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Thank you for listening to an audio resource from Stanwich Church, located in Greenwich in Stanford, Connecticut. The vision of Stanwich Church is to know Christ and make him known.

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The gospel lesson for today is from Luke chapter 24, verses 23 to 32. You'll find that on page 1051 of your Pew Bible. On the day of Jesus' resurrection, the Lord joins two bewildered disciples on the road to Emmaus, who do not recognize him. Later, as Jesus breaks bread with them, their eyes are opened, and grief turns to awe as they witness the risen Christ. Here then is a reading from Luke chapter 24, beginning with the 13th verse. That very day, two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk? And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days? And he said to them, What things? And they said to him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet, mighty indeed and word, before God and all the people. And how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to the con to be condemned to death and crucified him. 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 happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were in the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even 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 him they did not see. And he said to them, O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken, was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory? And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures and things concerning himself. So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He asked as acted as if he were going farther, but they urged him strongly, saying, Stay with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is now far spent. So he went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to them, and their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures? May God add his blessing to this the reading of his holy word.

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So, as precious as that was, I had four grandsons up there in the first service, and I was wrecked. Three words from these two men on the Emmaus Road. We had hoped. How many times have we used that in our own life? And the intensity is based on what we had hoped for. We had hoped the NCA would start the games earlier so Pastor Chuck wouldn't fall asleep in the first half of the second game. We had hoped that we would have been chosen in the lottery for World Cup tickets before they became $2,000 a seat. We had hoped to take a vacation, but that work project just came out of nowhere. We had hoped for passing that exam. We'd hoped to be hired or that promotion or that raise. Each one gets more intense. We had hoped the depression would eventually go away for her. We had hoped that the diagnosis would have been different. And we had hoped that he was going to beat death. The cry of these two was the cry of the community. It wasn't just theirs. If the Old Testament proverb is true that hope deferred makes the heart sick, the community heart was sick. They put all of their hope in Jesus. He had all of the signs of being the Messiah. Those group of Galileans who were outside coming up from the Kidron Valley who wove uh were waving palms, they had hoped. Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. The entourage which traveled with Jesus, going from place to place and watching him announce the kingdom, but also demonstrated the kingdom, they had hoped. That inner circle who first recognized you are the Christ. Then scattered at the cross. John and a couple women remained there, the others at a distance. They heard Jesus' final words. It is finished. Lord, into your hands I commit my spirit. And then the scripture says, He breathed his last. And how about Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, who were given permission by Pilate to take Jesus' lifeless body? See, death is certain when you hold it in your hands. There was no turning back at this moment. We had hoped. And the loss of that hope had most of them in fear hiding in Jerusalem, and the others running like these two out of Jerusalem. So the text tells us that that very day, two of them were going to Amea seven miles away. And I love this. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. You never know when Jesus is going to show up, especially in resurrection. I love the different ways that he comes. He makes it contextual for every personality. Mary Magdalene, all he has to say is, Mary. She hears the tone of Jesus' voice and turns around. Rabbini. Thomas, who says, if I can see the wounds in his hands, touch his side, then I'll believe. And in that moment, wounds of suffering become wounds of glory. The very wounds that Jesus will carry into heaven in his ascension to remind us that he's a redeemer. How many times he peers to people in rooms where they're not quite sure what's going on? And what I like about Jesus, every time he's with them, he eats. Do you notice that? There are a lot of reasons I like Jesus, but that's high on my list. But then he's gone. Paul tells us in his letter to the Corinthians that over 500 people experienced him that way. He was leaving those glimpses of hope for them. And then Peter, who has the multi-sensory experience, he goes back to fishing and they're out on the sea, and the master says, throw your net on the other side, and it's full once again. Reminiscent of what he experienced before in his calling, he comes to the shore and there's the smell of the charcoal fire. The last time that he smelled that fire, he was denying Jesus three times. And Jesus will say, Peter, do you love me? And the Lord affirms him and restores him back into relationship. You just never know when Jesus is going to show up. And so Jesus comes up alongside them and says, Hey, what are you lads talking about? And I love their response. Are you the only one in Jerusalem who doesn't know what happened? That's hilarious. Those of you who are around here regularly, we love to have you visitors in or visiting family in your first time. You know I love this word, but this is one of my favorite phases. They are so stuck in the darkness, missing the hope that was coming. Are you the only one? And then what I love is they explained to Jesus everything that had happened. And Jesus just lets them go. If you were making a story up, you wouldn't have these details in it. They explained to him that there was this prophet, a mighty prophet, but he had died because that's what happens to most of the prophets. They get martyred. And they have some news about a tomb and some appearances, but they're still trying to figure it out. So they got to get out of there before really all hell breaks out against them. And then Jesus in verse 27 says, or Jesus doesn't say, this is Luke giving commentary. Beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. What would it be like to sit at the resurrected Jesus' feet for teaching? This is the one who taught with such authority that the religious leaders are blown away. He had no official training. And yet, when he teaches, people are moved. And yet we get to see that teaching is not enough. Getting the information doesn't clarify it for them. The information is pretty clear to us, and even though we have it, we still have a hard time getting our minds around it. Think about all the things that have been invented to deny the resurrection of Jesus. There's the conspiracy theory that they were making this up. They were lying to better their lives. Well, first of all, they were unintelligent people. If you were making the story up, you wouldn't have women as the first responders as witnesses in antiquity. I mean, that's the ludicrous right there. And Luke reminds us. Luke's writing to Gentiles. They would have picked this up. It's the women who first have the appearance of the resurrected Christ. And it's the women who first preach the risen Christ. Wow, there's an upside-down gospel. Ten of the eleven who are remaining will be martyred for their faith. In cruel ways, some will be speared through, some will be burned at the stake. Only John lives a long time and he's banished to the island of Patmos. You don't lie to get yourself into trouble. Do you ever remember lying as a child so that you could get in trouble? Think about it. I feel like doing one of those comedy things. Here's your sign. But they felt, they never turned on the message. And you can imagine the first six holding together because of peer pressure. But when number eight and nine dropped, the guy at the end of the list would have said, Hey, we made it all up. It really didn't happen. There's other theories that they were so confused because they were in such grief over what they are expecting. They people talk about the swoon theory. Jesus never really died, he just passed out. The Roman execution machine knew how to finish a person. And the centurion was there when Jesus breathed his last and declares these words truly, this was the Son of God. And he goes to Pilate to get permission to give Jesus' body to Joseph of Arimathea. And most convincingly is how their lives were changed. Peter, a man in fear and hiding, becomes fearless before the religious leaders. But the one that captures me most is Saul. For those of you who don't know much of the Bible story, right after the church was born, Jesus leaves, persecution broke out against this church. And the leader of the persecution was a man by the name of Saul. He had power and he had money. He had everything to gain in trying to squelch this movement. But Paul has an experience very similar to these two men on the Mayus Road that changes his life. So let's go and see what that experience was. So they drew near to the village to which they were going. Jesus acted as if he was going farther. He is so coy, that Jesus. See you guys. Nice talking with you. And though his message hadn't captured their hearts, they urged him strongly to stay, stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent. So he went to stay with them. The teaching, the information didn't land, but what's about to happen is going to land. They welcomed their guest to take the bread, and he takes the bread and he blesses it and he breaks it. And the scripture says their eyes were opened. That phrase only occurs one other time in Scripture. In the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures in Genesis chapter 3, when it says, our foreparents, Adam and Eve, took the fruit and ate it, their eyes were opened. Having our eyes open to the reality of our sin at crucifixion, now in resurrection, our eyes are given the opportunity to open to life abundant and life eternal. Jesus is in the room. And all the information won't change the day, but if you will allow him, he will open your eyes and you will behold him and be fully alive in Christ. I've had people say to me, Pastor Chuck, does resurrection really matter? Well, this year I've had the honor of doing multiple memorial services and standing with people as we put loved ones into the ground. Resurrection mattered to all of them. If you think about it, we wouldn't even be talking about Jesus if it weren't for resurrection. There were thousands of people that were crucified by the Roman execution group. Not one of those names is remembered today. Without resurrection, Jesus is just a martyr honored by a people for their lifetime, but we wouldn't be talking about him. In fact, it would be cruel to wear this as a symbol of my identity if there is no resurrection. And to have this as the prominence of our faith is cruelty. Except that when Jesus died on the cross, my sin and the penalty of sin died, and when he rose from the grave, I was given the offer of eternal life. That's what he's offering to every one of us today. To believe. In beholding, to understand all that Jesus has done for us. N. T. Wright has said this to suggest that resurrection is anything other than history is to enter into a fantasy world of your own making. If Jesus is not alive, George Washington was never president of the United States. I think it's funny that a Brit chose George Washington. I guess he knew who was going to be buying his books. Jesus is here today. It causes Paul, the one who was Saul, that experienced all kinds of shipwreck, being stoned, being left outside of a city to die, to declare this. If I'm going to live, I'm going to live for Christ, but to die is gain. Someday I will have a memorial service. It will be my greatest gain. Because I will be with Jesus, and that changes everything. And for those of you that have experienced death this year close to you, whether it's a family member or a dream or something that you've hoped for, Jesus wants to make it alive today. Because he is the life giver. John says this after giving all the accounts of the resurrection, and this is somewhat the now what of this sermon. These things are written so that you might believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and believing have life in his name. Believing comes from beholding. Jesus is in the room, and he's going to be in a meal we're about to take. An inheritance, a hope, and the power of the risen one. I've decided I'm going to tell this final story every chance I get to preach on resurrection until Jesus takes me back. Billy Graham was growing old. He knew death was coming, and people were asking him about what he felt about his death. And his final words are exciting to me. He said, Someday you will read or hear that Billy Graham has died. Don't believe a word of it. I will be more alive then than I ever was any day that I walked on this earth. He is risen. He is risen. He is risen. Amen.

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