That must have been quite a Bible study! Jesus himself explaining the scriptures so that Cleopas and the second disciple felt "our hearts burning within us on the road." Luke 24:32 Wouldn't it have been wonderful to be part of that conversation?
For the Emmaus disciples this began as a time of great confusion. They left Jerusalem and walked to the west, perhaps symbolic of their downcast mood. When Jesus came alongside, Luke says, "they were kept from recognizing him." I take this to mean it was not yet time for them to know. More needed to be revealed to them, and to us, before they would recognize him. The revelation came in two parts, both key elements of Lutheran theology. First, it was through the Word of God. In this case it was Jesus, the Word, who opened up the written word for them. Her spoke the Word, and their hearts burned within. It was later, at supper, as they broke bread, that they recognized who they were with. It was Jesus himself, revealed in the breaking of the bread. This, of course, has a sacramental meaning, as we see Jesus in the bread and wine of the Lord's supper. Word and sacrament are the key elements of our life of faith together.
Throughout this Lenten and Easter season the regular discipline of reading, writing, and reflecting on God's Word has been a blessing to me. It has caused me to really think about our Lord's passion, and made the resurrection even more powerful. Even for us pastors (and maybe especially for us pastors, who read these texts again and again), it is easy to gloss over them, thinking there is nothing new to be discovered. This is nonsense, for sure, but it does happen. God's Word is always speaking to us in new and fresh ways, for our life's circumstances constantly change. I have not yet made plans for how to continue when we complete this series on Thursday, but I am thinking of some possible ways to do so. If we take the time, God's Word will continue to cause out hearts to "burn within us" and provide hope and guidance.
I would love to continue some type of devotion as this Journey to the Cross has taken me places and shown me things I have not experienced before. I feel closer to God than I have felt in years. So, reading, writing, and reflecting on God's Word has blessed me greatly too. I have new hope in my heart today. Thank you Jesus, and thank you Pastor Jeff for your faithfulness.
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