Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia
The meal at Emmaus is the climax of Luke’s Gospel, and it
is the pivotal hinge connecting his Gospel to his account of the
Acts of the Apostles. Luke’s Gospel is addressed to a man
named Theophilus. It is Luke’s intention to reveal Christ
to him through the written Word. The Book of Acts also begins
with an address to Theophilus specifically stating that Christ’s
work in the world is on-going. He continues to be revealed. He
continues to act and to teach.
The ministry of Christ’s Church is an extention of His earthly
ministry. And as you read the entirety of the Gospel of Luke and
of the Acts of the Apostles, it becomes more and more clear that
our Lord is not only revealed in the written Word, but Christ
is revealed in the breaking of bread. That is what connects Christ’s
Church to Easter.
The salvation story is framed within the context of meals. Adam
and Eve brought about the Fall of mankind by eating of the Tree
of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. When the Israelites are freed
from Egypt, it is through the blood of the lamb painted on their
doors, but God instructs them to have a meal as the angel of death
passes over their homes.
When God meets with Moses and the 70 elders of Israel on Mt. Sinai
to establish the first covenant, Moses records, “They saw
God and they ate and they drank.”
When Christ establishes His new and better covenant, it is at
the celebration of the Passover meal. He brings a new reality
to the unlevened bread and cups of wine which were passed. And
after the resurrection, Jesus appears to His disciples on a number
of occasions and eats with them -- proving He is no ghost.
But on that first Easter Sunday, on the first day of the new week
Creation has been restored and Christ is made known in the breaking
of the bread. We gather here this morning and see and hear and
taste the ministry of Christ which is on-going. He is revealed
to us in His Word, and He is made known to us in the breaking
of the bread.
The disciples at Emmaus marveled at how their hearts burned within
them as Jesus spoke of Moses and the Prophets and interpreted
what they said about the Christ. The Word of God is powerful in
and of itself. It is a refiner’s fire. It changes us. It
fills us. Peter says in our Epistle lesson that God’s Word
is imperishable, living, and abiding. “The word of the Lord
remains forever.” And God has revealed Himself and He speaks
to us through that living and abiding Word.
In many and various ways God spoke to the people of old through
the prophets, but when He really wanted to get their attention,
or when He really had a fundamental change in store for His people,
there was a meal.
We gather for a meal each week because a fundamental change has
taken place in our lives. Christ has established a new covenant
in His blood which was shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.
But this is not a one-time event. The Kingdom of God, the Kingdom
of Heaven is often referred to as “The On-going Feast.”
Here at the Lord’s Table, we get a fore-taste of that Feast
to come. We get a little glimpse of heaven on earth. We enter
into this sacramental union with Christ our Lord, and He tangibly
enters our bodies just as spiritually He is always with us.
The joy of Easter and the reality of eternity has begun for us
and comes to us as our crucified and risen Lord is made known
to us in the breaking of the bread. Amen.
Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia
The peace of God
which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in
Christ Jesus.
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