2 January 2011
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Luke 24:13-32
13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles[a] from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.
17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
19 “What things?” he asked.
“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”
25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.
30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
-- welcome, 2011! -- we are glad you are here -- you know, that always seems to be the case, doesn’t it? -- whenever the ball drops at midnight on New Year’s Eve, we always celebrate -- we always get excited -- because we know that the old is past and the new has come -- we have an opportunity to begin again -- to do more -- to be more -- to be better -- in this next year
-- I think that’s why most people make New Year’s resolutions -- we look at a new year as a clean slate -- no matter how good or how bad last year was, we have a new year and we can start all over again and do it better this time around
-- just yesterday I was reading a blog from a friend of mine -- and my friend wrote that she is making a resolution this year to do something that matters -- she had looked at her life over the past year -- at what she had done -- at who she had been -- and she realized that she really had not done anything of any lasting significance over the course of the last year
-- but this year was going to be different -- this year, she was going to resolve to do something that counted -- to do something that made a difference -- not only in her life -- but in the life of someone around her
-- that’s what’s so good about new years -- they offer us the opportunity to begin again -- to start over -- and to make a real difference in our lives and in the lives of those around us
II. New Beginnings
-- in a very real way, today is all about new beginnings as we start our Sunday morning worship services here at Koinonia -- this all started a couple of years ago, as I felt a little urge from God to do something different -- to do something more
-- I was pastoring two Methodist churches at the time -- my ministry there was going well -- attendance was up -- membership was at its highest -- but, I just felt a stirring in my heart that I should be doing something more than what I was doing -- that I had gotten comfortable with life and with church and with God
-- and after fighting this calling for a couple of years -- after arguing with myself and with God that it was stupid to leave a successful ministry -- that it made no sense to walk away from the security of the Methodist Church -- I finally gave in and took that first step and resigned my position as a pastor in the Methodist Church and started Koinonia
-- and, folks, you don’t know what a step of faith and of fear that this is -- I am not an extrovert -- I am not one of those Type-A personalities -- I am not a person that likes to get out and talk to strangers and make myself known to all around me
-- I like to hide in the shadows -- to be behind the scenes -- to never say a word -- exactly the last type of person that you would ever choose to plant a new church or to start a new ministry
-- but, you can’t argue with God -- Moses tried at the burning bush, and God still sent him into Egypt to bring the Israelites out -- Jonah tried and ended up in the belly of a whale -- so, I took a deep breath and stepped out and here we are on this new journey together
-- I kind of feel like Samwise Gamgee -- Sam -- from the Lord of the Rings -- I don’t know if you saw that movie or not, but the Lord of the Rings trilogy is, without a doubt, one of my favorite movies of all times -- and, let me go ahead and warn you that if you hang out with me for any length of time, you’re going to hear me refer to movies, so just be prepared
-- anyway, in the first of the three Lord of the Rings movies -- the hobbit Frodo is given a ring of power and is told by Gandalf the wizard to carry it to Rivendell, the home of the elves, and to meet him there
-- so, Frodo and his friend Sam set out on this great adventure -- they leave their home in the Shire on a bright sunny day -- and they are walking and talking and laughing as they head out towards Rivendell -- at one point, Frodo and Sam are walking through a cornfield and Sam just stops -- Frodo keeps walking and realizes that Sam is not moving -- so he goes back and he asks him, “What is it?”
-- and, Sam gives this profound statement that I think tends to be forgotten by all except those who look back and see the overall theme of the movie -- Sam looks at Frodo and says, “This is it -- this is the farthest I have ever gone -- if I take one more step, I will be farther away from home than I have ever been.”
-- this scene is just such a pivotal moment in that movie -- and every time I watched it, I just wanted to be Sam -- I just wanted to be standing in that spot -- knowing that I was about to step out of my ordinary life and into something that mattered -- into something that was going to make a difference -- something that would change my life forever -- do you know what I'm talking about?
-- I believe that God has put this desire in our hearts -- a desire for adventure -- a desire to step out of our humdrum, everyday lives and to be part of a grand adventure -- a great quest -- filled with excitement and danger and with the promise of a great reward at the end
-- this, I firmly believe, is where we are at today as we join together to launch this new church and this new ministry called Koinonia
-- we are standing in a pivotal moment in each of our lives -- we are standing in the metaphorical cornfield here at the beginning of a new year -- and we have to decide what we are going to do -- are we going to take that first step and move out into the great unknown with God? -- to see what He is going to do in this new community of faith -- to see where He is going to lead us and who He is going to make us -- or are we going to be content with our lives as they are?
III. Scripture Lesson (Luke 24:13-32)
-- these same questions are really what this passage in Luke is all about -- this passage is about choosing to start a journey -- it is about stepping out in faith into a new and grand adventure with God
-- real quick, before we look at this passage again, let me give you the context so you know where we are -- this passage occurs after the crucifixion of Jesus -- Jesus has already been betrayed and has died on the cross at Calvary -- He was buried in a borrowed tomb by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus -- His disciples have either scattered or gone into hiding
-- as this passage opens, it is Sunday morning -- the third day after the crucifixion -- the women have already gone to the tomb and found it empty, but no one really know what has happened
-- in the midst of everything that is going on, two of Jesus’ disciples decide it is time to go -- we don’t really know why -- the Passover Feast has ended -- the Sabbath is over -- and it’s the first day of the new week -- regardless of the reason, Luke tells us these two disciples leave Jerusalem as soon as they can and head out towards the village of Emmaus
-- let’s pick up their story again here in verse 13 (read Luke 24:13-24)
13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles[a] from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.
17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
19 “What things?” he asked.
“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”
-- here we read about two of Jesus’ disciples -- Cleopas and his friend -- they have left Jerusalem and have started out on a journey to Emmaus, a village about seven miles outside of Jerusalem -- keep in mind that these men were followers of Jesus -- we don’t know how long they had been with Him, but Luke tells us that they had been there long enough so that they were counted in the number of true believers -- as he writes in verse 13, they were “two of them”
-- these were men who knew Jesus -- who had walked with Jesus and listened to His teachings -- who had probably seen the miracles -- and had come to put their faith in Jesus as their Messiah
-- they may not have understood what was going on at this moment -- they may not have understood why Jesus had to die on the cross or why the tomb was empty -- but one thing stands out as we read these verses
-- as they walked along, they continued to share their faith with one another -- they talked about more than just the weather or the economy or the politics of their day -- they talked about God and what He was doing and how He was affecting their lives even to that very moment
-- Luke tells us that as they were walking, Someone came up and joined them -- and they immediately included Him in their conversation
-- isn’t that a great picture of the church? -- we tend to think of church as something we do on Sundays -- but one of my hopes for Koinonia is that we break that mode of thought -- church is not something we do -- it’s something we are -- it’s a community of faith -- living and walking and talking with each other as we journey together through life
-- it’s a group of people who come together to bear each other’s burdens -- to share each other’s hopes -- and to do life together with God
-- that is the picture that we are given here of Cleopas and his friend as they journey together on this road to Emmaus
-- verse 25 [read Luke 24:25-27]
25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
-- Luke tells us something that Cleopas and his friend didn’t know at the time -- the person who had joined them on the road was Jesus Himself, although the two disciples didn’t recognize Him
-- as Jesus talks with them, He reveals to them the truth of what they had experienced -- as He opens the scriptures to them, He reveals God’s word to them and explains why the Messiah had to die and encourages them to look for the glory that would come when Jesus returns again
-- as we step forward in faith and begin laying the foundation of Koinonia -- as we walk together and do life together, we can never forget the source of truth -- the foundation of our faith
-- what makes the church different from any other organization? -- what makes the church different from any other gathering of people who come together at a regular time? -- the presence of God -- the very presence of Jesus living within us as the Holy Spirit -- guiding us and leading us and revealing to us the truth of God’s word
-- if you don’t have God, you don’t have a church
-- verse 28 [read Luke 24:28-32]
28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.
30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
-- our goal should not be just to start a new journey -- our goal in this new year shouldn’t be just to make resolutions once again that will be broken and forgotten within a month -- our goal should be to see Jesus
-- Phil Vischer, one of the creator’s of the Veggie Tales Cartoon series, summed it up with this quote: “The impact God has planned for us doesn't occur when we're pursuing impact. It occurs when we're pursuing God.”
-- in other words, as we stand here at the start of this new journey -- as we begin this new ministry together called Koinonia -- we need to remember why we are here
-- we’re really not here to make a new church -- we’re really not here to build a building or to raise money or to increase in numbers at our worship services
-- we’re here because we want to see Jesus -- we want to journey together along life’s highway -- walking together as Cleopas and his friend did -- with the goal of seeing Jesus revealed to us along the way
-- if we make Jesus our goal -- if we never take our eyes off the prize at the end -- God will bless us and change us and make us into the people He has called us to be -- just like He did Cleopas and the other disciple
-- the impact will follow as God wills -- it may be that this community of faith never grows in numbers more than it is today -- or it may be that God will increase us to the point where we need a church building of our own -- but, really, that doesn’t matter
-- the only thing that matters is seeing Jesus with our own eyes and knowing Him in our hearts
-- let’s finish up -- verse 33 [read Luke 24:33-35]
33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.
-- what happened to Cleopas and his friend once they saw Jesus?
-- they got up and went back to Jerusalem and spread the news about what they had heard and seen
-- this is our mission as we begin this journey together -- I heard a preacher say one time that if you know about Jesus and don’t tell anybody, then you are just plain useless
-- as Christians, we are called to share with those around us the message of Christ -- we are commanded to tell others about Jesus and to share with them what He has done for us and through us and to us so that they may join us on our journey
-- that is what Jesus created the church for -- and that is why I think He has called us together in this place today
IV. Closing
-- everyone is on a journey -- every person you meet is traveling somewhere
-- some are walking away from God while others are walking towards God -- I am nothing but a fellow traveler on this road -- and I am asking you today
-- will you journey with me over the coming year on this great adventure called Koinonia as we seek out Christ and as we spread the good news of the risen Lord?
-- will you walk alongside me and the others on this journey? -- picking us up when we fall? -- rejoicing with us in our happiness? -- sharing your faith with us and others along the way?
-- will you take that last step of faith into the unknown -- going farther than you’ve ever gone before -- will you join us on this journey of faith? -- will you commit to being the church in 2011?
-- I’m going to close in prayer now
-- and while I know we don’t have an altar of wood or stone -- and we don’t have a chancel rail for you to lean on in quiet prayer
-- I’m going to ask that if you have a need or if you want to make a decision to follow Christ or to rededicate your life or whatever it is you need to do in this new year -- that you just come up as the last song is played and let me know -- and I will pray with you
-- let’s pray
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