23^rd May 2014

Rev Dr Max Champion at St John's UCA Mt Waverley Sunday 27 April 2014

Lessons - Psalm 116:1-9; 1 Peter 1:17-23; Luke 24:13-35

'When Jesus he drew near and went with them they did not recognise
him ... but after he interpreted the Scriptures and broke bread with
them their eyes were opened, and they did recognise him - at which
point he vanished from their sight.' (Free translation of Luke
24:15,16;25-32.)

When we worship God we acknowledge that Christ is present. In prayers, readings, sermon, hymns and sacraments we address the One who was crucified, dead and buried 2000 years ago as a person who 'is' 'present'
in a way that is unlike that of other great figures whose influence 'lives on'.

The strangeness of Jesus' risen presence was recognised by his early followers. In his earthly ministry, they thought they had seen God's Messiah who would end sin and death and bring in a new age of righteousness. Devastated by the apparent defeat of goodness, they were not conditioned to recognise his risen presence. The One who had embodied
the love of God is now absent. Hope is gone. Evil has won the day.

How is it, then, that, as the creeds say, the Church now acknowledges the 'presence' of this crucified man, the only Son of God?

It is baffling. Nothing in our experience prepares us for such a strange presence. It certainly baffled Jesus' disciples. That is clear from what happened on the road to Emmaus. Unexpectedly, two followers became convinced that, despite Jesus' crucifixion and their 'sorrow' (v17), he was still 'present'.

What this means is spelt out in a way that defies normal ways of thinking.
Although they had 'heard' rumours about an 'empty tomb' and Jesus being 'alive' (v22ff), they are 'blind' to his presence. They do not expect to 'see' a crucified man! They only 'recognise' him at the meal table after he 'took bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them' (v30). Only then do they realise why they had been so profoundly moved by what he had said earlier. 'Did not our hearts burn within us ... while he opened to us the Scriptures? (v32)'

This remarkable turn-around takes place only after Jesus is recognisable in words and actions reminiscent of his earthly ministry. He interprets Scripture. He breaks bread.

Whilst the disciples are still 'blind' to him, Jesus interprets the events of his life and death as the fulfilment of Jewish hopes to 'Moses and all the prophets' (v27). 'It was necessary,' he says, 'that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory. (v26)'

Specific passages are not mentioned. Isaiah's Suffering Servant (Isaiah 52 & 53) may be in mind. Certainly they were not expecting such things to be part of Messiah's lot! Jesus simply says that these events must be 'seen'
as the culmination of God's covenantal grace to Israel. Luke invites us to 'see' in him the embodiment of Israel's vocation of suffering love for the world and thus the triumphant 'presence' of God.

Only in this sense can it be said that Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection are 'necessary'. It is not meant fatalistically but in the sense that Jesus is the fulfilment of God's self-giving goodness and mercy already revealed to the Jews.

Despite Jesus' interpretation of events on the road, they do not realise who he is. They only 'see' him as the Risen One after he has taken, blessed and broken the bread and given it to them! They recognise him when he acts in ways reminiscent of his earthly ministry. In particular, they
are reminded of:

* The Last Supper, where Jesus says, 'This is my body given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.' (Luke 22:19)

* The feeding of the five thousand, where 'all ate and were satisfied'
(Luke 9:16).

* The 'table fellowship' that Jesus shared with poor and irreligious folk as a sign of the unmerited mercy of God to 'tax collectors and sinners'.

* Parables that point ahead to the great banquet, the symbol of God's promise that history shall reach a glorious end.

They 'see' the risen Jesus when he acts in ways characteristic of his earthly ministry. He is 'present' now as the one who had already embodied the sacrificial love of God. In spite of the power of evil and death that led to his crucifixion, he is 'present' to continue his ministry 'in and for the world'.

This is a very strange 'presence' indeed! Jesus is not 'present' in the same way that we are 'present' to each other. He is 'present' (as God is
present) when bread is broken and shared in his Supper and Scripture is interpreted in the light of his cross and resurrection.

The unexpected presence of the crucified Jesus to disciples is the sole explanation for the existence of the Church. It did not come about because devout souls set out on a 'spiritual journey' to find God. They were on the road to despair. Their hope for a 'new heaven and new earth'
was dashed, the joy of life extinguished! The 'inconceivable' presence of Christ once-crucified re-ignited their faith and revived their hope!

When we 'see' this episode as a revelation of God's gracious grace, we shall 'see' that our worship-and-service of God is only possible because Christ is 'present' with us. Only through him does the Church 'see' what others fail to see: that God has 'redeemed' the world from the power of evil and death and 'continues' to 'make himself present' to men and women.

This means that worship should be is patterned on the disciples' encounter by the 'Risen Lord'.

The whole of our worship - hymns, prayers, readings, creeds, preaching - must be concerned to interpret Scripture in the light of the presence of the crucified Jesus so that the world may believe. Holy Communion must be shared as a visible sign of God's costly, triumphant love for the world.

The strange encounter on the way to Emmaus helps us to see that Christ- centred interpretation and celebrating the Lord's Supper belong together in the life of the Church. That is why many Christian traditions unite word and sacrament in every service. That is why we at St John's do so monthly, rather than four times a year as in our previous traditions. It is also why, once a week, a short service of Word and Sacrament is held in the Chapel.

This form of worship-and-service best expresses the unexpected reality of Christ's presence with us. It enables us to see the needs of the world, and our own needs, in a different light - from the perspective of the One who 'has' defeated the power of evil. In his own unique way, he 'is'
present wherever evil demeans our God-given dignity to judge, forgive and renew our lives and so point ahead to the sumptuous festivities that await us.

It is clear, then, that Christian worship-and-service is completely different from church activities centred on our needs. Sadly, this is common among churchgoers. When we are preoccupied with ourselves, as the disciples were, we fail to 'see' who it is whom we are called to follow.
We often assume that Christ is absent and it is our duty to make him relevant. Our focus shifts from rejoicing in Christ's presence to worrying about how to update stories about a man who existed 'once upon a time'.

Sadly, this approach is now typical of our beloved Uniting Church. This week the Major Strategic Review Team of the Synod sent surveys to ministers and congregations asking us to dream about a new future for the church. They see that the church is being impacted by dramatic social change. But, instead of directing our gaze to God's 'presence' in Christ crucified-and-risen, they want us to share our visions for the future. Our 'vision' as Luke makes clear, must be shaped by the crucified-One to whose presence we are so often 'blind'.

At the beginning and end of this journey Jesus is 'not seen' by the disciples. They do not recognise him when he joins them on the road (v16).
When they do recognise him 'he vanishes from their sight' (v31). We must not forget that Jesus is always 'present' in a way that cannot be controlled by us, his disciples. 'He is never simply at our disposal.' (E Schweizer, The Good News According to Luke, p372.)

We wish it were not so! We think it is our job to make him visible, accessible and relevant! Such self-centredness causes us to be anxious about the success or failure of our church. Faith in the 'presence' of the One who was crucified but is alive causes us to live freely and joyfully in the knowledge that God's love for every person and the entire human race has been revealed - and is still present - in Christ.

That is something to be celebrated in Word and Sacrament.

---------------

Rev Dr Max Champion is the minister of St John's Uniting Church, Mt Waverley, Victoria, Australia. Dr Champion is a member of the Council of
the Assembly of Confessing Congregations within the UCA.