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may the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in your sight o Lord for you alone are our rock and Redeemer? Amen only luke records this story barely a hint from Mark

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and nothing from Matthew or john this is the only account of jesus post resurrection walk to amaze Maybe 6 7 miles out of Jerusalem. Almost certainly a long and dusty winding road especially when walked by the broken

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hearted. I walked with a friend last week. We've been apart for several months and we were catching up on family and what was going on blah blah at some point I said and of course the whole

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world is breaking down. I mean ecologically economically geopolitically democratically. And she said I guess it depends on where you are looking. Breaking promises. Breaking precedent . Breaking records, extreme heat shattered 7000 records across

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the U. S. Last summer. Breaking up . Breaking forth. Breaking apart like the United Methodist church right now Breaking out. Breaking in, Breaking rules, authorities cracking down on women, burning hijabs

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, breaking waves, breaking glaciers, breaking dams unprecedented . Everybody's favorite word, unprecedented. Flooding in Pakistan , Alaska Puerto, rico, Canadian maritimes in today cuba heading for the west coast of florida. At

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what point in all the breaking do we imagine everything and everyone is already broke. Breaking bad. Breaking down. Breaking hearts two disciples on a long and winding road but morning has broken beloveds and the risen

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lord catches them on the road. They don't know him. Does he look different after his resurrection And some stories disciples recognize him instantly. You know what's the story here, What are you discussing together as

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you walk along? Asked jesus, They stood still looking sad. Are you really the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there, blurts what things jesus asks and that's the

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second question. Here's one for you. Do you think of jesus as a guy who asks questions or answers questions, asks or answers In the gospels, Jesus asks over 300 questions, he is asked fewer

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than 200 and he only answers a few of those , I think we think jesus is an answer. Man turns out questions were more the heart of jesus life and teaching. What are you discussing together every

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year? The confirmation class at one of our churches spent part of their time forming questions and I got to answer those questions the final confirmation weekend, always a few questions about me, why did you devote

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your life to God? What is your favorite passage of scripture? Well, I told them and I'll tell you, I can't pick a favorite, but I do love luke 24 why? Because I see

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myself in this story, Jesus asked the walkers what they were talking about about jesus Nasser and they rehearsed the prior dark and horrible days. They mentioned what the women had told them about the open tomb,

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but they did not seem to believe it, Klopas calls jesus a prophet powerful and word indeed, but he doesn't say, Jesus is alive. They aren't walking along, rejoicing he has risen, they are

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standing still and looking sad. Here's where we might just imagine Jesus going, it's me, jesus. Instead he initiates what some have called the most important bible study ever. Beginning with moses and all the

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prophets. He explained to them what was said in scriptures about himself. Now, if you've never read this story before, you might wonder if they ever did recognize Jesus. Here's how it happened, verse

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28. As they approached the village, jesus acted as if you were going further. No kidding, but they urged him strongly stay with us for the day is almost over. He went in at table

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. He took bread, gave thanks, broke, it began to give it to them. Their eyes were opened and they recognized him. Was it the way Jesus broke the bread, Did they see the

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prince of nails in his hands? Was it now God's timing for the veil to be parted. They already knew the testimony of the women. But hearing with broken hearts and looking in broken places, they

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failed to see the living Lord until he joins them for a meal. one confirmation weekend. After the big confirmation dinner our young people asked how do you picture God, what does the Holy Spirit look like

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? I said, What do you think? And they thought beautiful theological thoughts. They pictured God in people in the world doing good. They saw the Holy spirit like a presence surrounding them when terrible things

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happened and some terrible things had already happened in the lives of these young people when they were Children, we taught them in vacation bible school to look for God's sightings when they reach confirmation, they still have

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to have their eyes open and so do we were not our hearts burning within us as he opened the scriptures to us years ago, poet Rainer Maria Rilke wrote, be patient towards all that is unsolved in

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your heart and try to love the questions themselves. Like these final questions from those confirmations is God happy with the changes we have made to the world? How holy is the holy land when there is so

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much sadness and war? Will I see my dog and my grandparents in heaven? If God loves us , why is there so much suffering and selfishness and my question today, at what point in all the

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breaking do we wonder if everyone and everything is already broke? I'm so hungry, wrote that columnist to wake up and be surprised with some really good news . You want good news, Dear columnist, you

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like me have to know where to look. I'm looking at those disciples because y'all we are them, we are them every time. The desire need temptation to head out that slow sad road to amaze comes

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upon us? Can we miss our chance to see him looking for a glorious savior to rescue us. Might we miss the questioning jesus who joins us on the road. Can we miss our moment to hear

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him and the young person's questions. The classmates comment in the action of the world's helpers, the passion of the activists, the lyric of a hymn, The breaking of the bread. I was missing a

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moment last week. I was, I was missing a moment last spring and our worship committee. My suggestion for this false preaching theme was gather sounded fall like right. I knew all y'all were coming to

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campus cozy, bring it in, gather, Katie's suggestion was breaking open. Breaking open is active, she said without knowing it. She was answering our new president's question, why are we here? We

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are here to look in the right places. We are here to break open history and traditions of the church, biblical texts and language around God to expand and deepen our calls to ministry. We are here

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to be broken open. They're expanding the love of God to all our neighbors. We are here to worship one who is broken for us and then fed by that good news. We turn from broken down

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to broken open when knowing christ in the breaking can overwhelm us with the love of God, so that no despair can leave us broken bad. So I'm still looking at those disciples because after they see jesus

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, they rushed back to Jerusalem that six or seven miles retracing their steps on that dusty, winding road , no longer standing still and looking said, their hearts and feet are soaring with a fervor the strangely

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warm heart of john Wesley would recognize. They know the Lord has risen. Indeed, and so the him concludes. But with a happier tune. Day of sorrow is forgotten, becomes the host, taking

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breath and blessing, breaking Jesus is himself made no sing with me, eyes, green scenes of two