“Marley was dead, to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner. Scrooge signed it. And Scrooge’s name was good upon ‘Change for anything he chose to put his hand to. Old Marley was as dead as a doornail.(1)” These words began Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. What follows you might remember best from movies like A Muppets Christmas Carol, the 1951 original, or the Disney remake. There were many spinoffs, including Scrooged, Ms. Scrooge, It’s Christmas, Carol. Perhaps, you’ve even read Dickens’ book. In 1843, Dickens wrote it under two months as a plea for relief for working-class children and faith as an impetus for action.
Scrooge, chief miser and hard-edged human being, ran the counting-house hard, including poor Bob Cratchit, his clerk. His drive for financial gain even includes a plan to work through Christmas Day, unheard of even in Victorian England. Scrooge does not hear the cry of his nephew Fred, the solicitors who seek the welfare of the less fortunate, or Bob Cratchit. Dickens utilizes the trope of threes. That night, he is visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future. Three visions of what Christmas has been, is, and might be for him. The spirits leave no vision uncast as they show both what he has forgotten, and he is missing. You might recall the glorious and triumphant Christmas spirit mixed with the realities of his clerk, Bob Cratchit’s family, encapsulated in his youngest son, Tiny Tim. And with the grim conclusions of the Christmas future hanging in the balance, Scrooge awakes a changed man. His life is recalibrated, starting with reparations and reconciliation of money and time, with his own nephew and the Cratchit family.
Why might you ask, do I have Christmas movies on my mind during these great fifty days of Easter? Is it possible that during the time of a pandemic, that time has lost meaning? And as we find ourselves asking, “what day is it?” a few radio stations have started playing Christmas music in April? It is. And who doesn’t love a good Christmas movie!
But more importantly, our scripture grounds us in the truth that faith often develops over time. Even when we are walking with Jesus, sometimes, we do not know who is among us. And in time, Jesus opens our eyes and awakens us like Scrooge to the truth and reality of God’s greater love. Experts have long known that most of us need to hear something three times before we recognize the information. And as many as seven times before we believe it. (2)
Parents, spouses, and friends everywhere know this truth as they live it every day. How many times a day do you ask your child or spouse to shut the door, turn off the light, or close the toilet lid? How often do we remind our loved ones of our love for them?
We say trust but verify. We want our inclinations to be verified by others. And often, we would like it to be verified by at least two or three others, preferably by those who do not know each other. Historically, this phrase, trust, but verify entered the popular consciousness in 1987 when President Ronald Reagan signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force Treaty with Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. In a political context in which trust was not the primary currency of relationship, President Reagan urged verification and confirmation of intelligence and tenets of the treaty.
Set against the backdrop of the cold war from one nuclear power to another, trust but verify reflects the realities of a broken world with tenuous relationships and fragile connections. In personal relationships, frequently, we, too, look for confirmation. How often do we hear our loved ones tell us that we are loved and enough? And we dismiss their words out of hand, waiting to hear it again and again. We doubt the veracity of the claims of those who speak the truth of God’s love to us. Like Scrooge on December 23rd and the disciples on Holy Saturday, we still need to know more.
Jesus had many followers, not just the eleven from the upper room. As two of the ordinary people who followed the life and death of Jesus tried to make sense of death, Cleopas and his walking partner, they were joined by a third on the road from Emmaus to Jerusalem.
Recognizing Jesus seems to take a while in this story. But honestly, that often happens in the Gospels. Nicodemus, back in the third chapter of John, might have come under cover of darkness to learn more about Jesus. However, it is not until the nineteenth chapter, almost the end of the gospel, that he is willing to declare Jesus for himself when he buries him. All four gospels record dismay and confusion, doubt, and disbelief from disciples when they first hear about the resurrection of Jesus. It is too unbelievable to be true.
Cleopas and his walking partner might not have recognized Jesus. Maybe they were never that physically close to him before. Maybe there was something about him that was a little different in these post-resurrection appearances. But it is the entire walk that Cleopas and the other one do not know to whom they are speaking, even when Jesus teaches out of the scriptures. It is the breaking of the bread that opens their eyes and burns their hearts.
I must confess something is encouraging about these delayed professions of faith. Yes, there are sometimes that faith comes easy. Isn’t that wonderful when that happens? And the remainder of the time, faith can be like pushing a stone up a hill or recognizing Jesus, when your eyes keep you from perceiving. Either way, Jesus is there, waiting patiently for us, revealing the word of God to us through the scriptures, creation, humanity, and God’s own self.
286 times the Bible tells us to remember. The information that we hear once, we often need to remember, to hear again. We open ourselves up to the knowledge of Jesus in the scriptures. Jesus taught the Cleopas and the other everything in the scriptures. They had likely heard it before. They would probably teach it in the future.
Cleopas and his companion invite the stranger who has joined them to dinner. He had planned to continue on. As Jesus breaks bread, he is made known to them. And like that, Jesus vanishes. Do not hold onto me; we can almost hear him saying, I go to my Father and your Father. My God and your God, as he said to Mary in the garden. And in the same way that he appeared; he was gone. However, it was not his disappearance that captivated them, but his appearance.
Nothing is a more poignant reminder that Jesus meets us where we are.
When we are walking in lockstep with our family and friends and celebrating the beauty of life, Jesus meets us in the fullness of life.
When we are worn down by the daily grind and carrying fears about how long we can really keep it up, Jesus meets us where we are.
When we are full heath and appreciate every breath, and when we are in the delicate moments in which our health hangs in the balance, Jesus meets us where we are.
Hopefully, you now know that this is not just a story about two disciples on the road to Emmaus two thousand years ago. There are two disciples. Some scholars say that the second disciple, the one left unnamed, is you or maybe me. Luke left a blank space for us to fill in our own names. All our hopelessness is there on the road, every broken-down dream, every doubt we’ve ever had or still have. Are you waiting for a more apparent revelation, for more profound assurance of Jesus’ presence in your life? Jesus walks with us, even when we are not aware of his presence. In the meantime, during these fifty days of Easter, open yourself up to the knowledge of Jesus in the scriptures for the first, second, twelfth, or fifty-second time.
This is the Gospel, the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ, thanks be to God, Amen.
(1) Dickens, Charles. A Christmas Carol. 1843.
(2) https://www.leadertreks.org/repetition-students-cant-learn-something-youve-taught/
Old Testament Lesson: Psalm 91
You who live in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.”
For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence; he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
You will not fear the terror of the night, or the arrow that flies by day, or the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or the destruction that wastes at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
You will only look with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
Because you have made the Lord your refuge,
the Most High your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.
Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name.
When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them.
With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation.
Gospel Lesson: Luke 24:13-35
Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
Meditations For Your Week
Sunday, April 26 ~ Saturday, May 2, 2020
Sunday: “Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened.” Luke 24: 13-14. In this time of physical distancing, there are some who are traveling this part of the journey alone. Pray for them as they experience isolation. Consider how you might be called to reach out.
Monday: “While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him.” Luke 24: 15-16. God upholds us even when we are not aware of his God’s presence. May the gift of the presence of God give you hope in the darkness, and faith in the inevitable trials of life.
Tuesday: “Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, Jesus interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.” Luke 24: 27. The heart of Jesus is for all people to know him. Sharing the scriptures with confused disciples, living a life of extravagant love, and including the excluded typified his life. Are those actions are part of your life?
Wednesday: “But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So, he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.” Luke 24: 30. Hospitality is a part of following the Way of Jesus. How is the practice of your life offering hospitality to others? In this unusual time of sheltering in place, how can you offer hospitality to neighbors virtually, from afar, and safely?
Thursday: “Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight.” Luke 24: 31. When our eyes are opened to the presence of Jesus around us, we see Jesus in our neighbors. How can you care for your neighbors in need today?
Friday: “They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” Luke 24: 32. Pray that Jesus might confirm in your heart the presence of God’s amazing love, that you might truly sing with confidence – ALLELUIA!
Saturday: “Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.” Luke 24: 35. When Jesus appeared to Cleopas and the unnamed disciple on the road to Emmaus, the resurrected Christ was to be known to the world. When we know Jesus, it is so that all might know of the love and power of the resurrected Christ.