As they were slowly walking away from
Jerusalem, the two friends talked about all that had happened the last few
days. A stranger came to join them and
asked what they were talking about. They
shared their story of grief and disbelief with him. Their friend had been murdered – they had
thought that he would be the one to free Israel. Now he was gone, however some women had been
to the tomb and found it empty. Nothing
made sense to them. The stranger began
to unfold scripture to them as they walked on.
The friends invited him to stay with them as they went into an Inn for a
meal. As they all ate, Jesus broke bread
and their eyes were opened. He
disappeared at that moment. They thought
back to the walk with him. On
remembering, they knew that there had been a burning within them that they had
dismissed. They knew then, though they
did not realize it at the time.
Since Easter day, I too have had many of
these experiences. A friend asked me the
other day if I was ok – she had noticed me teary for the past few days. She was right, I had been. It was not out of sadness however. I was overwhelmed with the depth and beauty
of human creation and nature. My heart
had been burning for
days. I knew the presence of Jesus.
- · In the story of a son lovingly giving away his deceased father’s clothing
- · The story of an animal bringing a person back to what truly matters
- · The life of a coal miner’s son
- · Experiencing new depth in the life of someone I love but see no longer
I I continued this practice of remembering
with the children in Children’s Chapel yesterday. We explored the story of The Walk to
Emmaus. We then got quiet to think about
our week and where our heart may have been burning. Maybe Jesus was there and we did not realize
it.
- · On a swing with Nana on Nana day
- · Snapping turtles
- · When I was sick and my mother took care of me
- · The pouring rain
Christ is alive in all of us as we strip
down to the core. All of the things that
we wear to cover him up are not essential.
They cover up the resurrection appearances. My guess is that all of you reading this have
had a number of “appearances” in the last few days. We need to be awakened to receive them. Slow down and examine your life. Live it intentionally and expect to be
surprised continuously. Share your
stories with friends. Like the
disciples, everyone may not believe your story but trust it. Your heart was burning within you to let you
know he was there.
No comments:
Post a Comment