The Road to Emmaus

Sorry my blog posts haven't been completely timely; internet access here is limited, and so I have to update when I can.

Anyway, I wanted to share part of the sending service we were blessed with last week before the five of us headed off to our individual sites.

Kate, our country coordinator, shared a very relevant message with us based on the story of Road to Emmaus (Luke 24: 13-35). In that passage, some disciples are walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus just after Jesus had been arrested, tried, and crucified. They had also heard rumors that he had been resurrected, but they did not seem convinced themselves. Anyway, Jesus appears and accompanies them on their journey, but they do not recognize him. As they walk, He asks them questions about what has just happened in Jerusalem--the disciples are amazed that he hasn't heard, but they tell him anyway. And then Jesus proceeds to interpret the scriptures for them, revealing things about himself. Though they still did not know who he was, they invited him to stay and share a meal with them, an invitation which he accepted. Only when he poured wine and broke bread for them did they realize who He was, at which point He vanished. After that, the disciples returned to Jerusalem to share the good news with the people there.

Kate used this story to draw several parallels. The first was with the Lutheran liturgy that I grew up with: Gathering (Jesus and the disciples walking together), Word (Jesus interpreting the scriptures), Meal (Jesus pouring wine and breaking bread for his disciples) and Sending (the disciples returning to Jerusalem). I had never made that connection before, and I thought it was quite beautiful.

In addition, Kate was able to relate this story to our year spent as missionaries abroad: first we Gather with the people around us (Jesus is with us, just as in the story); we share the Word with each other. With time, we are invited for to meals, where we break bread and share in fellowship. Finally, when our time is up, we head back to the U.S. (a political and economic power, just like the modern U.S.) to share our experiences with the people there. Jesus was with them through it all, just as He is with us.

It was really neat to see the connections between our experience this year and other aspects of the Church--both with contemporary worship as well as the experiences of the earliest disciples. I hope and pray that this year can be one of accompaniment and mutual encouragement for me and the people I meet in Argentina. And I'm already looking forward to sharing my experiences with the people I know and love when I return to the U.S. next July.