Walking from sorrow to Joy: Walking with The Christ/Spirit Within

Walking From Sorrow to Joy:

With the Christ/Spirit Within

Homily:

We are Easter people… And that the effects of eastering- living, dying, and becoming alive again- that are at the core of our faith, that accompanies throughout all of life’s travels and travails, and that lives at center of purpose for our lives…

Like the disciples on the Road to Emmaus, we don’t always recognize what is good for us, or welcome God when divine truth is in our midst. Our human tendencies make us balk; turn arrogant or deaf. Until the grace and truth that is in Christ is broken in the bread, that is, revealed to us , can we begin to explore, explain, and experience the true value of having Christ as our companion in our journey through life….

We live each day as people who carry with us the threat of reversal and wrong turns, and as people who carry within us the hope of the resurrection and faithfulness; for any of us, God can be asleep or active, passive or present, dead or alive in each day of our existence. What continues on for us as the rest of the Easter story is the abiding truth that God can arise and offer us grace and insight from our trials, our pain, our personal losses.

Now stop and think… Has there ever been a time in your life when the advice or information you received didn’t seem to help? Were you like Cleopas, so involved in denial, wrapped up in a dream, or our own negativity that you were unwilling to change? In doom and gloom thinking, we can miss whatever wisdom and insight there is that frees us… By our faith, we are made strong enough to release the past, change the present, and prepare for the future….

In and through our prayers, we can ask to possess enough courage, to have sufficient love to overcome any halting steps or worrisome fears. And that our goal as Christians is to be willing to walk on, to carry the weight, and most importantly to know that we do not walk alone, and that God’s guidance, mercy and truth will accompany us, bless us, and carry us through whatever trials and experiences our lives contain.

Similar to the lesson of the disciples walking toward Emmaus, what is of supreme importance is that there is available to each and everyone of us, a spiritual presence, a divine effect, a Holy Spirit that overcomes our feelings of distance, time, and that increases our perception and restores our memory of what is sacred and true. This is a story of how the power and presence of Christ remains with us, even at our sad times, its accompanies our grief with an unexpected promise, a quite courageous grace.

As this Gospel story concludes, the mystery of the stranger is revealed- through the power of their perception his presence became real, and the blessings of a life in Christ became recalled and reenacted in the breaking of the bread. What these disciples experienced was the recognition, in their burning hearts, that the despair and sorrow that they felt could be transformed into inspiration and joy, and that he would always be walking with them!

However you might perceive or comprehend it, it is my sincere belief that God can become known to us in many ways- from a quick insight to a transforming love, from a deep visceral experience to what this story calls a” burning heart”- each sign of God’s presence and activity in your life is a sign of a gracious spiritual connection, or soulful companionship, of something one feels that is far greater than oneself, yet closer to you than your breath…

What the story of Emmaus gives me is consolation and hope… That in the midst of our trials, we can learn to transform any sorrow into a joy. It just takes our willingness to move, to risk, to open ourselves up to God’s presence. We have to step aside to let God inside, and to make ourselves ready to experience the wisdom and compassion that is ever-present to us.

When we walk with Christ, we walk as the children of promise and hope- we are enlivened, enriched, and ever more grateful for the blessings we have already received. Despite the demands and the difficulties of living a more God- connected or inspired life, I recommend the journey, and I wish you well, and Bon Voyage! AMEN