Breaking Bread Together: Sermon for 5/2/10 (Favorite Things Summer Series)

"Breaking Bread Together"

Sermon for May 2, 2010 (Easter 5C)

Favorite Things Summer Series

Luke 24:13-35 (Easter 3A); Hebrews 13:1-2

Today we begin an adventure... a quest... a journey. It's a journey of grace... a journey together, and a journey that God takes with us. Thankfully, we are not alone. Thankfully, God has blessed us with many gifts and now we get a different opportunity in the life of this congregation to let these gifts shine. As many of us are aware, Craig began his sabbatical yesterday afternoon once we finished with the Synod Delegate training in Kernersville. He is now on an adventure of rest and renewal thanks to the Lilly Endowment. This much-deserved break will be a time for him to step away from the daily duties and stresses of ministry to renew his energy and strength for the next phase of his journey. We hold he and Anna in prayer during this exciting time in their lives. And we look forward to their return in September.

With this sabbatical in mind, we are on a journey. I like the image of a journey. We know where we are headed, and we remain open to what God has in store. The Lilly Grant for Craig's Sabbatical doesn't leave us out as well. It provides money for various opportunities for the whole congregation as we also seek renewal and refreshment this summer. Though we have been planning for almost a year for this summer, we can never know exactly what is in store. I say that with excitement, not fear--you never know where Christ might appear during the journey. I have been in conversation with many of you who share this excitement and sense of adventure.

If you remember back to January and February, I invited you to vote for your Favorite Scripture Passages, Favorite Hymns, and Favorite Anthems. I was very energized to receive your votes and collect this information. I also assure you that this information was not in vain. We will engage at least 8 of the texts this summer and many of the musical choices as well. I hope we will have fun and enjoy the experience, as I have had a great time planning and exploring these texts already. Today's text is the first in our series. Now I must confess, this is my favorite passage. We start with it today, not only because it is my favorite, but also because I see it as a foundational story for the summer. One of the things the grant provides is the opportunity for us to explore our story as a church. If you met someone on the street and they asked you about your church family, what stories make the list of favorite stories about Raleigh Moravian? Why are these stories your favorites? What do they say about who we are as a community? This past week Craig and I met with Kelli Walker-Jones and Dick Hester. They will be with us in August for worship and a workshop that will delve into our story, and we will continue to explore it in October around our Congregational Anniversary. We left the meeting so excited about the upcoming conversation. I personally can't wait to hear what stories you all share about this congregation. I invite you all to begin thinking about your story and Raleigh Moravian's Story. We each have foundational stories about our faith and church, and sharing these can be transformational for everyone as we both share with one another and hear from one another.

As we begin these conversations, I thought it might be interesting for me to share a piece of my own journey and story, and my hopes and dreams with you all this morning. That's where we connect in with the disciples on the road to Emmaus. During the three years I lived in Pennsylvania, this story took on deeper and deeper meaning for me. For my first two years, I served as student pastor at Emmaus Moravian Church. Emmaus is a community southwest of Bethlehem, and was one of the original Moravian Settlement communities in the 1700s. During my third year in Pennsylvania, Steve and I married at [CAN ANY ONE GUESS?] Emmaus Moravian Church.
             Our first year of marriage we lived in Emmaus, while I commuted to Bethlehem for classes. For my commute between Emmaus and Bethlehem, I drove Emmaus Avenue. Needless to say, over three years time I drove up and down this road A LOT. Emmaus Avenue, for me, became a part of my spiritual journey, as I often spent time thinking and praying as I drove back and forth. Does anyone know the title of my blog? "Living on Emmaus Ave." I often imagine myself as the unnamed disciples on the road to Emmaus walking along with the stranger who turns out to be Christ. You can begin to see why this story took on special meaning for me.

Have you ever had an experience like the disciples on the evening of Easter? Have you ever found yourself in an unfamiliar situation when someone comes out of nowhere to walk along side and maybe even offer support or help? As I have spent more and more time with this story over the years, a memory from college serves for me as a time when I was either entertained by an angel or the Lord himself--I shall never know.

I spent a semester in College studying abroad in Heidelberg, Germany. For spring break that semester, four friends and I decided to visit Amsterdam for a few days. We were there over a Sunday, and I knew there were a couple of a Moravian churches in town. I wanted to worship with one while I had the opportunity. My friends had never heard of Moravians, but they were willing to join me in this adventure. [1]  I tried calling the pastor and got minimal directions from his wife who spoke some English. But our phone conversation got disconnected, and I wasn't able to get back in touch with her. We got up early on Sunday and took off to find the streetcar that the pastor's wife said to take. When we got on, there was one other lady on the car. Somehow she overheard us talking about attending the Moravian Church that morning. She spoke some English, and asked us where we were headed? We quickly realized we were all going to the same place. She ended up taking us with her all the way to the front door of the church. It was WAY back in a neighborhood, many twists and turns off the main street where we exited the streetcar. [2] I can assure you, without a shadow of a doubt that with our incomplete directions and no knowledge of the area, there is NO WAY we would have found the church without her. She introduced us to someone else in the congregation who had visited Winston-Salem. We started talking to the lady about Winston-Salem, and soon it was time for worship.

After worship we were swept away by our new friend to the Fellowship Hall for an elaborate feast for their fellowship time as they offered us gracious hospitality. Throughout the day we all enjoyed it immensely. But there was still the question about our friend that led us to worship. Before we left, I wanted to thank her for bringing us to church. BUT--We never saw our streetcar friend again that morning. When we arrived, she disappeared as if she vanished into the crowd. Angel or Christ, I don't know which, but I can tell you for sure that she was from God.

Who have you encountered on a journey that helped you or encouraged you when you needed it most? What strangers have you met that taught you something about Christ that you needed to learn? Who have you shared a meal with that revealed God to you in a new way? The story of the disciples in Emmaus presents us with the invitation to walk with strangers and friends we find along our path. We are invited to eat together, talk together, and share our lives with one another.

If you think about the Gospel of Luke as a whole, Jesus was often eating--he was either on his way to a meal, eating a meal, or just coming from a meal. [3] Food was especially important to his ministry. Table Fellowship represents the kingdom of God. This story from Emmaus is no different. It is often seen as a Eucharistic meal--a meal that has many of the same characteristics of the Lord's Supper or Communion that Jesus instituted with his disciples just before his death. [4] It does carry many similarities, especially when Christ, the recipient of hospitality by the disciples, becomes the host who "took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it" to the disciples (Luke 24:30). But it is also just an ordinary meal. This could be any meal you eat around your dinner table. [5] It could be a meal that you share with family in a restaurant, or the cup of coffee enjoyed with a friend at the corner cafe.

Whenever we share our Moravian table blessing, we remind ourselves that Christ is invited to dine with us. "Come Lord Jesus, our Guest to be..." "Be present at our table, Lord..." We intentionally invite Christ to the table and offer hospitality to everyone gathered there. [6] If you think about it, this is radical. Come Lord Jesus, our guest to be. Come Christ, break bread together with us. Eat along side us as we share this meal. Maybe the person sitting at the table with you is a stranger or a friend... maybe they don't look like Christ. But if you look deeper, do you see Christ in them? Does the conversation and meal reveal Christ to you in a new way or encourage you in your faith journey? Is the stranger among us actually sent from God? Have we entertained an angel and didn't even know it?

I have a friend that taught me a new blessing that I really like. She takes a piece of bread, holds it up for the table, and says, "Christ often took bread, gave thanks, and shared it with his disciples. We take this bread, give thanks, and share it in Christ's name. In doing so we invite Christ to dine with us. Amen." Then she tears pieces of the bread apart and everyone at the table gets a small morsel that we eat at the same time. [7] It's serves as a powerful reminder that through taking the bread, giving thanks, and sharing it with one another, the ordinary meal becomes something extra-ordinary. [8] We welcome Christ through the breaking of bread together, and we honor the strangers and friends we find in our midst.

This summer we will be welcoming many different people in worship with us. We have friends coming to share worship from Winston-Salem, Laurel Ridge, and from within our own community. I am sure we will have many guests and visitors joining us in worship as well. We will also have numerous fellowship opportunities outside of worship--movie nights, lunches at church and dinner at the ballpark. We will walk together to raise support for cancer research. We will welcome strangers and friends into the community. And we might, just maybe, welcome Christ here with us as well. Can you recognize him? Can you see the love of Christ in everyone you meet? Whether we break bread together, share BBQ together, or walk the track with one another, may we treat each person with the same radical hospitality that Christ offered to the disciples and to the strangers he met. This summer I hope and pray that we all remain open to look for Christ in our midst both here in worship, and in our daily lives. Come Lord Jesus, this summer and always, be our guest. Let us break bread together and see Christ in our midst. Amen.

[1] http://ebga.nl/

[2] http://ebga.nl/contact.html

[3] R. Alan Culpepper, “Table Fellowship” in Luke: Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. IX (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1995) 26.

[4] R. Alan Culpepper, Luke: Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. IX (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1995) 480, 481.

[5] William Barclay, The Gospel of Luke, Rev. Ed., The Daily Study Bible Series (Philadephia, PA: Westminster Press, 1975) 295.

[6] Fred B. Craddock, Luke, Interpretation Series (Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 1990) 286.

[7] Thanks, Tracy!
[8] William Barclay, The Gospel of Luke, Rev. Ed., The Daily Study Bible Series (Philadephia, PA: Westminster Press, 1975) 295.