The Emmaus Walk

This past Sunday we heard what I think is one of the greatest Gospel stories. The story of Jesus meeting the disciples on the road and how they discover the gift of Jesus present in the word and bread broken. It reminds us that Jesus meets us over and over again where we are. In our joy and sorrow, in our questions and celebrating, in the quiet and in the serving, in all parts of this great journey of life.

The story goes a little something like this...

Walking the road with a friend,
discussing life and how much it's changed,
hopes crushed, promises dashed, questions swirling,
our thoughts interrupted by a fellow pilgrim.

We welcome him and invite him to walk with us.
He asks us why we are so glum.
We look at him with disbelief,
surely you know what has happened these past days.

He looks at us with questioning, yet twinkling eyes
and we say to him in a matter of fact way,
"our hope of redemption - Jesus the Christ
has been crucified and buried but now we are old he lives!"

He stops us and says in matter of fact way,
"But you know he needed to die to enter glory!"
Then this fellow pilgrim
tell us us the great stories of our faith we have forgotten.

He fill us up with hope and reminds us that we have lost heart,
we desire to hear more and beg him to stay for a meal.
He agrees and we enter our home.
We prepare a simple meal.

At supper our guest very comfortably takes the bread,
blesses it and breaks it and gives it to us.
Can it be? Can it really be? Is it him?
When we look up from the gift in our hands, he is gone.

We are filled with so much joy and awe,
that in quick movements we pack up and leave,
with renewed energy we rush back to friends,
we have such great news to share.

Our hearts are alive,
our minds are bursting,
our lives make sense,
our hope restored... our Redeemer lives!

We find our friends, all of them together.
They tell us they know the Lord is risen!
We say, "we know, indeed he has risen!
We have heard him and seen him and he has shared himself with us!"

Our hearts are burning with joy,
the stories of the past make sense,
the life of our friend and savior is life-giving,
the gift of his very self fills us abundantly!



The story of Emmaus is our story, the Emmaus walk is our walk. Jesus comes to us in the sorrow and the joys and fills us with his love and mercy and graces. We then are called to share the good news for we are renewed, refreshed and we are nourished, our eyes are opened to glory and wonder and the true gift of Christ. Our lives are changed and we are sent to be new life!

The walk of Emmaus is joy and is hope,
it stirs our hearts,
it serves as a reminder,
it calls us to action,
it declares... we are an Easter people.

We must go forth,
nourished by the word and broken bread
to make our Risen Lord known in the world.

I love that He trusts us that much!