One evening at a school
reunion, someone spoke to me, saying, “I recognised you by your body
language.” Body language is something
that the individual is not really aware of and it is another who sees it and
uses it in recognition. It is a means
of recognition that has many facets. It
can be how you turn your head, how you smile or frown, how you react in given
circumstances, how you walk or run.
There are so many ways of using body language that we could probably
fill a book and still not have run out of things. The last reunion I attended was actually at
the school just before the building was demolished to make way for a totally
different edifice. Many people were
turning into the gateway and I suddenly saw a woman in her sixties walking
through the entrance. I immediately knew
who she was because her walk was so distinctive. The last time I had seen her was at the age
of sixteen, but her identity was quite obvious.
Having
listened to many sermons I have heard many theories about the various gospel
stories. In my teens I heard a student
minister suggesting that the people walking towards Emmaus didn’t recognise
Jesus because they were walking towards the sun which was in their eyes. But that only dealt with the journey. He did not suggest why they didn’t at first
recognise him as they were at table with him without the sun interfering with
their vision. My personal take on this
is that I have no idea why they didn’t realise who was walking with them. But I think they knew him eventually by the
way he broke bread. Everyone has their own way of tearing bread
apart and I think this was how the penny dropped. The narrative doesn’t say whether they were
trying to remember where they had seen their guest before but this is quite
possible. Suddenly they had Jesus in their
presence and all was joy. In breaking
read they knew his identity. Had any of
them been present at the Last Supper?
Did they have a friend among the two disciples we know were there?
In
the gospel story we are seeing this recognition by people who were there on the
day. Having followed this remarkable
rabbi for up to three years the supporters came astonishingly to an experience
that was a bolt from the blue. The one
they had followed with hopes of a great conclusion was there with them at table. There was absolutely no doubt that he had
risen from the dead. This was a new
start for them and a great many others as the greatest cause of all moved
forward. It would take them and
millions of others to strange places and to great heights.
Today
we wonder about the church’s chance of survival. So much negativity surrounds us that we
often think we are witnessing the end. The
effect of Easter is to reinvigorate us and remind us that we really are
equipped to set off again on our own mission.
Speaking personally, I have found over the 55 years of preaching that
the church, generally, has been in a depressing decline. It has been a period during which there appeared
to a freshness lacking in the way we have tried to continue. This lack of freshness has also been part of
my experience of our circuit since first worshipping at Amlwch in January
2005. Just about everyone seemed to be
accepting that we were just seeing ourselves out.
But
in the last twelve months we have seen new work everywhere. There is a sense of renewal among us. At St Paul’s the work has been seen most
clearly and it has spread throughout our five churches. It reminds us that renewal can happen at any
time and anywhere. It feels as if quite
a number of us have, like those on the Emmaus road, seen Jesus with fresh eyes.
It is so encouraging. We have now been officially dubbed a mission
circuit. That is an accolade worth
celebrating.
As
a youthful Christian of the sixties, I remember singing choruses on coach trips
to places like Maine Road stadium, Manchester and Cliff College in
Derbyshire. One chorus verse was “I’ve
got that Nicodemus new born feeling down in my heart.” I’ve been thinking a lot recently about
Nicodemus. He was a pious Jew and member
of the Sanhedrin. Having heard about
Jesus he came to him by night because he did not want publicity surrounding his
meeting. We mostly think of him as
someone, who found that re-birth was not for him. Yet, we know of his part in the story of the
burial of Jesus. He, together with
Joseph of Arimathaea, took the body and wrapped it in cloth with layers of
myrrh and aloes he had supplied. So, we
see that the Nicodemus new born feeling was about the man himself rather than a
reference to the meeting with Jesus.
Nicodemus
obviously thought that he should keep his new born feeling to himself as he
continued as a member of the Sanhedrin.
There he was, rather like a sleeping spy, until the time came when he
could emerge as a supporter and give Jesus a truly respectful burial. For me he has become a hero. It makes me wonder whether he was able to
warn Jesus of any plans that were formed in the sessions of the council. It would be a good strategy to have someone
on the other side of the battle lines.
Going
back to the journey towards Emmaus it is worth considering how these travellers
felt. They said to Jesus that they had
hoped the man from Nazareth was going to be the one to redeem Israel. So they were not just thinking of themselves
but the whole of the country. It is
easy to see the disappointment they had.
All their hopes had ended with that death on a cross. So they had to be taken through the whole
purpose of Jesus’ ministry to see what its purpose was and how things were
going to continue and not, as they thought, stop.
Sitting
at table they would be thinking about everything the apparent stranger had
explained. Then suddenly they realised
they had been taught by Jesus himself.
They had been singled out to be among the earliest witnesses of the
Resurrection.
Now,
there is another aspect to this story which I think very important. They invited Jesus to come into their house
and stay with them, and he did. Their tradition
of hospitality prompted them to ask him in.
Like William Holman Hunt’s picture of Jesus knocking at a door with no
outside handle it was they who would invite him in. He would not have entered if he had not been
asked. We, toady, need to take this a a
template and ensure that Jesus is asked inside. This is when the real work begins. It might appear old-fashioned but it really
is how it all starts. Once we recognise
the in-dwelling God we are equipped to accomplish some good work for him. We can only be successful for him if we go in
his strength. Our strength is not
sufficient.
Shortly
after his wife, Frances, died, Rev Keith Forecast shared with the North East
Manchester District of the URC his thoughts and feelings. Of what was said to him by others, he
attributed the highest value to those who looked him in the eye and said “I am
praying for you” or touched him on the arm and said “I shall be thinking of
you”. For me this is clear evidence of God
standing so closely that we recognise his presence with us. Christians often talk of God coming to us at
key times. It is on these occasions
that God comes in the person of another human being and assures us of his
support and strength.
In
these moments we recognise the presence of God in much the same way as those
travelling to Emmaus. One of the most
dramatic instances in the last few years was when I was attending a church
service in Oswestry as a representative of Mission Aviation Fellowship. The service leader suddenly said, “Oh, we’ve
forgotten to pray for Keith! Is it
alright if we pray for you, Keith?” I
agreed and then she came forward together with the organist and they placed
their hands on me and prayed. It was a
feeling of great intimacy with God.
This
is how we have our Emmaus Road experience.
God comes so close that we are aware of his presence as his power takes
us over. Remember what those people
said: “Were not our hearts on fire as he talked with us on the road and
explained the scriptures to us?” When
the penny drops it is a wonderful experience.
From that point we are empowered to do the job.
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