22^nd April 2015

Rev Dr Max Champion at St John's UCA Mt Waverley Sunday 19th April 2015

Lessons - Lessons: Psalm 116:1-9; Acts 4:5-12; Luke 24:13-35

     'When Jesus 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 recognize 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 as a person the One who was crucified, dead and buried 2000 years ago and who 'is' 'present' in a way 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 the 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 see him again. The One who had embodied the love of God is now absent. Hope is gone. Evil has won the day. How, then, could he now be 'present'? 

It is baffling! Nothing in ordinary human 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.

Though they had 'heard' rumours about an 'empty tomb' and Jesus being 'alive' (v22ff), they are 'blind' to his presence. Naturally, 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 turnaround occurs only after Jesus uses 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 from '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 (chapters 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 grace to Israel. Thus, Luke invites us to 'see' in him the embodiment of Israel's vocation of suffering love for the world and, through the suffering of the cross, the triumphant 'presence' of God. 

Only in this sense can it be said that Jesus' cross 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 Hebrews. 

Despite Jesus' interpretation of events on the road, they do not 'see' 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 that remind them 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.' (22:19) 

* The feeding of the five thousand, where 'all ate and were satisfied'. (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' like Zacchaeus and the Prodigal Son. 

* Parables that point ahead to the Great Banquet, the symbol of God's promise that history shall reach its 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 exactly the same way that we are 'present' to each other. He is 'present' when bread is broken and shared in his Supper and Scripture is interpreted in the light of his cross and resurrection. 

In this episode we are shown that the unexpected presence of the crucified Jesus is the sole basis on which the Church exists. It did not come about because devout souls set out on a 'spiritual journey' to find God. They were on the road to despair: hopes for a 'new heaven and new earth' 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, then we shall also '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 fails 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'. Our hymns, prayers, readings, creeds and 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 very strange encounter on the way to Emmaus helps us see that Christ-centred interpretation and celebration of the Lord's Supper belong together in the Church's life. That is why many Christian traditions unite word and sacrament in every service and why we do so regularly in sanctuary and chapel. 

This form of worship best expresses the astonishing and unexpected reality of Christ's 'presence'. It enables us to see the needs of the world and our own needs in a different light. We see everything from the perspective of the One who 'has' decisively defeated the power of evil and 'is' present, wherever evil afflicts our life-together, to judge, forgive and transform us now as we look forward to the feast that awaits us. 

It is made clear that genuine Christian service is completely different from church activities centred on our needs. When we become downcast at the apparent futility of faith we too fail to 'see' whom we are called to follow.

When we imagine that Christ is absent, our focus shifts from rejoicing in his presence in Word and Sacrament to worrying about how to make him relevant. 

Unfortunately, this approach is typical of many churches - no matter whether they pride themselves on being progressive, evangelical or charismatic!

Conscious of the impact of dramatic social and attitudinal changes and desperate to prove our relevance, we are tempted to devise programs that encourage us to make plans for the future without counting on God's strange 'presence' in the crucified-and-risen Christ. 

It is important to notice that, at both the start and end of the journey, Jesus is 'not seen' by the disciples. They do not recognise him when he joins them on the road (v16). And when they do, 'he vanishes from their sight'. (v31) Thus we must not forget that Jesus is always 'present' in ways that cannot be controlled by us. He will not be manipulated for our purposes. 

We wish it were not so! We like to be in control. But it is for our good that we are not! We are freed from the anxiety of thinking that success depends on our faith, our insight and our plans. We may live freely and joyfully, knowing that, because evil, affliction and death have been defeated in the crucified-and-risen Jesus, we and all people may rejoice in the unsurpassable love of God. In that confidence may worship overflow in gratitude as we regularly hear God's Word and meet around the Lord's Table.

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Rev Dr Max Champion is Minister in 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.