Brown's Daily Word 4/29/11

Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this last Friday of April. I am up early morning to do my morning devotions, then I am planning to watch the royal wedding telecast from Westminster Abby, London. I have visited the Westminster Abby several times. I attended an international bicentennial celebration of British Baptist Missions and also of the Missionary trip of William Carey to India in 1793. The bicentennial celebration was held in 1992 at Westminster Abby. I was blessed to have worshipped at the Abby with hundreds of Christian leaders from around the globe. In July, 1981 I arose in the early morning to watch the wedding of Prince Charles and princess Diana. At the time I was attending a conference at Albright College in Reading, PA. That wedding was held at the St Paul's Cathedral in London.
I have been reading from Luke 24, the Emmaus experience. Some of the saddest words in our language begin with the letter D, such as disappointment, doubt, disillusionment, defeat, despair, and death. All of these are summed up in the words of Cleopas and his companion as they spoke to the stranger who joined them on the Emmaus road.
As the weary travelers made their weary way to Emmaus a stranger came along who walked beside them. It would to be one of the most wonderful walks in history! We know, of course, that it was the risen Jesus, although somehow they failed to recognize him. In fact Luke recorded that "they were kept from recognizing him." It was no accident that they did not comprehend who he really was. They were prevented from recognizing Jesus for a purpose. It was so that they might be in the same position that we find ourselves in some 2,000 years later.
The stranger asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?" In response to this query they poured out their sad story to one who seemed so willing to listen. How wonderfully kind and compassionate is our Lord. The way that Jesus dealt with the situation is a lesson to all that are in a position to help those who have lost hope. Their spokesman, Cleopas, expressed surprise at even being asked what was worrying them, "Are you the only one living in Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that have happened there in these days?" Jesus patiently asked, "What things?" "About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied.
The two Emmaus bound disciples were correct in their theology as far as it went. They told the stranger that this Jesus "was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people". "He was ..." - notice the use of the past tense, which strongly implies that he wasn’t relevant to the present or otherwise they wouldn’t have been in their present downcast state of mind. Their experience of Jesus was in the past, and they thought they were alone. The Cross had taken him from them, and their minds had not yet made sense of the changed situation, or adjusted to it. The Cross was just a great negative to them.
We have all heard exciting testimonies of what Jesus has done in the past - but what about the present? Jesus is still there. He’s is still the unseen "stranger", walking with us, listening to us and, if we are willing to hear his voice, revealing himself to us. As the two disciples spoke of the Cross he took hold of their bewilderment and sorrow and gave them a heart lifting experience. He pointed them to God’s self-revelation in the Scriptures. Luke records, "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, Jesus explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself." He expounded on the The Old Testament!
When Jesus intrudes into our lives, probing our thoughts, it is for the purpose of blessing us. Cleopas and his companion accepted the gentle rebuke that Jesus made when he said, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken."
A famous picture painted of this scene, of Jesus knocking at a door, but the door has no handle. If there was a handle, it must have been on the inside! This is very much the situation in the Emmaus story. We are told that "Jesus acted as if he was going further." It was apparently a test to see if the disciples had more appetite for the things of God. They did. We are told, "They urged Jesus strongly, ‘Stay with us ...’" That’s the sort of invitation that Jesus cannot resist or refuse! "He went in to stay with them."
A meal was quickly prepared. The bread was on the table when the moment for Jesus’ disclosure has come. "He took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them." It was the action of the breaking of bread. They saw his hands - so different from when he had broken bread at the Feeding of the Five Thousand, and at the Last Supper. They were the nail-pierced hands of Jesus. In an instant they knew him. Then an instant later he was gone.
I can imagine Cleopas and his friend standing in amazement; perhaps embracing in great joy, asking each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" Their world had come together again. That heart-burning experience is something that we all need. The Risen Lord deeply longs for each one of us to walk with Him in close fellowship so He can fulfill His plans for our lives. The two Emmaus disciples had no doubt walked this way many times before, yet this day would be different, for it was the time for a life-changing encounter with their Lord. Christ is risen from the dead! Christ is the Savior! Christ is the hope of the world! The two disciples lost no time in retracing their steps to Jerusalem to share the Good News. May that be our experience this Easter time and for the rest of our life.
In Christ the Risen One,
Brown
http://youtu.be/C-lY8VQpSTY
Friday 04.29.2011:7PM
TV outreach on Time Warner Cable ch 4
Location: First United Methodist Church
53 McKinley Avenue
Endicott
Sponsored by the Union Center United Methodist Church, 128, Maple Drive, Endicott

Saturday, April 30, 2011
5 PM Indian Buffet at the First UMC, Endicott
6 PM Coffee Fellowship

6:30 PM Worship Service
Worship Music: Laureen Naik, Emma Bronson
Speaker: Rev Bill Turner