“IN BETWEEN”

Who: Dan W. Boles
What: Sermon
When: 11 April 2010
Where: CELTIC CROSS PCM @ KSU
Why: Proclamation of the Gospel

First Readings:
John 15:12-17, 16:12-20

Media:

Second Reading:
Luke 24:13-33

LESSON:

Have you ever allowed yourself to hope, only to have those hopes squashed?  Are you grieving unmet expectations?  Are you disappointed? With yourself? With your life? With God?  With the Church?  With others?

Do you ever feel like you’re stuck “in between” a rock and a hard place? Ever feel like you’ve been walking and walking and walking – but you’re going nowhere?

Every journey has a starting point. Every pilgrimage a destination. God sends us on spiritual journeys everyday, often mysterious. They contain keys to open doors and unlock rooms of our spiritual lives.

But what is your journey?

What is your destination?

What road are you on?

Who are you traveling with?

Who is the stranger in your midst?

What are you talking about?

In their disappointment, the Emmaus travelers leave Jerusalem.  They just walk away.  Like we do.  When God doesn’t work like we think He should, we bolt.  We’re “prone to wander, prone to leave…”

But this is what’s so tragic: When we leave we miss what God is doing and we miss what he wants to do next.  We walk away from redemption and try to create our own destiny.  We say “God hasn’t worked for me, I’ll take it from here.”

But there’s good news: God’s pursuit is relentless.  It’s as if God says to us:  You were walking away from me, you couldn’t see me with you, you didn’t see what I was doing, you were ready to write your own future. But I pursued you, revealed myself to you, and I still have plans for your life.

You are my witness.

You will tell this story of my loving, relentless pursuit.

You will live this story of resurrection.  I have plans for you.

Author & Theologian Tony Campolo – yes, I quote him a lot – says this about Christ’s resurrection and our redemption…

“When Jesus died on the cross and saved you from sin, He did so not only to get you into heaven, but for an even more important reason – as strange as this statement my seem. Jesus saved you through His death on Calvary’s tree in order to make you into a person who could do magnificent things for others in HIS name. He saved you so that He could work through you and accomplish things that He wants to have done in this world. Jesus wants to eliminate hunger… clothe the naked … deliver the oppressed into freedom and bring justice to the downtrodden … Jesus saved you in order that you might be an agent for His revolution in the world.” (p.89, It’s Friday, But Sunday’s Comin’)

I guess it would be easy enough to leave it at that. But that’s not quite it is it?

There is something more… something deeper… something God wants us to discover and understand. The text reveals that their eyes were “kept from recognizing him.” Why would God keep them from recognizing Him? I would assert to you that it’s a sure sign of Jesus’ restoration for these two weary pilgrims who have lost hope, a sign that transcends in to our journeys as well.

He starts showing them how everything that happened, as dreadful as it all seemed, was no accident.  That hoarse whisper about being forsaken by God was actually a quote from a Psalm (22) that predicted nearly everything that happened, down to the gambling for his cloak.  Isaiah 53 had shown that Israel would not be saved by horses and chariots, but by the sufferings of an innocent man.   Hos. 6:2 said that on the third day God would raise us up.  He brought forth Scripture after Scripture to cast new light on the entire situation.  And they began to see things differently.  It’s not until they begin to see things differently, until they begin to really have faith once more, not until then will they, nor could they recognize Jesus.

Because His Birth was an event. His life was only an example.

Until the death gave them meaning and the resurrection gave them power.

Of all the events that defined the life of Christ…

• The miraculous birth
• Test in the desert
• Supernatural baptism
• Sermon on the mount
• Working of miracles

The Bible commands us to remember only ONE. His sacrificial death. WHY?

Why are we not commanded to celebrate his birth?

Or commemorate his miracles?  But to remember his death?

In his birth he became Emmanual, God is with us!

But in death, he became SAVIOR; God has saved us!

And in resurrection; he became REDEEMER; God has renewed us!

In birth and life, he REVEALED the possible.

In death and resurrection, me MADE it possible.

He became our example in how he lived and loved.

We couldn’t become it until he died and rose.

It was not enough that he was our teacher

He had to become our savior, redeemer.

“It is for your good that I am going away…

…unless I go away, the counselor will not come.” (JOHN 16:7)

without the resurrection, we only see his example.

With the resurrection, we become his example.

Without the resurrection, we’re merely good people.

With the resurrection, we’re reborn a Holy people.

His birth was the incarnation.

His life was a revelation.

But his death was our salvation.

And his resurrection is our restoration.

So now… now WE are walking down the road. We are “IN BETWEEN” Jerusalem and Emmaus. We’re on a journey. A spiritual journey.

What road are you on? Who is traveling with you? What are you talking about? Don’t you know?