Luke 24:28-34
They came to the edge of the village where they were headed. He acted as if he were going on but they pressed him: "Stay and have supper with us. It's nearly evening; the day is done." So he went in with them. And here is what happened: He sat down at the table with them. Taking the bread, he blessed and broke and gave it to them. At that moment, open-eyed, wide-eyed, they recognized him. And then he disappeared.
Back and forth they talked. "Didn't we feel on fire as he conversed with us on the road, as he opened up the Scriptures for us?"
They didn't waste a minute. They were up and on their way back to Jerusalem. They found the Eleven and their friends gathered together, talking away: "It's really happened! The Master has been raised up—Simon saw him!"
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
“Light bulb moments”… “Aha! Moments”… whatever you call them, we’ve all had that time when “the lights went on,” and we truly understood something that had eluded us beforehand. For these two men on the road to Emmaus, their “light bulb” moment came when Jesus sat with them and broke bread, then blessed it. They had been so caught up in their sadness over the crucifixion, death and disappearance of Jesus that they couldn’t recognize Him walking right alongside them on the road.
Suddenly, all of the things Jesus had said and done as He walked with them to their home came together and made sense… and helped them to realize that THIS was the man everyone was talking about… the person who was crucified, buried, and then came up missing from the tomb. THIS was no mere mortal… He was JESUS CHRIST… the MESSIAH! These men realized in an instant just how much Jesus loved them… how true His teachings were… and just how incredibly real His power was.
An entire “community” has been built around this scripture passage. Information about the Walk to Emmaus at www.upperroom.org says “The Walk to Emmaus offers today's disciples a parallel opportunity to rediscover Christ's presence in their lives, to gain fresh understanding of God's transforming grace, and to form friendships that foster faith and support spiritual maturity.” While the Walk to Emmaus is associated with the United Methodist Church, anyone can attend. For teenagers, there is a comparable event known as Chrysalis. Other denominations have similar spiritual renewal programs, such as the Catholic Church’s Cursillo and a non-denominational “Faith Walk” program that is offered in several locations throughout the South.
Whether you ever attend one of these four-day events or not is irrelevant. I found my Walk to Emmaus experience to be life-changing, as I discovered more about the abundant grace of Jesus Christ… how much He loves us and wants us to trust Him – and to serve Him by sharing His love and grace with others. It is safe to say that I had a “light bulb moment” on my “walk.” But we can have this same experience in the quiet of our own home… out on a hike in the natural beauty of God’s creation… or in the midst of a noisy praise and worship service at a local church.
The key is to open our hearts and minds to the possibilities with Jesus… to really, really recognize that He is walking right beside us! We’re on the road of life, head hung low, slogging through our daily routine and worrying and fretting about all sorts of things – many of which are quite legitimate! – and we fail to recognize that Jesus is right there with us. He’s ready to take on our burdens, to extend His grace to us for our shortcomings, and to love us unconditionally. But a lot of us have simply never fully recognized His presence.
Let’s make today a “light bulb moment” day for all of us. Even if you have had such an experience in the past… we all need a refresher course from time to time. Let’s stop what we are doing for a few seconds, close our eyes, and say, “Come close, LORD… I know you are there… I really, truly feel you with me.” Then DO IT! Feel His presence… accept His grace, mercy, and love – and bask in them. And share this good news with others by serving like the Disciple you are. It’s time… this is the day… altogether now… say, “Aha!”
©2011 Debbie Robus
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