Forming Community by Breaking Bread
Text: Luke
24:13-31
Aldersgate
I.
Billy Graham
Conference
a.
First week of April
i.
Traveled with
grade school friend, Rev. Pat MacHugh and her spouse
Bob and my spouse
ii.
Drove down and
took a couple of extra days to explore NC mountains
iii.
Drove to “The
Cove” on Tuesday afternoon
b.
First meal was dinner
i.
Waited in buffet
line
ii.
Made our way
around dining room looking for four spaces
iii.
Only table with
four spaces was marked reserved
iv.
People sitting
there invited us to sit down
v.
Became clear
that this was Conference leadership
1.
including Cliff Barrows
2.
One of Graham’s musicians
vi.
Impressed that
leadership would invite us to join them
c.
But at the end of the week, we left without having
communion
i.
And I wondered
ii.
Began thinking
about why
1.
it was a Christian event
2.
there were many clergy
3.
why didn’t we share the Lord’s meal
iii.
49 denominations
1.
over a dozen Methodist
2.
some of leadership were Southern Baptist
iv.
Talked with my
Southern Baptist brother
1.
So. Baptists only serve communion to their members
2.
surprised, thought I knew Catholics didn’t,
puzzling
d.
Do we form community by excluding others or by
including all?
i.
Identity known
when we establish boundaries
ii.
Yet live in a
very fractured and polarized culture
iii.
Afraid or
unwilling to take the time to really talk with each other
iv.
I realize now
that it was the lack of community that made me uneasy at this event
1.
Would communion have made a difference?
2.
Jesus reaches out to everyone in this meal
a.
The hungry
b.
The lonely
c.
The lost
3.
Appreciate even more communion in the
a.
open to any and all
b.
who would seek a closer relationship with God
II.
We form
community by breaking bread together
a.
Compared to two other times when I experienced the
ecumenical community, this recent experience was lacking
i.
Several years
ago visited the Taize community – they found a way
1.
Orthodox
2.
Catholic
3.
Protestant
ii.
Nine years ago
Carol’s mass
1.
one of the things that got us through was the common
Mass we celebrated
a.
I knew we needed to be together as a Catholic/Protestant
family
b.
So priest celebrated, I served, and we all communed
2.
we all continue to marvel at that experience of
community
b.
very much like this dinner on the way to Emmaus
i.
Dejected
disciples amazed that stranger not heard
1.
stranger’s identity clear to us, but remains hidden
2.
may not know current events, but he knew scripture
3.
How could they not know him?
ii.
had hoped that
he would redeem
1.
intervention that could set a people free
a.
when family fell into poverty
i.
had to sell part
of their land
ii.
redeemer buy
back
b.
when person was faced with selling himself into
servitude to pay debts
i.
paid debt before
slavery
ii.
or redeemer paid
for liberation
c.
when head of family died without male heirs
i.
without ability
to maintain ownership of their land
ii.
redeemer married
widow
2.
they thought Jesus would be the one to redeem them
and now he was dead
iii.
how surprised
and enthused they must have been when they recognized him – Jesus redeems in a
way they did not anticipate
iv.
It was when they
were eating with Jesus that Cleopas and friend realized
who they were traveling with
1.
Jesus did not appear to these two
a.
At empty tomb
b.
In the temple
c.
Or on mountain top
i.
Places they
might expect to see Son of God
2.
but at a home-cooked meal, a potluck supper
a.
he blessed the bread, Barokatha
adoni
b.
he broke the bread
c.
he offered the bread
3.
this meal becomes center of resurrection testimony
c.
Meals were important to Jesus
i.
Would not send
crowd away hungry
ii.
Blessing the
hungry in
iii.
Blessing the
poor in
iv.
Huge catch of
fish in 5:4-7, enough to feed community for weeks
v.
When pharisees complained disciples plucking grain on Sabbath in
6:1-5,
1.
told them a story about David feeding his men the
Lord’s food
2.
feeding people more important than Sabbath
prohibitions
vi.
In Luke
15:17-19, prodigal son returns because he knew his father would feed him
III.
Christ is found
in our companions
a.
Christ came as companion to Cleopas
and his friend
i.
literally means
with bread
ii.
someone who
comes to us with bread
1.
The ones we eat bread with
2.
C.S. Lewis writes next to the sacrament itself, your
neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses
b.
Difference between heaven and hell
c.
We know really do not know where Emmaus is
i.
Ancient texts
vary on the distance recorded so hard to identify today with a particular
location
1.
60 stadia from
2.
others 160
ii.
Some scholars
think that Emmaus may have been the name of Cleopas’
friend
iii.
Emmaus is along
the road, where ever followers gather
d.
Experience at
i.
Concerned about
the effects of JAM plan on the guests that visit our program
ii.
Found it very
easy to talk with them
iii.
First time I’ve
connected with our guests on this personal level.
e.
Jesus invites us into community, not an exclusive
club, with these words
i.
“Take, eat, this
is my body …”
ii.
Are you willing
to share community?
iii.
If so, you are
welcome in the community of Jesus Christ
iv.
Come and join
us!