Inviting Jesus: April 30, 2017

Year A, Easter 3                                                                               
Luke 24:13-35                                                                                    

 

            I often find myself wondering why Jesus had to be so inconspicuous in his appearances after his resurrection.  He could have used a little more fanfare.  Perhaps he could have descended from the sky with a cape and angels escorting him. It would have gotten everyone’s attention.  It would not have left anyone in doubt that he was resurrected from the dead.  Alas, he was resurrected much like he was born the first time. Very few people witnessed it and even fewer recognized him for who he was. That made sense when he was born the first time.  He was a baby for goodness sake.  However, in his resurrection appearances, people should have known exactly who he was.  He was not appearing to random people. They were his friends and followers, people who had spent hours and hours with him. How could they not know who he was? There are many theories on why people did not recognize him.  I think the reason that most people did not initially recognize him was because they did not expect to see him. They were not looking for him. They were grieving his death, not searching for the living Christ.

Our reading from the Gospel of Luke is a perfect example.  We have two individuals walking down the road.  They were not one of the 12 apostles.  They were followers of Jesus, disciples of Jesus.  They were walking away from Jerusalem.  Jerusalem is where everything happened.  It is the Holy City.  Yet these two people are leaving.  Luke does not say why. He just says they are leaving.

While these two travelers are talking, a stranger approaches them and joins the conversation.  He asks them what they are talking about.  They are flabbergasted that this strange man does not know what just happened.  They tell this stranger that Jesus, a great prophet mighty in word and deed, has been crucified.  They tell him that some people in their group have reported that they saw angels and an empty tomb.  Angels were not a common occurrence. If they had believed this account, they would have almost surely stayed and waited to see what was going on.  But they didn’t believe. 

Notice the words they used.  “But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.”  They had such high hopes for Jesus, who was mighty in word and deed.  He was going to be the one to save them all---deliver them from the Romans, ensure that they were once again in God’s favor.  But he hadn’t.  He was killed by the very people who he was supposed to defeat.  It was a tragic ending to a great life.  While there were rumors that he was back from the dead, those were only rumors, wishful thinking of a few misguided people.  So they were leaving.  Where they were going really did not matter.  What mattered was that they were putting as much distance as they could between them and their unfulfilled hopes—the happy ending that never was. 

Because of their grief and inability to open their minds to the possibility that Jesus was alive, they could not recognize the Messiah who walked beside them.  While Jesus was a little frustrated and called them foolish, he remained patient.  He went back to the beginning and told them the stories that they had known since their childhood, of Moses and the prophets.  He told these stories in such a way that they were able to see the death of Jesus in a different light and perspective. 

This was not enough. They still not recognize him.  But just because they were not quite there yet, did not mean the story was over.  They asked Jesus to stay with them. They were worried about this man who was traveling alone.  They wanted to make sure that he had a good meal and a safe place to rest.  They invited Jesus to stay.

Jesus was never one to say no to dinner, no matter who invited him.  He agreed to have dinner with them.  He broke the bread and blessed it.  He didn’t do it with any fanfare.  He probably did not hold it over his head like we clergy tend to do. There was no altar or fancy silver.  He just broke the bread.  Then everything fell into place.  They saw Jesus, the Messiah, the one they had been hoping for not only for their lives, but for all of history.  And before they could even say, “Hey it’s you!”---he vanished.  What I find fascinating is that they do not seem troubled by this vanishing act.  Perhaps what he had given them in that short time was so fulfilling, that they could not possibly want for more.

            We expect a lot from Jesus.  We expect him to love us. We expect him to forgive us.  He loves us and forgives us beyond our expectations.  We also expect that he will be there when we need him.  He is.  He is always there.  Yet what we forget, is that Jesus has some expectations of us as well.  He walked with these two individuals on the road to Emmaus.  He walked with them for miles.  He listened to them and taught them.  But there came a point when these two individuals had to do something. They had to invite him to stay.  If they had said, “Well it was nice talking to you.  We have reached our destination and no longer need your company” they would have never recognized him.  They would have had an educational and perhaps inspirational conversation with a kind stranger, but they would have never experienced what it was to be with the risen Christ.  Yet even though they did not quite understand what was going on, they were willing to take a chance with this strange man.  They invited him to stay.

            I believe that Jesus is always with us, even those of us who do not believe. Yet to fully recognize Jesus, to know him, we need to invite him to stay with us. We have to be willing to take a chance that things might not go as expected.  Our lives might not work out exactly as we want.  Our prayers might not be answered in the specific way we requested that they be answered.  But just because things have not happened as we planned, does not mean that God is not on the journey with us.  Even though he is our constant companion, we still need to invite him to stay.  We have to show some initiative in this relationship.  It’s not a one way thing.  If we are willing to invite him in, our eyes will be opened and we will see him in all aspects of our lives.

            Those two disciples of Jesus did not merely recognize him in that moment.  Once they had that moment of recognition, they were able to identify his presence and his impact before they really knew who he was.  They said, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road…” That is what happens when we ask Jesus to stay with us.  We are given a new lens in which we see our whole lives. Perhaps that is why Jesus was so inconspicuous in his resurrection appearances. Maybe that is why he did not come down with a cape flanked by angels.  Because he knew that it would be much more fulfilling for us if we learned how to see him in our ordinary, everyday lives.   

There is a beautiful prayer on page 139 of our prayer book.  It is a prayer for the early evening.  I would like to end the sermon reading it together.   

Lord Jesus, stay with us, for evening is at hand and the day is
past; be our companion in the way, kindle our hearts, and
awaken hope, that we may know you as you are revealed in
Scripture and the breaking of bread. Grant this for the sake
of your love. Amen.

July 27, 2014: Romans 8:26-39

Year A, Pentecost 7                                    

            The Book of Common Prayer is full of absolutely beautiful prayers.  They are eloquent and theologically sound.   They are often Biblically based.  Some of these prayers can be found in our Sunday morning service, but certainly not all.  If you only open it when you come to church on Sunday, you have probably only experienced about 10% of the prayers.   As Episcopalians, and people of the book, we should never be at a loss for words, especially now that you can access the BCP on your phone. 

I love these prayers and I know many of you do as well.  But there are other Christians who find it a little strange that we read our prayers from a book.  Many Christians find it inauthentic, as if we are only going through the motions.  I can see that perspective.  Sometimes we are going through the motions.  Occasionally I will be reading a prayer and realize that I have been thinking about something else the whole time.   Yet when you are composing a prayer…it’s pretty hard for your mind to wander.  If it did, it would be pretty obvious. 

            There is no right way to pray.  The Apostle Paul (who was never at a loss for words) wrote to the Roman community: “The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.”   When I think of a sigh, I think of something rather dignified, something that would be totally appropriate in an Episcopal Church.  However, most translations use the word groaning instead of sigh.  That sounds a lot less dignified.  That sounds like someone in pain, or at least very frustrated.   If the person next to you were sighing, you would probably be ok with that.  If they were groaning, well that might get a little awkward.  You might find yourself sliding in the opposite direction.

            It is not really clear in the text whether the Spirit is groaning on our behalf, or if our literal groans are the work of the Spirit. It might not matter.  Personally I would much rather have the Spirit groan on my behalf as I read an eloquent and theologically correct prayer.  Since there is no right way to pray, I think God would probably be ok with that method.  However, I worry when prayer feels too dignified.  For me, when my prayers have felt the most authentic and the most powerful were when they came out with tears and sometimes anger.  There has been occasional teeth gnashing, foot stomping.  Sometimes my prayers come out in laughter and tears of joy. These seem to be the ones that change me the most.

This does not mean that those other prayers that lacked laughter, tears or stomping have not been true or real.  They absolutely have been. In fact, I think it is those prayers that prepare us for the prayers that come out as groans.  Those prayers equip us with a sacred vocabulary, even if we choose not to use it.  Those prayers are what we come back to when the storm is over and we find ourselves exhausted.  It is those times when it is all you can do to even read the words in front of you…but you do because that’s what you need right at that moment. 

            Some interpret this passage as Paul not only saying that we do not know how to pray, but we do not even know what to pray.  If God searches our heart and can interpret those spirit sighs…it is only God who knows what we are praying for.  I find that a tad annoying.  I should have some say in what I am praying for.  Otherwise, why use any words at all? It’s not that we do not determine our own prayer; we just don’t always know what is in our head.  Sometimes our deepest needs and desires get stuck in our heart and never make it to the part of us that formulates the words.  Thankfully, God is there searching our heart…learning every nook and cranny so we can become the Christian we are meant to be. 

            What is our part in this complicated word scramble?  If God is searching our heart and the spirit is groaning on our behalf it would seem that we could live our life and not have to worry about God or faith.  It’s as if we outsourced our prayer life to people who can do it more effectively than us.  There is one tiny problem with that scenario.  There appear to be some hearts that God and the spirit just don’t have access to.  Sure, God could shove his way through like a big bouncer at a club, but that’s not God’s style.  Jesus never operated that way.  Jesus never forced himself on people.  He invited them to follow him.  He invited them to come a little closer.  God has delivered an invitation to each one of us, but we have not all responded.   Perhaps like a good Episcopalian you are thinking, well of course I responded….when I was in confirmed (5, 20, 40, 60 years ago). 

It would be nice if it were that easy.  But it’s not a one and done type deal.  You can’t invite God in and ignore him.  Sometimes you need to invite God in over and over again.  I imagine that most of us have had those times in our lives when our heart has gotten a little closed off and we have shoved God out .  Often it is more subtle than a shove.  We just did not have time for God.  There are other demands on us and God can be a pretty high maintenance house guest.  He’s got a lot of demands and that might get in the way of our social life,  job, sports, or the Desperate House Wives marathon.

That is where weekly worship or even written prayers come in handy.  We need a reminder—a constant reminder of who we are as Christians.  We might not have the discipline to read the Bible every day.  We might be too emotionally spent even to groan.  So we come back to this service, not just for solace but for strength.  It reminds me of that phrase, “fake it until you make it.”  It sounds insincere, but I think there might be something to it.  Even for a priest, there are times when I do not want to come to church, when I don’t feel like I have the strength to say prayers and sing the hymns.  It is those times when I am so grateful that I have this tradition of prayers and worship, and a community of people to worship with.  There are no excuses not to pray.  The prayers are right there in front of me. 

And maybe there are moments, I have a hard time believing every prayer.  But I know that God is still there working through every nook and cranny of my heart ensuring that the Spirit is there to translate my groans into heartfelt prayer.   Because the more I read the prayers, the more I believe them and the more I feel them. I believe that is true for all of us.  There will be times when it is really hard to pray, really hard to believe the things we pray.  It is those times when it is even more important to show up, to open your heart, open your mouth and let God take it from there.