Rev. George
Miller
April 11, 2021
Luke
24:28-35
If you have your money invested,
you may have had a nice surprise when you received your latest statement. Many accounts went up over last month, like
way up.
When asked about it, a financial
advisor offered this observation- A lot of the nation’s wealth rests in the
hands of women who are retired.
After spending a year
inside, they are ready to spend.
For 12 months much of
America’s money has been held onto, but now- now we have people who are done being
cooped up, so they’re going out, shopping, treating themselves, planning
vacations.
Inflation has gone up,
interest rates are at zero, so Dorothy, Blanche, Sophia, and Rose are using
their cash to go get those pedicures, haircuts, steak dinners and rack up vacation
points.
In other words, just as it
was women who were the witnesses to the resurrection, it is women who are
resurrecting the American economy!
To which we can all say “Amen!”
Though we are not completely
out of the woods, it is good to know we are heading in the right direction.
Speaking of direction, we
have today’s marvelous tale about 2 people traveling in the direction of Emmaus.
It is the evening of
Resurrection. The day is coming to a
close as Cleopas and his companion go back to their home, a 7-mile trek heading
west.
There’s been much confusion
in town about what may have happened.
As the sun sets in the
western sky, there is a great sadness and heaviness about these two
individuals.
Jesus, who they thought had
come to rescue them from Rome’s rule, has been crucified.
As if that’s not bad enough
there is ghoulish gossip that he has come back to life.
Cleopas and his companion
have no idea what to make of it. Heroes
are not supposed to die. Dead is
supposed to be dead.
As they talk and walk
towards the setting sun, a stranger approaches them, engages them in lively
conversation, reminds them about the teachings of the prophets.
As they come to their home,
the stranger continues on, but Cleopas and his companion, being proper Israelites,
welcome him in.
They invite him to their
table, and upon the breaking of bread, they realize that it is indeed Jesus,
resurrected.
Their hearts are full of
heat; with great joy, they run back east to Jerusalem to share their experience
with others.
I don’t know what’s the
greater miracle- that Christ appears or that they ran 7 miles in under an hour!
What joy! What excitement!
He lives! He lives!
Christ Jesus Lives today!
And look at where Cleopas
and his companion met the Lord- outside the city. And not just outside, but as the sun was
setting while heading west.
The symbolism of this story
is rich.
In the twilight of their
life, 2 journeyers meet the Resurrected Christ and they had the vitality of an
Olympic runner!
This story has a lot to say
to all of us.
Let’s be honest, now that I’m
51, it’s safe to safe that many of us are living on the other side of noon.
If life was a 24-hour period,
most of us are in our evening hours. And
that ain’t such a bad thing.
To be in our evening hours means
the work we had to do to survive is basically done.
We may not have the energy of
someone at 9 am, but we know who we are, what we want, what we’re willing to
put up, not put up with, and what we can do without.
All of us here are heading
west.
But it’s not so bad to experience
the setting sun.
That’s the time to
chill. Kick your feet up. Have a cocktail.
Treat yourself to a steak or
a cruise.
Life is a journey and we’ve
all had our chance to walk in the am and to walk in the sunrise.
Now we get to bask in the
cooler breezes and soft glow of the afternoon and early evening.
That does not mean we
stop.
It doesn’t mean we
quit.
It doesn’t mean we are less
than.
It just means we are at a different
stage in our life. And today’s story
reminds us of something else-
it is never too late in the
day,
it is never too far out of
town,
it is never too outside of
the gates
to have an experience with
the Resurrected Christ.
It is never too late to see
Jesus with new eyes.
It is never too late to hear
the story in another way.
It is never too late and
you are never too far away
to have Christ walk beside
you.
Just like Cleopas and his
companion, it is never, ever, ever too late to welcome Christ into your life,
and to welcome Christ into
your home.
Just like he was with Zacchaeus,
Jesus is ready, willing, and
able
to enter our lives,
enter our houses,
be present at our table
no matter who we are,
no matter where we are,
and no matter how we feel.
So often we think Christ will
only come when everything is just right-
we have the right mind, we
say the right words, we’re in the right place, we have the right body.
But look at today’s story-
two people, one not even given a name, traveling away, heading into the dark,
feeling totally sad, alone, and unsure-
And THAT’S when Christ comes
to them, listens to them, speaks to them, walks with them.
So often we think we must be
happy peppy people to come before the Lord, but today’s scripture reminds us
that the Lord comes before us even when we are unhappy,
even when we have no pep in
our step, even when nothing makes sense.
Friends- the Miracle of the
Resurrection is a testimony that God prevails, we are not alone, and we have
not been forsaken.
Regardless if we are in the
sunrise or the sunset of our lives, Christ is there.
Regardless if we are happy
or sad, Christ is there.
Regardless if we are in or
out, Christ is there.
For that our hearts shall
continue to burn and our spirits run as young as children in the sun.
Amen and amen.
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