, but it’s also an intimate act when we are together.
Most young couples, when they go out together usually, go out for a meal together. It’s practically part of a dating ritual. You will also see this in many families. Those families that gather at key times of the year… Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Birthdays, Anniversaries, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or any other bright occasion on the calendar that may allow them the opportunity to share a meal.
But I want us to think for a minute about the many sacred and holy things that underlie a meal that we share together. Or better yet, the meals that we may share with strangers who aren’t family...
In communities of faith, these meals are sacramental for us… they become outward and visible signs of the risen Christ here with us and among us. They become meals that bring us all to a common table, to be in right relationship with God and with each other.
That is why, from the very beginning of times when Christians began to worship in their homes and in the catacombs… the sacred meal of bread and wine became the central act of our Christian life. It is a meal of nourishment for our Christian journey together. Feeding us for the journey of faith that we are all on.
In this meal that we share, we experience the risen Christ as a community in the breaking of the bread and the sharing of the cup we then receive that spiritual nourishment of Christ’s whole self… and it’s just what we need to sustain us in our Christian lives on our journey of faith…
At the center of the story of the resurrection of Jesus is this meal shared at Emmaus: the bread taken, blessed, broken, and given, and the risen Jesus is recognized. Christians understand all meals in relation to the Eucharistic feast… Haven’t you ever wondered why we pray and give thanks to God before we eat? The Holy Communion, and in fact all meals are for us, is a foretaste of that heavenly banquet that we will ALL one day share as we feast with Jesus in paradise.
The disciples knew the Lord Jesus in the breaking of the bread… May the risen Christ be known to us today, wherever and whenever you are at the table as the bread is broken and the meal is shared.
No comments:
Post a Comment