“Renewed Hope”

Isaiah 43:14-21

Luke 24:13-35

July 16, 2006

Did you hear the question from our reading from Isaiah?

“I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?”

Do you hear the power of that question? The hope in that question?

On that first Easter morning there was not much hope, well at least not for the two disciples walking the seven miles from Jerusalem to Emmaus. They were not excited about what had occurred that morning, in fact, they did not have any hope at all. They were sad, lamenting the events that had happened, mournful of the loss of hope and promise they had longed for, wanting so much to return to the past when Jesus was alive, when they were filled with hope that he would be the one to redeem Israel.

Like the Israelites before them, the disciples found themselves with their hopes shattered, their expectations firmly grounded in the reality of their experience, a reality that said all hope was lost, a reality that said the future was once again uncertain, a reality which said that the Lord was gone from them. Lost in their own thoughts, with their heads hung low, they were unable to glimpse the living Christ in their midst. All they could do was recount the events that had happened, their vision looking only backward at what could have been rather than forward to what can be.

But then something happens that changed them forever. Upon arriving at Emmaus, after traveling seven miles from Jerusalem, they invite the stranger to stay with them, and sitting at the table the stranger took the bread and blessed it and broke it and gave it to them. Suddenly, their eyes were opened and they recognized Jesus and Jesus vanished from their sight. The impossible had become possible, their expectations were shattered, their hopes renewed and restored. Unable to contain their excitement, they got up and returned to Jerusalem that same night, once again walking the seven miles back to Jerusalem to tell the others that they had seen the rising Lord, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread. These two ordinary people were now sent out on an extraordinary mission to tell the others who they had seen. These two ordinary disciples were now the messengers of the good news of the gospel to those who were still stuck in their sadness and lament and regret.

During these past two weeks, I have found myself going through the same emotions of these two disciples, the same journey, the same experiences. When I left for the Massanetta Middle School Conference, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. had just finished their meeting in Birmingham. With all the good things that happened at the meeting, they were overshadowed by the contention and conflict of the ongoing debate over ordination standards, a debate that has yet to fully be resolved. And like the disciples, I too found myself with my head hung low, uncertain about the future, with little expectations about what new thing God was doing, with an obscured vision of Christ’s presence in our midst.

But something happened that changed all of that, and I have come back the “seven miles” to tell you that I too have seen the living Christ and how he has been made known to me in the breaking of the bread. During these past two weeks, I have once again discovered the glorious truth about the church of Jesus Christ and our denomination, the glorious truth that it is alive and well and at work to proclaim the gospel of the living Lord of life.

For two weeks, I watched as over 500 middle school youth arrived at Massanetta and were transformed by their experience. I watched on that first day as they stood like deer in headlights unsure and uncertain of what was before them. I watched as they were transformed through their encounter with Christ into disciples with a vision of the new things God is doing in their midst. I watched as the high school enablers took these middle school youth and became for them a model of faithfulness. I watched as these high school enablers, tired and worn out from the activities of the first week, reach down deep into themselves and find the strength to once again lead another set of middle school youth on a journey of discovery of Christ’s presence and work in their lives.

I watched as these middle school youth joined together for worship, how they sang and danced, and came alive in the excitement of having seen the living Christ. I watched as they fell silent and were moved to tears from being loved and cared for in a way that they had not known before. I watched as they stood silent as they were anointed with oil unable to fully grasp the fact that they too are included in God’s covenant of grace. I watched as the middle school youth found companionship and forged relationships with their peers and with the adult leaders, how they found the warmth of the love of God at work in that holy place called Massanetta Springs.

And so I have come back to you, my legs still sore from my two week journey, but my spirit and heart greatly encouraged, and my hope for the church and our denomination restored and renewed, for I once again saw the vision of the church as it should be, as it must be, a church that finds its purpose not in debate and conflict, but in mission and ministry, a church that finds its calling not in its own self, but in its work to share the gospel with the world.

During these past two weeks, God brought people together, used their talents and gifts, and transformed the lives of all of us, over 500 middle school and senior high youth, adult advisors, and adult leaders. And through God’s living presence and work in all of us, I once again discovered the great truth that is the purpose of the church – people brought together, using their talents and gifts to transform the lives of each other through the presence of the living Christ.

As I stood in the last worship service on Friday, and served communion to the youth and adult advisors, my eyes swelled with tears as each person came to receive the bread and the cup. In those faces, I once again saw Christ in my midst and the power of the risen Christ at work in the world. And I thought to myself, this is how it is supposed to be, this is why I do what I do, this is why we are the church, this is why we can never forget who we are and to whom we belong, this is why we must never neglect our calling and our purpose.

And so I return to you with this question, are we prepared to get up and walk those “seven miles” back to Jerusalem to tell the others that we have seen the living Christ? Are we ordinary people ready to be the witnesses and messengers of the good news to those in our church who are unsure and uncertain about the future? Are we ready to be the ones who take back to them the glorious reality that we are the church of the living Christ?

Brothers and sisters, we have a choice to make. We can lament the events of the past, hang our heads, and mourn the loss of hope. Or we can become a model of what the church is to be, a church that has our priorities in order, a church that looks beyond the here and now with a vision that sees the church as it should be. I for one will not get bogged down in the ongoing debate and lose sight of what I am called to do. I for one will not let the ongoing debate cloud my vision of the glorious reality that is our purpose and calling. I for one want to take the lead in our denomination to show the other churches and the world that we have not forgotten who we are, to whom we belong, and what we are called to do.

In the current climate of dropping church membership, and the uncertainty about the future of the denomination, it is easy to begin to believe that the church is losing its effectiveness. But we have another message to tell, a message of renewed hope, a message of vision and presence, a message of worship and fellowship, a message of mission and ministry. We have been given the ability and the task to build up the church, to be an example for others of what it means to be a church of Jesus Christ. And so I ask you to join me in walking those seven miles back to our presbytery office in Harrisonburg, and those seven miles back to our Synod office in Richmond, and those seven miles back to our General Assembly office in Louisville. Let us walk back to all of them with the news of our renewed hope in the church, with the news of the vision that we had seen, with the news that Jesus Christ is indeed alive and well and at work in us.

Let us together walk back those seven miles and tell others that we at Finley Memorial are indeed embodying the gospel of Jesus Christ through our worship and fellowship, through our Biblical learning and spiritual growing, through the sharing of our lives together, through the love and care of each other, and through our service in and for the world.

Let us together walk back those seven miles and tell the others that we are indeed a worshiping community that invites people into relationship with God and each other and provides for them a sanctuary to experience the reconciliation and peace of Jesus Christ.

Let us together walk back those seven miles and tell the others that we are not only being transformed in the presence of the living Christ, but that through him we are still at work to transform the lives of those around us through proclamation of our renewed hope, through the One who has been walking with us all along, the One whom we have seen, the One who has been made know to us in the breaking of the bread. Amen.