"Companion, Stranger, Sacrament: Christ is With Us!"

Luke the Evangelist tells us

that the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus

 is a distance of seven miles,

but you and I know better....

We know better,

because even though most of us have never been to Jerusalem,

at one time or another,

we've all walked that stretch of road to Emmaus,

though we probably know it by a different name—

A name like Death. Depression. Divorce.

Abuse. Addiction. Alzheimer's.

....You can fill in the blank!...

And yet whatever name we give that road,

you and I know that the journey

can never be measured in miles

that stretch before us;

In truth, the journey to Emmaus

can only be measured...in tears

and in sighs too deep for words........ 1

"Life is...hard," said my friend, Ted.

as we sat together many years ago

in the silent presence of God,

preparing to partake

of the sweet comfort of Holy Communion....

You see, Ted was no longer able to attend worship,

so, he had asked me to bring him the sacrament,

and although it saddened me to see my friend in such pain,

I hung onto the hope

that his heart would be touched

by the healing power of Christ

who mysteriously comes

to meet us and to abide with us as our companion,

in, with, and through

bread broken and wine poured out

in remembrance of God's undying love for us....

Afterward, as my friend thanked me

for sharing the sacrament with him,

I could sense

that in the midst of his deep personal darkness -,

in the midst of despair,

which literally means "absence of hope" –

he was beginning to feel

the quickening of a glimmer of hope

that would shed light on the path before him ....

My friends, when your heart is broken

and your dreams are shattered

and your vision is clouded by grief,

the road to Emmaus seems to stretch endlessly ahead of you...

Through the dark veil of tears

it can be hard to see

even the very next step....

All you can do is pray your way forward

an inch at a time:

"Lord, help me!

I don't know what to do or where I'm going.

I'm making this up as I go!...

Help me just to take the next step,

and then the next, and the next…."

And somehow-by some minor miracle-

you manage to put one foot forward...

and then the other,

painstakingly picking your way

through the shards of brokenness

that litter the landscape of your soul....

When you and I are walking that long, hard road to Emmaus,

it can help to have a companion, as Cleopas did.

Some of you probably know

that the root meaning of the word "companion"

is someone who shares bread with you:

"com" means with, and "pan" means bread,

so, "com"-"pan"-ion!...

As I said to the children as few minutes ago,

to share bread-that is, to share a meal-

with someone is an intimate thing:

Gathered around the table,

we are nourished in both body and soul,

as we share not only our bread,

but also our very selves:

our sorrows and fears, .our hopes and dreams....

So, we need companions for our journey,

and like Cleopas and his companion,

somewhere along the way

you and I also need...strangers!...

We need strangers who show up

to startle us and spring us

from the prison of our own despair....

And guess what?!

Often in the very moment

we find ourselves running on empty,

unable to take another step,

God sends Christ to us

in the form of a stranger--an unexpected someone

who helps us find a new way forward....

For example, it may be a caring acquaintance

who understands our journey

and is able to connect us

with a much-needed resource....

Or it may be a new doctor

who lifts up the hope of an alternative treatment ....

In my family's journey along the road of Alzheimer's,

it was a retired gerontologist-

a member of a congregation

I'd previously served-

who, with her compassionate listening

and her practical suggestions,

slowly, but surely

helped breathe new life into my dry bones....

Of course, it wasn't until much later,

as I looked back on the Alzheimer's road,

that I connected the dots

and realized God had sent me an angel-a messenger!

After all, that's what the word "angel" means: "messenger…."

The angel Pat seemed to come out of nowhere

to meet me and walk with me

for a stretch along that long, dark road.

As we walked and talked together,

she brought me the gift of resurrection life

even though, as I've said,

I wasn't fully aware of it in the moment!...

It didn't change everything all at once,

but her compassionate presence and guidance

lifted the veil just enough

for me to be able to see a bit of light

for the path ahead...

At the time, it was enough,

and looking back I can see

that it was more than enough:

It was pure grace!...

I'm reminded of the apostle Paul,

who prayed fervently

that God would take away

what he called "the thorn in [his] side,"

and the answer he kept getting was this:

"My grace is sufficient for you,

for my power is made perfect in weakness…."2

THAT, my friends, is the gritty grace of God

that comes to meet us

in the most surprising ways

and in the most unexpected places:

right in the very midst of the muck

of our everyday human existence....

Speaking of God's grace

coming to us in surprising ways

and in unexpected places

reminds me of how profoundly

humbling and beautiful it can be

when God turns the tables on us....

A number of years ago,

when I was preparing to leave

the congregation I was serving as interim pastor,

I went to do one last home communion visit

with a lovely woman named Thea-

a Greek name that is the feminine equivalent of "God…."

Sadly, Thea had early-onset Alzheimer's;

in fact, I was astonished to learn

from her sister that she was only 65!...

Anyway, I went visit Thea in her foster home

and found her in her room watching baseball,

surrounded by yarn in every color of the rainbow....

You see, Thea loved to knit hats

and she loved to give them to people as gifts....

In fact, when she was still able to attend worship,

she would come up to the communion rail

and try to measure my head,

so that she could make me a hat!...

(I have one of her hats right here:,

You can see it's...um...a little big,

but that doesn't matter!...

What does matter is that Thea,

a beloved child of God,

put a whole lot of love into creating this wonderful gift!)

So, back to my home visit with Thea:

After talking and looking at photos for a while,

we prayed together and shared Holy Communion.

And afterward Thea wanted to give something in return:

She eagerly handed me

three pairs of gently used socks "for the needy,"

five one-dollar bills for the offering plate,

and a half-empty bag of M & Ms for me....

With a full heart, I said good-bye,

and she hugged me and said,

"Thank you so much.

This Holy Communion will do my heart and soul

and my demented mind much good…."

Deep inside, I was thinking,

"No.... Thank you, Thea!

You have done my heart and soul

and my narrow mind much good!..."

And as I walked out the door,

the tears began to flow....

My friends, THAT is how our God rolls!...

The Risen Christ comes to find us

wherever we are:

Whether it's in the privacy of our own home,

out on the open road

or at the Lord's table,

Christ comes to us again and again....

He comes to roll away the stone

that blocks our hearts.

He comes to set us free from the tomb

of our own despair

and to breathe new life into us....

And he promises to be with us,

as he sends us forth to freely share

what we have freely received:

the gospel hope of God's undying love made known to us

in the abiding presence of God's own Son, Jesus the Christ....

Thanks be to God for the gift of grace

that relentlessly pursues us, finds us, and never lets us go! Amen.

¹ Cf. Romans 8:26.

² Corinthians 12:7-9

Companion, Stranger, Sacrament: Christ is With Us