Year A
\nActs 2:14a,36-41
\nPsalm 116:1-3, 10-17
\n1 Peter 1:17-23
\nLuke 24:13-35<\/p>\n
Cleopas and his companion\u2026 some think perhaps his wife\u2026 because of not being named\u2026 were leaving Jerusalem on the first Easter\u2026 headed towards Emmaus\u2026 which some think may have been the site of a Roman garrison\u2026 built around a pool of water\u2026 these two have heard stories about the empty tomb\u2026 they have all the facts\u2026 but little to none of the meaning\u2026 they know about some other disciples who ran away from the cross\u2026 but by walking towards Emmaus\u2026 they’re also walking away from Jerusalem\u2026<\/p>\n
Their hope\u2026 that Jesus was the one who would redeem Israel\u2026 seemed not to be fulfilled\u2026 many believed that Jesus had come only for the Israelites\u2026 and there had been a collective desire\u2026 that he would free them from Roman oppression\u2026 and as they walk along\u2026 Cleopas and friend feel crushed\u2026 feel dejected\u2026 but what they hoped for was never what Jesus was sent for\u2026 because Jesus was sent through Israel\u2026 to be for all people\u2026 and so they can hardly believe it\u2026 when seemingly clueless Jesus asks\u2026 What are you discussing with each other while you walk along<\/i>\u2026<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s fascinating\u2026 that the text says that\u2026 their eyes were kept from recognizing him<\/i>\u2026 at first\u2026 I thought that might mean that Jesus wore a disguise\u2026 and that\u2019s why they couldn\u2019t tell who he was\u2026 though nowhere in scripture are we ever given a description of Jesus\u2019 physical appearance\u2026 or perhaps\u2026 I thought\u2026 God has clouded their vision\u2026 like evening cataracts\u2026 and they just can\u2019t tell who this man is\u2026 or recognize his voice\u2026 or perhaps\u2026 I thought\u2026 God has done something like what God did when God hardened Pharaoh\u2019s heart\u2026 to ensure the Israelite\u2019s release\u2026<\/p>\n
But no\u2026 John Shea writes\u2026 they don\u2019t recognize him\u2026 because they have forgotten his characteristic gesture\u2026 the person of Jesus is summed up and symbolized by an action\u2026 an action he did with them\u2026 and told them to do with one another\u2026 an action\u00a0 <\/span>that is key to the mystery of his suffering\u2026 and his redemption\u2026 they have forgotten this eucharistic action\u2026 and it\u2019s not until he performs it\u2026 again\u2026 in their presence\u2026 at table\u2026 that they recognize him\u2026 that is\u2026 re-cognize him again\u2026<\/p>\n For a long time now\u2026 when the Gospel is proclaimed\u2026 Deacon Kim reminds us that This is God\u2019s Story<\/i>\u2026 and most of you respond with This is Our Story<\/i>\u2026 and one of the things I try to do each week\u2026 is talk about how the scriptures apply to today\u2019s world\u2026<\/p>\n On Friday\u2026 Governor Whitmer extended the stay-at-home order until May 15\u2026 on Friday\u2026 Bp. Satterlee sent an email reflecting that order\u2026 and “strongly advising” congregations to not meet for in-person Sunday worship until at least May 24\u2026 and I\u2019m waiting for Bp. Hougland\u2019s response\u2026<\/p>\n At one end of the spectrum\u2026 are those who don\u2019t even want to go out until there\u2019s at least one virus test for each person\u2026 and an approved vaccine\u2026 and at the other end of the spectrum\u2026 are those who question whether we\u2019re even in the midst of a pandemic\u2026 or if it\u2019s as serious as is being reported\u2026 but somewhere in the middle\u2026 are those who don\u2019t necessarily feel afraid\u2026 but who are\u2026 as best as they\u2019re able\u2026 being guided by common sense\u2026 good hygiene\u2026 and following CDC guidelines to avoid contracting or spreading the virus\u2026 whether they have symptoms or not\u2026 especially to those with serious underlying medical conditions\u2026\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And so we find ourselves at a kind of convergence\u2026 between personal liberty\u2026 and mutual accountability\u2026 and government responsibility\u2026\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And there are far too many stories of individual selfless-ness\u2026 and selfish-ness\u2026 to tell in these few minutes\u2026 but one thing is clear\u2026 while the initial comments about COVID-19 called it the great equalizer\u2026 because it seemed to be an equal-opportunity pathogen\u2026\u00a0 <\/span>it has exposed the stark and shameful social and economic injustices in our country\u2026 where the marginalized\u2026 and poor\u2026 are far more likely to contract the disease\u2026 and are far less likely to have access to health care and the resources needed to recover from it\u2026 or the resources to stay at home\u2026 or maybe even have a home\u2026<\/p>\n In the winter time\u2026 we\u2019re encouraged to gather the resources we need\u2026 and be prepared for snow and ice and slippery road conditions\u2026 most people would agree that that\u2019s our responsibility\u2026 and if we need them and don\u2019t have them\u2026 well\u2026 we might find a Good Samaritan\u2026 or we might not\u2026<\/p>\n But in a pandemic\u2026 in an emergency like this\u2026 we seek best practices\u2026\u00a0 <\/span>we benefit from a comprehensive and consistent national approach\u2026 one which includes enough flexibility to respond to the changing patterns of infection\u2026 and the sharing of resources\u2026 and cumulative medical data\u2026 and when we don\u2019t have that\u2026 many more get sick and die than otherwise might\u2026<\/p>\n Today\u2019s Psalm tells of someone who was close to death\u2026 they wrote\u2026 the cords of death entangled me\u2026 the grip of the grave took hold of me\u2026 I came to grief and sorrow\u2026 then I called upon your holy Name\u2026 O God\u2026 I pray you\u2026 save my life\u2026<\/i><\/p>\n This psalm could have been prayed by my brother-in-law\u2026 after he spent close to ten day\u2026 on a ventilator\u2026 in a Chicago hospital\u2026 because of COVID-19\u2026 or by my 92 year old aunt\u2026 who was in hospital with pneumonia\u2026 because of COVID-19\u2026 or her grandson who was terribly sick at home for almost two weeks\u2026 because of COVID-19\u2026 and all of us\u2026 cut off from each other\u2026<\/p>\n Our Christian history is filled with stories and people who were\u2026 and felt cut-off from those they loved\u2026 and what they knew\u2026. Abraham and Sarah were asked to leave everyone they knew and all that gave them comfort\u2026 and sojourn to a foreign place\u2026 the Jewish people were enslaved in Egypt for more than 400 years\u2026 the Israelites and some prophets were taken into the Babylonian Exile\u2026 but God redeemed it all\u2026<\/p>\n The two travelers\u2026 on the Road to Emmaus\u2026 were telling Jesus\u2026 about what had happened to Jesus\u2026 Cleopas and his companion\u2026 were telling God\u2026 about what had happened to God\u2026 how often have we told God\u2026 what God already knows\u2026 about what\u2019s going on\u2026 do we believe that God cares what\u2019s going on\u2026 of course<\/i>\u2026 but do we pray that God would would just rescue us from ourselves\u2026 or do we work with God in creating the solutions we seek\u2026 which for many of us\u2026 arise out of the heart for those we know and love\u2026<\/p>\n Our reading from Acts today\u2026 our reading from 1 Peter\u2026 and the Gospel\u2026 all refer to the human heart\u2026 about how they were cut to the heart<\/i>\u2026 that they should love one another deeply from the heart\u2026<\/i> and that they wondered\u2026 were not our hearts burning within us<\/i>\u2026 but I pray that we don\u2019t continue to be\u2026 as Jesus asked on the Emmaus Road\u2026 slow of heart to believe<\/i>\u2026 ultimately\u2026 through God\u2019s love for God\u2019s creation\u2026 through death and resurrection\u2026 and by being taken\u2026 blessed\u2026 broken\u2026 and given\u2026 there is nothing that God can\u2019t redeem\u2026 but we co-create Heaven on Earth for all people\u2026 when our minds\u2026 and our hearts\u2026 are traveling on the same road\u2026 not away from\u2026 but towards Jerusalem\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Year A Acts 2:14a,36-41 Psalm 116:1-3, 10-17 1 Peter 1:17-23 Luke 24:13-35 Cleopas and his companion\u2026 some think perhaps his wife\u2026 because of not being named\u2026 were leaving Jerusalem on the first Easter\u2026 headed towards Emmaus\u2026 which some think may have been the site of a Roman garrison\u2026 built around a pool of water\u2026 these two have heard stories about the empty tomb\u2026 they have all the facts\u2026 but little to none of the meaning\u2026 they know about some other disciples who ran away from the cross\u2026 but by walking towards Emmaus\u2026 they’re also walking away from Jerusalem\u2026 Their hope\u2026 that Jesus was the one who would redeem Israel\u2026 seemed not to be fulfilled\u2026 many believed that Jesus had come only for the Israelites\u2026 and there had been a collective desire\u2026 that he would free them from Roman oppression\u2026 and as they walk along\u2026 Cleopas and friend feel crushed\u2026 feel dejected\u2026 but what they hoped for was never what Jesus was sent for\u2026 because Jesus was sent through Israel\u2026 to be for all people\u2026 and so they can hardly believe it\u2026 when seemingly clueless Jesus asks\u2026 What are you discussing with each other while you walk along\u2026 And it\u2019s fascinating\u2026 that the text says that\u2026 their eyes were kept from recognizing him\u2026 at first\u2026 I thought that might mean that Jesus wore a disguise\u2026 and that\u2019s why they couldn\u2019t tell who he was\u2026 though nowhere in scripture are we ever given a description of Jesus\u2019 physical appearance\u2026 or perhaps\u2026 I thought\u2026 God has clouded their vision\u2026 like evening cataracts\u2026 and they just can\u2019t tell who this man is\u2026 or recognize his voice\u2026 or perhaps\u2026 I thought\u2026 God has done something like what God did when God hardened Pharaoh\u2019s heart\u2026 to ensure the Israelite\u2019s release\u2026 But no\u2026 John Shea writes\u2026 they don\u2019t recognize him\u2026 because they have forgotten his characteristic gesture\u2026 the person of Jesus is summed up and symbolized by an action\u2026 an action he did with them\u2026 and told them to do with one another\u2026 an action\u00a0 that is key to the mystery of his suffering\u2026 and his redemption\u2026 they have forgotten this eucharistic action\u2026 and it\u2019s not until he performs it\u2026 again\u2026 in their presence\u2026 at table\u2026 that they recognize him\u2026 that is\u2026 re-cognize him again\u2026 For a long time now\u2026 when the Gospel is proclaimed\u2026 Deacon Kim reminds us that This is God\u2019s Story\u2026 and most of you respond with This is Our Story\u2026 and one of the things I try to do each week\u2026 is talk about how the scriptures apply to today\u2019s world\u2026 On Friday\u2026 Governor Whitmer extended the stay-at-home order until May 15\u2026 on Friday\u2026 Bp. Satterlee sent an email reflecting that order\u2026 and “strongly advising” congregations to not meet for in-person Sunday worship until at least May 24\u2026 and I\u2019m waiting for Bp. Hougland\u2019s response\u2026 At one end of the spectrum\u2026 are those who don\u2019t even want to go out until there\u2019s at least one virus test for each person\u2026 and an approved vaccine\u2026 and at the other end of the spectrum\u2026 are those who question whether we\u2019re even in the midst of a pandemic\u2026 or if it\u2019s as serious as is being reported\u2026 but somewhere in the middle\u2026 are those who don\u2019t necessarily feel afraid\u2026 but who are\u2026 as best as they\u2019re able\u2026 being guided by common sense\u2026 good hygiene\u2026 and following CDC guidelines to avoid contracting or spreading the virus\u2026 whether they have symptoms or not\u2026 especially to those with serious underlying medical conditions\u2026\u00a0 And so we find ourselves at a kind of convergence\u2026 between personal liberty\u2026 and mutual accountability\u2026 and government responsibility\u2026\u00a0 And there are far too many stories of individual selfless-ness\u2026 and selfish-ness\u2026 to tell in these few minutes\u2026 but one thing is clear\u2026 while the initial comments about COVID-19 called it the great equalizer\u2026 because it seemed to be an equal-opportunity pathogen\u2026\u00a0 it has exposed the stark and shameful social and economic injustices in our country\u2026 where the marginalized\u2026 and poor\u2026 are far more likely to contract the disease\u2026 and are far less likely to have access to health care and the resources needed to recover from it\u2026 or the resources to stay at home\u2026 or maybe even have a home\u2026 In the winter time\u2026 we\u2019re encouraged to gather the resources we need\u2026 and be prepared for snow and ice and slippery road conditions\u2026 most people would agree that that\u2019s our responsibility\u2026 and if we need them and don\u2019t have them\u2026 well\u2026 we might find a Good Samaritan\u2026 or we might not\u2026 But in a pandemic\u2026 in an emergency like this\u2026 we seek best practices\u2026\u00a0 we benefit from a comprehensive and consistent national approach\u2026 one which includes enough flexibility to respond to the changing patterns of infection\u2026 and the sharing of resources\u2026 and cumulative medical data\u2026 and when we don\u2019t have that\u2026 many more get sick and die than otherwise might\u2026 Today\u2019s Psalm tells of someone who was close to death\u2026 they wrote\u2026 the cords of death entangled me\u2026 the grip of the grave took hold of me\u2026 I came to grief and sorrow\u2026 then I called upon your holy Name\u2026 O God\u2026 I pray you\u2026 save my life\u2026 This psalm could have been prayed by my brother-in-law\u2026 after he spent close to ten day\u2026 on a ventilator\u2026 in a Chicago hospital\u2026 because of COVID-19\u2026 or by my 92 year old aunt\u2026 who was in hospital with pneumonia\u2026 because of COVID-19\u2026 or her grandson who was terribly sick at home for almost two weeks\u2026 because of COVID-19\u2026 and all of us\u2026 cut off from each other\u2026 Our Christian history is filled with stories and people who were\u2026 and felt cut-off from those they loved\u2026 and what they knew\u2026. Abraham and Sarah were asked to leave everyone they knew and all that gave them comfort\u2026 and sojourn to a foreign place\u2026 the Jewish people were enslaved in Egypt for more than 400 years\u2026 the Israelites and some prophets were taken into the Babylonian Exile\u2026 but God redeemed it all\u2026 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-750","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/750","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=750"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/750\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":751,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/750\/revisions\/751"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=750"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=750"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=750"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}