One truth that every person (usually in their teen years) eventually discovers is that you cannot repeat a road trip. The feel of the warm summer air on your face as you move along with the windows down, the excitement of seeing the majesty of the mountains in the distance for the first time, the jokes you tell each other in the darkness while trying to go to sleep, and the great food that is discovered in those local, back alley restaurants that can only be stumbled upon; these are experiences that stick in the mind and cannot be repeated. A person will try of course. A second road trip is always attempted, but it is never the same. Usually, the excitement of the undiscovered wanes into the already known, things are not as funny, and most of all, you don’t have that certain someone along with this time who made the trip worth it.
Two disciples are on the road again, but it is not the same. The first time around, they had that certain someone with that made the trip worth it. They had Jesus right there beside them. He spoke words that gave life. He shared meals that were unforgettable. He did things that were on the edge, good things like defending the poor and sinful against the powerful, and it was exciting. He was God, right there in the flesh. You could ask him a question of divine proportions and you would actually get an answer. "Why is there suffering Jesus?" And, you would get an answer. Granted, it was probably a cryptic story about towers falling on people, but you would get an answer straight from God. Above all, you knew that while on the trip, you would always experience God’s love in an ultimate, always forgiving sort of way.
Two disciples are on the road again, but it is not the same. Jesus is not along with; so they assume. They do talk with a stranger who joins them on their road trip. They don’t see Jesus in the stranger as they share the sad news that the good times are over, Jesus is gone for good. They longingly reminisce about their previous road trip. But, it cannot be redone. The prophetic and powerful words are gone. Justice for the poor is gone. Healing for the sick is gone. The man who made these things possible, who made the trip worth it was put to death and now even his body is gone. Things will not be the same. As the disciples reminisce about past road trips, they clearly see that things will not be the same.
Road trips can be fun to reminisce about. They bring you back to the good times; they bring excitement into your life again as you remember the new and crazy things that you did. But, as the disciples experience, reminiscing can also be a trap. It can cause you to overlook what is happening around you right now. It can cause you to fail to see the exciting possibilities surround you while you bemoan bygone days. It can cause you to miss Jesus entirely though he walks right beside you for seven miles and teaches you out of the scriptures the entire time.
Don’t miss him people of God, Christ still walks with us, teaching us along the way. The scriptures are right in front of us. The words of life that the disciples experienced first hand can be experienced first hand by us also. Is it a different sort of trip, of course! But, don’t miss that Christ is still along for the ride. Open up to the gospels (or anywhere in the Bible for that matter) and you will find words that engage you as if you were talking right to God.
Once when I was struggling in my relationship with God, trying to figure out what the heck God trying to do in my life, I haphazardly grabbed my Bible and opened it up. As I randomly flipped through the pages, questions swept through my tired mind. "Where are you leading me God?" "What kind of God are you anyway?" "Why do you do things the way you do?" Stopping the pages with the stroke of one finger, I stumbled upon the meaning of God’s name in Exodus: “I will be who I will be.” God will be who God will be, God will do what God will do.
Do I know what God is up to? No, that was my problem. I had no clue. Did I need to worry about it? No. God will do what God will do, just as the meaning of God's name indicates. This revelation spoke right to me in a way that sparked a fire of trust for God in my soul. Jesus was right there, speaking right to me, not words of knowledge to be memorized like in confirmation class, rather words that my soul needed to hear. Jesus had not forgotten me, I simply had forgotten to listen for Jesus until I grabbed the Bible. He is still here, speaking to us in the same way he spoke to those two disciples on the road; through scripture.
And, in Holy communion, we eat with Christ, the same as those two disciples. You will share with Christ a blessed meal of bread and wine and through it you will feel the touch of God. Through it you will feel the burn of the Holy Spirit as it cleanses your sin and impurity. You will eat with Jesus and be sent out on the road again as a refreshed, new person, burning with a new fire for God and God’s forgiving love.
Granted, the trip will not be the same as before. It cannot be the same as before. Jesus wants you to walk to new places and minister in new ways this time around. Do not fall into the trap of constantly reminiscing about past trips, you just may miss Jesus; you just may miss where Jesus is leading you. He is still here, speaking to us and eating with us. Hear his voice speak to you through the scriptures, feast with him at his table, open yourselves up for a new road trip that will be completely different than before, but will be as equally exciting. Leave today and take a new trip with the risen Christ.
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