Thought for the day – Friday 15th May 2020
Bible reading – Luke 24 : 28 – 35
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 recognised 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.
Can you remember what life was like before this present crisis of Coronavirus which has swept and changed the world? Can you remember what was filling the headlines before the pandemic? Well, it was Brexit, Brexit, Brexit, when it wasn’t Syria, migrants with nowhere to go, as no country wanted them, and flooding in the Midlands. The media today bring us right up to date with what is happening right now, and we have certainly been kept informed throughout this unprecedented time of change in history.
Of course, throughout history, there have been mega changes to life through war, famine, and disease that have affected the whole world, never mind changes that have affected individuals through death of loved ones, redundancy, accident and illness. These changes, whether global or personal mean that things are never quite the same again. Some changes are adapted to, of course, and some bring positive benefits, but all mean that for the people of that time, there is dramatic effect and influence.
The two companions who were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus had wanted to hold on to Jesus and were devastated by what had happened. They couldn’t make any sense of it, until the stranger joined them on the road. So once again, they wanted to hold on to Jesus, when, as they got to their home, he began to walk on, even though they didn’t recognise him, as Jesus, until he broke the bread at supper.
When eventually, the lockdown is totally lifted, we may discover that things will never be quite the same again. One of the places where we might see big differences is in our churches. The church is always lagging behind society. We try to catch up, but we live in times of such fast change that we don’t quite make it! We may discover that we need an enormous amount of energy and effort to get the show back on the road, and it might never be quite the same as before.
The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus changed things dramatically for those who lived to see it. Things were never quite the same again. But the wonderful thing is those changes enabled us, and all the world, to experience those changes too.
The changes we are living through, may just be the opportunity to offer positive benefits to our churches and communities, in the future.
So, in an impoverished society, our worship needs to be richer.
In a society that has to have everything simply explained, our worship needs to retain the mystery of God.
In a society where hugging, and even a handshake has been banned, we need to offer the unconditional love of God.
Then , in a place of change, where things will never be quite the same, our churches and our preaching can offer something constant, beautiful and different, and all to God’s glory.
Amen