Listen to the Sermon or the Entire Service
May 4:
Call: 1 Peter 1: 17-23 Text: Luke 24: 13-35 Closing: Communion Prayer: W&S #174 Psalm: Psalm 116: 1-4, 12-29 (837) Surprise! Last week I wanted to make it perfectly clear That the first Easter was a full 24 hour day Despite our tendency to think it ended that morning when Mary said to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord." To make that point, I shared what was probably more about DST Than anyone here had thought he/she needed to know. It is possible that I spent more time on the subject Than a normal person would have But if you remember the point, I'll gladly accept - or endure - whatever comments any of you might have made After I made my point, You and I took a look at the evening of that day The evening in which Jesus appeared to his disciples Or most of them anyway (for Thomas wasn't there) And then we moved ahead a week And looked at the following Sunday When Jesus made a second appearance to them This time the group included Thomas Thomas had been out Easter night And then had refused to believe what his fellow disciples told him: that Jesus had visited them. And he told them of his disbelief forcefully and with gusto Saying that he needed to see the nail holes in the hands And he needed To put his hand in the hole That was made when they pierced Jesus' side But, of course, when on the second week, Jesus appeared again and offered Thomas that opportunity, Thomas crumpled and fell to his knees. And so there was morning and there was evening On that very first Easter However: There were also several hours in between: And this morning's scripture helps fill us in on what happened during some of those intervening hours. For Easter afternoon came after Mary's morning declaration that she had seen the Lord And it came before Jesus' evening visit to the disciples. This story of that afternoon tells us about a man named Cleopas A follower who had been shaken by the crucifixion So the story begins with Cleopas and a companion Trudging discouragedly along the road to Emmaus And it ends with Cleopas getting quite a surprise. This story - like all the stories of that day - needs to be experienced and not just heard. To get a feel for this scripture, Let me tell you the story about Two young lieutenants in the middle third of the 19th century Who like Cleopas, got quite a surprise These two young men were recent graduates of West Point. They took pride in that And it was indeed a worthy accomplishment However, their pride in their accomplishment And their enthusiasm for starting out in the world Combined - as they often do - To make the young men a bit too self confident. These two were assigned to Fort Smith. That's in Arkansas On their first morning there, they encountered a heavy set man Whom they quickly identified as a farmer Enthusiastic as they were, they called out "Good morning, old fellow" and anticipated that this farmer would be quite pleased to be greeted by people of their rank and importance. The older man returned the greeting. After a few minutes of conversation about crops The recent West Point graduates invited him for a drink He accepted and while he didn't actually drink himself, He had quite a chat with them. I don't know exactly what the chat involved I assume, however, that much of it was the young men Boasting about their backgrounds and education Conveying their thoughts that their presence would make the army much better. Still the "farmer" must have revealed that he was married and that he had a daughter, For as their informal get-together broke up, they called out "Give our best to the old woman and the gal." My sources do not tell me what happened immediately after the "farmer" left. But I suspect that the young lieutenants probably Had a few more drinks Laughed about their encounter with the "farmer" And thought that the man would forever remember Having met people as important as they were. Later that day, they formally reported to the commanding general The general was Zachary Taylor Their faces immediately turned ashen and their jaws dropped lower than they ever imagined that they could Notorious for not wearing his uniform or putting on airs, Taylor was the man whom they had misidentified as a farmer Taylor, accompanied by his wife and daughter, Returned their salute and I suspect with an inward smile - Introduced his family saying, "I'd like you to meet the old woman and the gal." Like Thomas, who got quite the surprise when Jesus appeared and offered to let him see and touch, These two enthusiastic young lieutenants Got quite a surprise when they met General Taylor Both Thomas and the lieutenants Probably felt like crawling away And hiding someplace where they couldn't be found. Our lieutenants undoubtedly Tried to figure out a way that they could avoid the general for the rest of their tour I am also sure that all those emotions came back to them some years later, when in 1848 Taylor was elected to be the 12th President of the United States. With that story in our minds Let's turn to the scripture And observe the surprise another couple of guys received [Luke 24: 13-31] The surprise that Cleopas and his companion experienced when Christ revealed himself Resembled the surprise of the young lieutenants When General Taylor revealed himself But the stories have some significant differences. In the first place In their ignorance, the lieutenants were playful and proud But Cleopas and friend were saddened, discouraged, and hurt. In the second place It is likely that the lieutenants did most of the talking Cleopas and friend, however, after starting the conversation Spent their time listening to the remarkable interpretation The unrecognized Jesus gave to them. Most importantly, in the third place Whereas the lieutenants wanted to crawl under a rock, hide, and not let anyone know about their experience Cleopas and friend responded differently [Luke 24: 32-35] Still the Taylor story gives us a chance to feel the Emmaus surprise and thus to experience the lessons or messages of the entire 24 hours of Easter. The first message Like the stories of Christ's appearances to Mary and to the disciples is, of course, the revelation that Jesus is alive. The second message logically and necessarily follows. That message is that we - you and I must respond to the first - By going out and telling the story. We can't be like the lieutenants who wanted to run away and hide We can't be like Peter and John on Easter morning When they simply went back home Leaving Mary Magdalene alone in the garden We can't be like Thomas who refused to believe the testimony of his companions. We must instead be like Mary who told the disciples, "I have seen the Lord" Like the disciples who told Thomas they too had seen him And Like Cleopas and his companion who spent that afternoon walking and talking with him And having their hope - and ours - resurrected and restored They spent Easter afternoon walking the 4-7 miles To get to Emmaus And then after Christ revealed himself Turned around and walked all the way back To tell the eleven and their companions. Today we accept Christ's invitation to His table I pray that when we experience his revelation in the bread That we are like those we have met in the scriptures And thus, like them, go out to tell the story.