Emmaus, in four parts

1

              Look at them go, away from Jerusalem. They leave hope behind there, their heads hung in sorrow
—“Looking sad” such simple but expressive words

              Expressing their shock, “Can you believe it, the mystery of this Jesus was solved so unsatisfactory… solved in an unresolved, unsettling, unfortunate way. Who knew it would end like this—savior slain, disciples dispersed…
 Cleopas just walking away.

              But he doesn’t walk alone
—even as he leaves, they still walk like sent disciples
—two by two
—perhaps hoping, even as we hope
—that where two or three gather in his name he is there, even when we don’t see
—gathered around Christ even when we are dispersed and at a distance.

              That question, “Did you hear about what has happened?”
It echoes with us too
—how could he not have heard? It has broken our whole community, this disaster
—broken, it feels like, the whole world.

              Though they don’t see it, we don’t see it
—he is there among them,
here among us
—as we gather even when dispersed into a broken and hurting world.

2.

              The only one who hasn’t heard
—marvels Cleophas and his companion
—yet as they get into it, as they describe all those things that took place,
it becomes apparent he, this one who hasn’t heard,
has heard more listening to them, than they’d even spoke.
He recites it back to them in light of the enlightenment of scripture…

              Didn’t you know there would be suffering and glory—haven’t you read the sacred story,
filled with the very experience you are having right now,
mighty failures and
astonishing whispers from unexpected sources.

              Doesn’t scripture seem especially sacred on account of its speaking to our situation,
but with the added value of hindsight
—a retrospective to clarify our perspective?
Look back to Moses’ intercessions, Jeremiah’s pathos, Job’s struggles
—how did it all look in the moment, how does it look now,
now that we know God was there with them through it all…

              Friends, scripture is BOTH sung in the minor key of our present predicament,
AND also in glorious angelic songs of alleluia
—sung with us, so that we can sing right back.

              For you see,
there are multiple acts, multiple points to scripture, multiple entrances in,
many doors, so that we may find ourselves in it
—find a door into our present situation…

but also other doors that open up to the world God intends and has offered
and is being born from the very side of his son—in blood and water,
in lives lived as disciples and in the initial act of discipleship
—yes all that lived out because scripture has joined to us and we’re returning the favor.

              There it sits, hope denied,
so named, even as the Gospel events are retold to the one who IS Gospel and Word of God
—but it does not long sit, it sits up
—hope enfleshed before them, reciting the sacred words in such a way,
what was once cited as cold writ is now exciting, Enfleshed,
hope enfleshed,
their experience of hope denied, stabilized upon the Word of God.

              And know this, the word of God—Jesus Christ—is enfleshed for us as well!

3.

              Imagine their surprise when they realize who they’ve invited in.

              Only after
could they admit to each other what his words meant to them
before,
when he told them all that scripture had taught
—only at table,
could they admit to one another

"our hearts were on fire from his word!”

              On fire, beginning to trust what he said to be true…
their mystery that had ended in a horror show
—the death of their Lord,
the mystery made deeper still,
everything interpreted by an instant of revelation at table.

              Today though, this is the hard one…

              This table now,
so empty,
we are famished, are we not, family?
              But our hunger, perhaps,
perhaps it is a holy hunger, pointing to our present fear, yes
And also, pointing to the feast to come,
just as his sharing of the meal pointed them back to scripture,
to that experience of their hearts on fire!

4.

              And that fire, kindled by his words…
no…
first kindled by their meeting together and naming him who would be revealed
That fire
—it now blazes.

              The disciples join together again.

              Cleopas and Companion—their experience of Christ up close
in Emmaus
and the other disciples experience back
 in Jerusalem
—the two named and put together, fire meets fire,
reports reflect one another—a whole story and a whole community expand out!

              So, even as we now stay in peace
—let us prepare,
save our stories in the depths of ourselves, so that when we do meet again,
we may share with one another the fullness of what God has done as we were away
—that all the pieces of our communal puzzle
 might interlock and we shall see in full
what we only now see in part.

“Wait,” they say, and we will as well, “you too!?!”
Wait, you too?!?

Though Cleopas was “Leaving Cleopas” in the same way Thomas was “Doubting Thomas”
now he too, has returned!
Returned to say, as others had said, “Yeah, me too!”

              The stories pile up, as evidence from witnesses
—Mary,
Peter and the Beloved,
the other disciples,
Thomas,
Cleopas
—voices in dialogue, holy conversations getting a hold on this Easter thing
—voices in dialogue, but also in harmony with many Alleluias!

Christ is Risen, he is risen indeed, alleluia!