Blogging Towards Sunday
The story of the road to Emmaus is poignantly true for today. Some might say it's not historical, 
merely symbolic. Others would say that it for sure happened. I'm not that much of a New Testament scholar but the story is a vehicle for a deep truth that I have experienced: God often seems to make surprise visits: either because she's often busy, we're too busy, or we're just not listening. Two friends walking and talking about what has happened encounter a stranger. In their reflection together, seeking to make sense and meaning of the events of the last days they encounter the presence of God with eyes wide shut. It's only around the table, sharing the meal, hearing the prayers, smelling the bread, tasting the wine that they put it all together, they become aware of God's presence, cognizant of the purpose of God's word in the world, present to the meaning that God makes in life and that life finds in God.
The Onion has a funny article this week that pokes fun at this in a non-religious way [God Makes Surprise Visit to Local Church]. We often reduce this argument and dilemma to a stereotypical utterance of what would Jesus do if he was in our situation. Would we even recognize him? Maybe we've (re)made God into our own image in our understanding of experiencing God through Jesus? Maybe we've put a box on experiencing the presence of God in our world because our unquestioning creedal understanding of God? I don't have the answers. Yet as I reflect on events of this week, it was at a communion celebration (wether forced or not) that I experienced a glimmer of the solidarity, mutual forbearance and grace-full love that God is and calls us to become through Christ and in community. That has to count for something. Maybe you can't just talk about it. Maybe we have to experience to know it, and then reflect upon that primary experience in secondary discussions....isn't that what happens in the Emmaus story?
Thanks to Uncle Lori for the great Onion article!
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