April 26, 2020 - Third Sunday After Easter - Paying Attention To Heart Burn

Pondering the story of Emmaus at this time provides a new appreciation of many pieces of the story we may have missed previously.

Pastor Janell wondered at the beginning of her sermon why Cleopas and his companion would have choosen to remove themselves from the consolation of a community that understood the depth of their grief at this particular moment. She then suggested that some people are able to handle mourning and lament better alone than with others.

I reflected on the current grief within our community. Yesterday I talked to a person who needed not only to deal with the death of our pastor but that of his ex-wife. Many of us have also been moved deeply by Lila and Linda's passing.The ex-wife's passing was not added to our prayer list like both Lila and Linda. There were not the same physical reminders like there are in the narthex but I think I could understand several other potential reasons why.

There have been people close to me who passed that I have not placed on the prayer list because I felt the congregation didn't know them.

The person who shared this told me has not attended worship recently because of how overwhelming these deaths has been for him. At times in our lives the Christian message of hope can be perceived by us as a vapid optimism when we are suffering difficult circumstances. When grief is overwhelming it is hard to hear what Pastor Janell preached today. The message we want to hear in these times is that faith in Jesus redeems us from suffering. Instead there can be a different, powerful perspective that Jesus gives by the example of his death. Namely that redemption happens through suffering, However, when I grieve that can be the last thing I want to hear.

There is something more about grieving as well. I think it is best echoed in Psalm 23, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of death I will fear no evil". I have been surprised how different, individual verses of Psalm 23 have stayed with me through this seasonr. Here the words of this verse are meaningful because they are not  "Yea, though we walk through the valley of death we will fear no evil". Psalm 23 captures a profound loneliness that is natural for us to experience while we process our reaction to death through grieving.

We can hold grief and hope in tension. And I believe Jesus encourages us to hold this tension by reading stories that are given to us through scripture. He declares these two followers  "Was it not necessary that he 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 in all the scriptures.

Yet something besides scripture can happen to allow God to transform us. Scripture may feel distant from our lives when we need it most. As Cleopas and his companion turn towards home, Jesus walks ahead as if he were going on. A complete experience has not happened for them. They still have not recognized Jesus is with them, and has been with them, on the road. It is at this moment they urge him to stay by saying, "Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over." When he takes the bread, blesses and breaks it, and gives it to them, their eyes are opened, and they recognize him; and he vanishes from their sight.

We may need to ask or invite Jesus to be with us while, at the same time, understanding that Jesus is always with us and allows our hearts to burn. Jesus feeds us and yet we must also feed ourselves after recognizing him in the breaking of the bread.