WORSHIP WITH THE RISEN LORD

Dr. Richard J. Henderson April 10, 2005

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Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19
Luke 24: 13-35

Introduction

All the gospel accounts tell of people coming to an empty tomb. Everyone who saw it was surprised and confused. None of them found the empty tomb and believed in that moment that Jesus had risen.

Remember when Peter and John ran to see the tomb? They looked in and were shocked, but it isn't because of that they believed in Jesus' resurrection.

Introduction

Easter is not about an empty tomb. An empty grave doesn't convince anyone of Jesus' resurrection. It didn't even suggest to the first witnesses that Jesus was raised. The women came to the tomb and found it empty, and they assumed that someone had taken the body away. Remember when Mary was at the empty tomb on Easter morning and talked to Jesus himself. She thought he was a gardener and said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." For her, the empty tomb only meant that Jesus' corpse was gone.

What shook the disciples' lives was not an empty tomb. They were transformed from frightened cowards to bold people of faith because they experienced the presence of Christ. They went from people hiding away and afraid of being associated with Jesus to courageous people willing to give their lives for their faith. They felt Christ with them and knew he was real and alive.

Frederick Buechner clarifies this very well for us: "The earliest reference to the resurrection is Saint Paul's, and he makes no mention of an empty tomb at all. But the fact of the matter is that in a way, it hardly matters how the body of Jesus came to be missing because in the last analysis, what convinced the people that he had risen from the dead was not the absence of his corpse but his living presence. And so it has been ever since."

The disciples were convinced of Jesus' resurrection in a life-changing way because they knew Christ's presence. Jesus was still with them, but in a new way. That presence convinces us today.

II

In the story of the Emmaus experience we read this morning, Jesus walked with two of his followers, talked with them, and they didn't even know who he was. Christ was present but they didn't recognize him. I find this situation reassuring because it says to me that Christ is present with us even in those times when we don't sense his presence. When Christ promises to be present, he is there whether we know it or not. Jesus' presence doesn't depend on whether we are aware of it. He is still true to us.

A man went through a threatening time at work. He had seen actions that were unethical, and he refused to go along with them. His colleagues didn't appreciate his criticism and his job was on the line. Through it all, he was very upset and concerned about his job and his family. He prayed but his prayers seemed to evaporate around him. When the crisis was over, he realized that through it all the power of God's spirit had been holding him up. He understood that God had given him the ability to stand up to people who could fire him. While he didn't sense God's spirit in the midst of the battle, he could look back and see what a powerful support it had been.

Like those two men walking to Emmaus, Christ can be present in our lives without us even realizing he is there. Christ may be with us but we don't recognize it because we are too busy, or too distracted or too upset. Maybe we don't sense God's presence because we are too wrapped up in ourselves to feel it.

III

Christ promised that whenever two or three are gathered together in his name, he is present there with us. That means when we come together for worship, Christ is here. Some scholars have pointed out that this experience at Emmaus has all the elements of Christian worship. Look at the similarities.

First, the Bible makes clear that the events of Emmaus take place on Sunday - the first day of the week. It is later the same day when Jesus rose from the dead. Also, the Emmaus story is one of people gathered together. It's not the solitary experience of any one person, but people who have come together - Cleopas, Jesus, and an unnamed person. Like worship, this experience is of people gathered together.

As Jesus walks with them, he opens the scriptures to them. "Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures." In this experience, as in worship, the scriptures were read and interrupted.

Then they sat down at a table and enjoy a meal. The wording of the story clearly refers to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. He was at a table with them, and he took the bread and blessed it. He broke the bread and gave it to them. As in worship, this is communion - the breaking of bread. They suddenly realize they are in the presence of Christ. It's when Jesus breaks the bread that their eyes are opened and they recognize who he is. In the act of breaking bread, they see who Christ is.

Worship can be a time when we see who Christ is in our lives and we sense his presence. Christ comes to us when we gather at his table. He is present here with us whether we recognize his presence or not.

IV

Finally, those who see Christ don't just enjoy that experience for themselves; they go out to share that good news with others. The two that Jesus walked with all that way immediately turned around and went back the seven miles to Jerusalem to tell the other disciples what they had seen and what they knew.

So for us it is not enough that we have a powerful experience of God, we act on that great experience. We spread the good news of what we know. We act in Christ's name, doing what he has commanded us to do. This says that worship is not just for our personal faith and growth, it is to make a difference in the world. When we receive good news, we want to offer it to others.

Conclusion

We gather here - on Sunday - to hear the scripture and learn from it. We join together here around the table. Often we come to the table for the breaking of the bread and the pouring of the cup.

Christ promises to be present with us as we worship. Sometimes we are able to feel God with us. When we have come into the presence of Christ and experienced who he is, we go out to live and share our faith in the world. This story of Emmaus tells us a lot about our worship together and God's presence.

Amen.

©Richard J. Henderson 2005