Eastertide
April 30, 2017
Scripture Reading: Luke 24:13-35
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 has risen indeed, and he has appeared 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.
–Luke 24:27-35
Is it possible to recapture that first century sense of urgency? Is it necessary? Do we need to define a 21st century vision which encompasses the same drive of living and loving like Jesus? Did the first disciples experience frustration with dealing with the messiness of working with people who each have an agenda and are sure their way is the only way? How can we best support and nurture wholeness in each follower of Christ that builds the ability to trust each other’s called contribution?
Spreading the love of God through Christ requires a diverse set of skills. Paul outlined them well in I Corinthians 12 and Romans 12. Learning to live into the synergy necessary to make diversity work can only happen when we accompany that by living into God’s love and working together on those things of common worth, while seeking discernment regarding the things about which there is little or no agreement. At times, we also need to practice the art of agreeing to disagree.
The Body of Christ also has a unique calling in this 21st century, leading the way in integrating the lives of five, even six, generations of people with differing histories. Those generations are an amalgam of races, creeds, and sexual identities all among those we are called to love. The power of God’s love is the only enabler of our succeeding in loving across lines that divide us.
Followers of Christ are people of the table. Jesus’ invited all to a seat at his table. It is incumbent on each of us to assure that all of us feel welcomed and needed for that is the Jesus way.
Prayer: Lord help us Do [our] best to present [ourselves] to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15) Amen.