Third Sunday In Easter - Paster LeCroy

Third Sunday in Easter

Luke 24: 13-35

Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing them. And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find the body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory? Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.

As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying “The Lord is risen indeed, and he has appaeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Gary LeCroy

Running Away

May 8, 2011

It has been a very difficult week to follow Jesus.

At least it has for me, and I suppose millions of other Christians as well. Why is this?

Bill Maher, the liberal and irreverent TV commentator (who is also very funny in many ways) was discussing the death of Osama Bin Laden with a panel. He asked the question “Is it moral to kill Bin Laden?” One of the guests on the show started to answer by saying something along the lines of: “As Christians…” At that point Maher cut him off saying: “Leave Jesus out of this. We all know what Jesus would have to say about this, ‘Love your enemies, pray for them, turn the other cheek, etc…’” To that we can add, as the scriptures say, “forgive not once but 70 times 7.” Perfect numbers indicating the days of the week and continuous action, meaning turn the other cheek every day.

Do not exchange violence with violence; those who live by the sword shall die by the sword (this one Jesus said as His life and the lives of those he loved were in danger.), etc.

Bill Maher was right. We all know what Jesus would have to say about this. We all know.

But I don’t care. The death of another human being felt good, I am ashamed to say.

Like everyone here today, we all have our 9/11 stories. I still remember the memorial service I held with an elderly couple in a small apartment in Jersey City; their only son, a firefighter, was lost and they had no other children or any grandchildren. I remember the woman clutching the service picture of her son, her beautiful son, and tears welling in her big blue eyes. I re-live the memorial I had in Newark where one family lost four members, all cousins who worked in the ”Windows on the World,” the restaurant with the magnificent view. I did not care that Jesus wants me to forgive.

I remember chaplaincy at the World Trade Center site and throwing away my clothes when I got home because (in reality or not I am not sure) they always smelled of burning human flesh no matter how many times I washed them. It did not matter to me that Jesus washed the feet of those who would desert him and leave him to die. I do not care that he washed the feet of the traitor that handed him over to be murdered.

I simply do not care.

I wanted to be in the streets with those college students around the White House singing and shouting.

And every week, I go to church and hear the call to follow Jesus, not when times are easy but when times are really hard, like this one. I know what Jesus wants for me and you and the world and I simply did not care, could not feel it, ignored what I should do and did what I felt like doing. As St. Paul said, and it sounds great in the King James Version. The would that I shouldst I do not do. The shouldn’t, that I wouldst, ah, that is what I do. I think the quote is right, but you know if you don’t use your Elizabethan English everyday you lose it.

In other words, Paul says he knows what he should do. But he does the opposite.

I am sure that I am not the only one who has felt this way over the last few days. And to make matters worse, I am not even ashamed of my desire for vengeance and violence and retribution- no matter what Jesus has to say about it.

So what do we do? Following Jesus is not easy. If it were easy, everybody would do it.

There is hope, abounding hope, however for people like me and like you.

And we have heard it time and time again this Easter. We’ve seen people who should have followed Jesus but succumbed to their fear, their own agendas, their doubts, their desire for self-preservation. Disciples, woman, others that were followers- all of these people knew in their hearts that they should follow Jesus but did not. Even Peter ran in the opposite direction.

And in each case Jesus followed them. He walked up to them in their disbelief in the garden, he followed them into locked and dark rooms of fear. And, when one was missing from that room (Thomas) and the others still refused to let go of their fear and folly, he followed them again. He followed them to a beach when they had simply given up and were returning to their old way of life. He followed them when they should have been following him.

I can only assume that in my revelry and joy at Bin-Laden’s death, that as I walked away from the Prince of Peace, the Prince of Peace continued to follow me. That is certainly the witness of scripture.

I suppose this week is like every other week. It is hard to follow Jesus. Times of doubt of fear, times when I hate in my heart and secretly wish revenge and harm. Times when I do not give my all for what is right, and I turn a blind eye to the suffering in the world and even times like this week when I believe violence will solve our problems. And, like every other week as I walk away from Jesus, Jesus continues to follow me.

And like every other week as you walk away from Jesus, Jesus continues to follow you.

Today’s Gospel is another story of people going in the wrong direction and Jesus following them. In this case they did not have vengeance on their mind. This walking away was for another reason. The reason: They had given up on God. Just when you thought that this sermon had named all the ways we walk away from Jesus and not after Jesus, here comes another way.

Listen to this passage again: ¹⁸Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” ¹⁹He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, ²⁰and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. ²¹But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place.

You see, they had given up, they had lost hope, they had surrendered what Jesus had taught. “We had hope, but not anymore.” And. “It is the third day,” the day when things are over.

If he isn’t alive by this time there is no chance, no hope, no future. So, they gave up and went in another direction.

Frederick Buechner, in his treatment of "the Road to Emmaus," asserts that Emmaus was not so much a place as a state of mind. The state of mind is escape-escape from pain, loneliness, longing, sorrow, bewilderment, grief. It is the place where we spend much of our lives, the place in our lives where we are likely to say, ‘Let the whole thing go to hell, it makes no difference anyway.’ The road to Emmaus is that place where we go to escape whatever it is we need to escape-whether it is our job, our ornery friends, a demanding, ungrateful family, or that horrible gnawing grief over life and love lost.”

They walked away. But Jesus followed them.

Christians! Our story, yes our faith story, is really the story of us walking away from our charge to follow Jesus, denying our call, giving in to our base instincts and losing hope. It is not an easy week, or month, or year, or life to follow Jesus. But Jesus does not lose hope. He follows us on the road to dark places of despair, he follow us to the tombs, he follows us to our locked rooms.

He follows when what we should do and feel we simply discard. He follows us, He follows, and he follows us some more.

Christ is Risen!




		Third Sunday in Easter Luke 24: 13-35 Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing them. And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find the body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory? Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying “The Lord is risen indeed, and he has appaeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread. Gary LeCroy Running Away May 8, 2011 It has been a very difficult week to follow Jesus. At least it has for me, and I suppose millions of other Christians as well. Why is this? Bill Maher, the liberal and irreverent TV commentator (who is also very funny in many ways) was discussing the death of Osama Bin Laden with a panel. He asked the question “Is it moral to kill Bin Laden?” One of the guests on the show started to answer by saying something along the lines of: “As Christians…” At that point Maher cut him off saying: “Leave Jesus out of this. We all know what Jesus would have to say about this, ‘Love your enemies, pray for them, turn the other cheek, etc…’” To that we can add, as the scriptures say, “forgive not once but 70 times 7.” Perfect numbers indicating the days of the week and continuous action, meaning turn the other cheek every day. Do not exchange violence with violence; those who live by the sword shall die by the sword (this one Jesus said as His life and the lives of those he loved were in danger.), etc. Bill Maher was right. We all know what Jesus would have to say about this. We all know. But I don’t care. The death of another human being felt good, I am ashamed to say. Like everyone here today, we all have our 9/11 stories. I still remember the memorial service I held with an elderly couple in a small apartment in Jersey City; their only son, a firefighter, was lost and they had no other children or any grandchildren. I remember the woman clutching the service picture of her son, her beautiful son, and tears welling in her big blue eyes. I re-live the memorial I had in Newark where one family lost four members, all cousins who worked in the ”Windows on the World,” the restaurant with the magnificent view. I did not care that Jesus wants me to forgive. I remember chaplaincy at the World Trade Center site and throwing away my clothes when I got home because (in reality or not I am not sure) they always smelled of burning human flesh no matter how many times I washed them. It did not matter to me that Jesus washed the feet of those who would desert him and leave him to die. I do not care that he washed the feet of the traitor that handed him over to be murdered. I simply do not care. I wanted to be in the streets with those college students around the White House singing and shouting. And every week, I go to church and hear the call to follow Jesus, not when times are easy but when times are really hard, like this one. I know what Jesus wants for me and you and the world and I simply did not care, could not feel it, ignored what I should do and did what I felt like doing. As St. Paul said, and it sounds great in the King James Version. The would that I shouldst I do not do. The shouldn’t, that I wouldst, ah, that is what I do. I think the quote is right, but you know if you don’t use your Elizabethan English everyday you lose it. In other words, Paul says he knows what he should do. But he does the opposite. I am sure that I am not the only one who has felt this way over the last few days. And to make matters worse, I am not even ashamed of my desire for vengeance and violence and retribution- no matter what Jesus has to say about it. So what do we do? Following Jesus is not easy. If it were easy, everybody would do it. There is hope, abounding hope, however for people like me and like you. And we have heard it time and time again this Easter. We’ve seen people who should have followed Jesus but succumbed to their fear, their own agendas, their doubts, their desire for self-preservation. Disciples, woman, others that were followers- all of these people knew in their hearts that they should follow Jesus but did not. Even Peter ran in the opposite direction. And in each case Jesus followed them. He walked up to them in their disbelief in the garden, he followed them into locked and dark rooms of fear. And, when one was missing from that room (Thomas) and the others still refused to let go of their fear and folly, he followed them again. He followed them to a beach when they had simply given up and were returning to their old way of life. He followed them when they should have been following him. I can only assume that in my revelry and joy at Bin-Laden’s death, that as I walked away from the Prince of Peace, the Prince of Peace continued to follow me. That is certainly the witness of scripture. I suppose this week is like every other week. It is hard to follow Jesus. Times of doubt of fear, times when I hate in my heart and secretly wish revenge and harm. Times when I do not give my all for what is right, and I turn a blind eye to the suffering in the world and even times like this week when I believe violence will solve our problems. And, like every other week as I walk away from Jesus, Jesus continues to follow me. And like every other week as you walk away from Jesus, Jesus continues to follow you. Today’s Gospel is another story of people going in the wrong direction and Jesus following them. In this case they did not have vengeance on their mind. This walking away was for another reason. The reason: They had given up on God. Just when you thought that this sermon had named all the ways we walk away from Jesus and not after Jesus, here comes another way. Listen to this passage again: ¹⁸Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” ¹⁹He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, ²⁰and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. ²¹But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. You see, they had given up, they had lost hope, they had surrendered what Jesus had taught. “We had hope, but not anymore.” And. “It is the third day,” the day when things are over. If he isn’t alive by this time there is no chance, no hope, no future. So, they gave up and went in another direction. Frederick Buechner, in his treatment of "the Road to Emmaus," asserts that Emmaus was not so much a place as a state of mind. The state of mind is escape-escape from pain, loneliness, longing, sorrow, bewilderment, grief. It is the place where we spend much of our lives, the place in our lives where we are likely to say, ‘Let the whole thing go to hell, it makes no difference anyway.’ The road to Emmaus is that place where we go to escape whatever it is we need to escape-whether it is our job, our ornery friends, a demanding, ungrateful family, or that horrible gnawing grief over life and love lost.” They walked away. But Jesus followed them. Christians! Our story, yes our faith story, is really the story of us walking away from our charge to follow Jesus, denying our call, giving in to our base instincts and losing hope. It is not an easy week, or month, or year, or life to follow Jesus. But Jesus does not lose hope. He follows us on the road to dark places of despair, he follow us to the tombs, he follows us to our locked rooms. He follows when what we should do and feel we simply discard. He follows us, He follows, and he follows us some more. Christ is Risen!