I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Luke 24:13-32
Luke 24:13 Now
that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven
miles 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?”
-- one of the most enduring memories
from the classic movie “Forrest Gump” is Forrest running across the country --
I know that all of you are familiar with this part, even if you never saw the
movie
-- if you remember, it all starts with a scene of Forrest sitting on
the steps of his home early in the morning -- Jenny, the love of his life, had
refused his marriage proposal and had left in the middle of the night without
explanation -- Forrest woke up and found her gone, and then went out to sit on
the steps and think
-- after a few moments, Forrest gets
up and starts running -- as he explains in the film, "That day, for no
particular reason, I decided to go for a little run. So, I ran to the end of
the road. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd run to the end of town. And
when I got there, I thought maybe I'd just run across Greenbow county. And I
figured, since I run this far, maybe I'd just run across the great state of
Alabama. And that's what I did. I ran clear across Alabama. For no particular reason
I just kept on going."
-- and going he did -- he ran all
the way across the country till he hit the Pacific Ocean, and then he turned
around and started running east, all the way to the Atlantic Ocean -- three
times, Forrest ran coast to coast, for no particular reason
-- I bring this up to make a point
-- journeys should have a reason -- journeys should have a purpose -- even if
that purpose is just to forget the lost love of your life, no one should take a
journey without knowing why they’re traveling and where they are ultimately
headed
-- this morning, we are beginning a
new journey together -- today is the first day of our new community of faith --
and since today marks the beginning of our journey together as a newly formed
community, I thought it would be helpful to think about where we have come
from, where we are going, and why we are traveling together in the first place
-- so, where are we coming from? -- well,
as we all know, for the last 50 years, we were known as Naylor United Methodist
Church -- part of the United Methodist Church that was created in 1968 --
before that, this congregation was known as Naylor Methodist Episcopal Church,
from its founding in 1879 until the creation of the United Methodist Church in
1968
-- but while we held firm to our Wesleyan
roots -- believing in an orthodox and conservative form of Christianity with an
emphasis on personal holiness and discipleship -- the denomination we belonged to
began to drift from its foundational roots and absorb progressive liberal
leanings and to put more emphasis on political power and financial success than
in spiritual measures of success
-- and for the last few decades, we
watched as the denomination continued to change and as efforts from others to
reform the denomination from within failed time and time again -- until we
reached the point where we felt we needed to disaffiliate from the United
Methodist Church in order to follow God in the direction we felt He was leading
-- which has culminated in today’s gathering and the first step in our new
journey of faith with God
-- I firmly believe that God has put this
desire to follow Him and journey with Him in our hearts -- a desire to lead
more meaningful spiritual lives and to have a greater spiritual impact on our
community than we have been having where we were
-- today is the start of a new adventure
-- the day when we begin to step out of our humdrum, everyday lives and become
part of a grand journey with Christ, filled with excitement and danger and with
the promise of a great reward at the end
-- we are standing in a pivotal moment in each
of our lives -- for years, we have been sitting passively like Forrest Gump,
but now we have been called to get up and take that first step and move -- but
unlike Forrest, we are not beginning our journey for no particular reason -- we
have a reason -- we have a purpose -- we are being called to move out into the
great unknown with God -- to go where He leads and to become the people that He
wants us to be as we reach out and minister to those around us as the very
hands and feet of Jesus -- His people, called by His name, joined together to
share the good news of Jesus with the world
-- no longer “going to church” -- but
“being the church”
-- the question before you this morning is
“are you going to join?” -- are you going to step out with us and start this
journey with Christ? -- are you going to walk with Him in a new way in your
personal lives and with everyone here in this community of faith, allowing Him
to mold us and make us into the people and community He wants us to be?
II.
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 --
everything is confused -- chaotic -- and no one really understands
-- in the midst of everything that is
going on, two of Jesus’ disciples decide it is time to go -- to get out of town
-- to leave Jerusalem as soon as they can and head out towards the village of
Emmaus, which is apparently their home
-- let’s pick up their story again here in
verse 13
Luke 24:13 Now
that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven
miles 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 another disciple -- they have left Jerusalem and have started
out on a journey to Emmaus, a village about seven miles outside of Jerusalem
-- just as aside, I recently read an
article that proposed the two disciples mentioned in this story were married --
rather than being two male disciples, as we’ve always assumed, the writer of
the article proposed that this was a husband and wife, which is why only
Cleopas, the husband, is listed by name -- we know that Cleopas was married and
that his wife had been with him in Jerusalem because John writes in John 19:25,
“...Mary, the wife of Clopas” was at the crucifixion with the other women
-- he also based this proposal on the fact
that later on in the passage they ask Christ into their home to share bread at
their table, which indicates they live together, more than likely, as husband
and wife
-- this argument from the author that
Cleopas and the other disciple were actually a married couple may be wrong --
it’s just a proposal from this one author -- but if he’s right, it adds a whole
new dimension to the Emmaus Road story -- it emphasizes the sacramental nature
of marriage and shows how both men and women are called to serve and share with
others in the name of Christ -- both as individuals and as part of their
Christian marriage
-- regardless of whether these are two
male disciples or a married couple, we do know certain facts about them -- we
know they were disciples -- followers of Jesus -- and they had been disciples
long enough to be counted in the number of true believers -- when Luke tells us
what the disciples did after the crucifixion, he mentions Cleopas and the other
disciple are being two of the group of followers of Christ
-- this means these two disciples on the
road to Emmaus were not just casual acquaintances -- they were not just pew
sitters who listened to the message and then did nothing with the Word -- these
were disciples who the Bible clearly says knew Jesus -- disciples 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
were part of Jesus’ inner crowd and were there at the crucifixion and in the
company of the Eleven afterwards
-- like the others, they may not have
understood what the prophecies meant about the Messiah -- they may not have
understood why Jesus had to die on the cross or why the tomb was empty -- they
were probably still thinking of Jesus the Messiah as an earthly king and
spiritual leader -- but the fact remains -- they knew Jesus and they believed
in Him as the promised Messiah
-- I think it’s significant that as these
two walked the road to Emmaus that day, their conversation wasn’t about the
weather or the economy or politics -- it wasn’t about what they were going to
have for dinner -- no, they talked about God and what He was doing and how He
was affecting their lives even to that very moment -- when we talk with each
other, do we talk about Jesus and our faith, or do our conversations just
revolve around politics and other trivial things at the end of the day?
-- notice what happens next -- Luke tells
us that as they were walking, Jesus came up and joined them -- they didn’t
recognize Him -- they took to be a stranger, but they immediately included Him
in their spiritual conversation and shared with Him the story of Jesus
-- 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 Naylor Community Christian Church is that we put that
understanding behind us
-- church is not something we do -- it’s
something we are -- the church is 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 the other disciple as they journey together on this road to
Emmaus
-- that is the image we need to hold in
our minds as we begin our own journey with Christ today
-- verse 25
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.
-- after meeting the disciples on the road
and hearing their story, Jesus begins to teach them -- revealing to them the
truth of what had just happened in Jerusalem -- 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
-- this is a reminder to us that the
understanding and interpretation of God’s word comes solely through the
ministry of the Holy Spirit -- I can’t help but believe it is not an accident
that today -- the start of our journey as Naylor Community Christian Church --
is the Day of Pentecost -- the day when God poured out His Holy Spirit on the
disciples in Jerusalem and gave birth to the church of Christ
-- as Jesus said in John 14:26, “the Holy
Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and
bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
-- as we step forward in faith and begin this
new journey with Christ as a brand new community of faith, we must remember the
source of truth -- the foundation of our faith -- and who is the Head of our
church
-- we must learn to depend on the Holy
Spirit to teach us and guide us and lead us -- and we must ensure that we keep
Christ as the Head and follow His direction so that we won’t veer off from the
truth and from our mission and calling
-- 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? -- why are we the
church and not just a club?
-- because of the presence of God in our
midst -- 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 -- and if you don’t listen to and follow the teachings of the Holy
Spirit, you are a church that has lost its way
-- verse 28
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?”
-- as we begin our journey as a new community
of faith today, we have to keep in mind why we are starting our journey --
Forrest Gump got up and began running “for no particular reason” -- but we need
a reason -- we need a purpose
-- in
other words, as we stand here at the start of this new journey -- as we begin
this new ministry together -- we need to remember why we are here
--
we’re not here to become just another church on the block -- we’re not here to
build a bigger building or to raise money or to increase numbers on a
membership roll -- that can’t be our reason -- that can’t be our purpose
--
we’re here because we want to see Jesus -- we want to journey together with one
another along the road of life -- walking together as Cleopas and the other
disciple -- with the goal of seeing Jesus revealed to us along the way and
sharing Him with everyone we meet
-- 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 little church never gets
any bigger that it is today -- but really, that doesn’t matter
-- the
only thing that matters is seeing Jesus, recognizing Him when He is before us, knowing
Him in our hearts, and following where He leads
--
let’s finish up -- verse 33
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 the other disciple when they finally saw and recognized
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 -- this is our purpose -- this
is our reason for running with Jesus as Naylor Community Christian Church
-- I
heard a preacher say one time that if you know about Jesus and don’t tell anybody
but just keep Him for yourself, you are of no account -- we don’t want to be
like that
-- 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
--
remember how people started following Forrest Gump as he ran across the
country? -- he had hundreds -- maybe thousands -- of people following him --
that should be our goal, too -- to have people join us in our journey -- not to
follow us, but to follow Jesus
-- when
Forrest stopped running all of a sudden, the people were left alone and
confused in the middle of the road -- they didn’t know what to do next because
all they were doing was following Forrest -- they didn’t know their purpose or
their calling or the reason why they were running in the first place
-- we
need to make sure that we share the message of Jesus with all those who join
us, so that they know why we are running and Who we are following and where we
are headed
-- that
is what Jesus created the church for -- and that is why I think He has called
us together in this place today
III. Closing
-- John Muir, the early
conservationist who advocated for the preservation of wilderness in our country
and who was instrumental in getting Yosemite established as a national park,
had a significant thought about taking a journey, especially those who said
they were on a hike
-- Muir wrote: “Hiking – I don’t
like either the word or the thing. People ought to saunter in the mountains –
not hike!
“Do you know the origin of that word ‘saunter?’ It’s a beautiful word.
“Away back in the Middle Ages people used to go on pilgrimages to the
Holy Land, and when people in the villages through which they passed asked
where they were going, they would reply, “A la sainte terre,’ [which meant] ‘To
the Holy Land.’ And so they became known as sainte-terre-ers or saunterers.
“Now these mountains are our Holy Land, and we ought to saunter through
them reverently, not ‘hike’ through them.”
-- I agree with Muir -- while he found spiritual meaning and purpose
from sauntering in the mountains of the western U.S., we should find our
spiritual meaning and purpose from sauntering with Jesus here in south Georgia
-- we need to see ourselves as fellow travelers with Christ on our way to the
Holy Land, seeking to gather others with us as we go
-- everyone you meet in life is on a journey -- every person you meet
is traveling somewhere -- some are walking away from God while others are
walking towards God -- some are sauntering through this world, while others are
simply drifting along aimlessly in life
-- what type of traveler are you? -- what type of traveler do you want
to be?
-- I seek to saunter through this world, and as we close, I invite you
to join with me on this journey -- let us saunter together on the road with
Jesus -- let us gather up the lost and the wanderers along the way -- and let
us set our sights on Jesus as the Finisher and Perfecter of our faith as we
travel together to the Holy Land
-- for the next several weeks, we’re going to be in a sermon series
called “Walking with Jesus,” where we are going to examine what it means to
walk with Jesus in the world today -- I want to invite you all to make sure and
join us in this discussion which will be based on the Epistle to the Ephesians
-- for now, let us close in prayer and reflect on where we are in our
journey with Christ and where we want to go -- if you need to make a change in
direction -- if you need to recommit your life to Him, then I encourage you to
do so as we pray
-- and if you are not sure that you know Jesus the way Cleopas and the
other disciple did -- if you are not sure you recognize Him and have received
Him as your own personal Lord and Savior -- today is a good day to begin a
journey of faith with Him -- if that is the case, then I would invite you to
turn to Him this morning in repentance and faith and ask Him to forgive you of
your sins and to come into your life as Lord and Savior
-- as always, the altar is open for those who wish to come forward --
and I would be happy to pray with you, if you want
-- so, let’s close in prayer and then we’ll finish our service with the
last hymn
-- let’s pray
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