Emmaus
The name Emmaus is taken from the story in Luke's gospel concerning two disciples of Jesus and the stranger they met on their way to the village of Emmaus. The disciples were weary and disheartened. Their world was in ruins, their dreams shattered.
The one on whom they had pinned all their hopes had been cruelly crucified. They shared their disillusionment with the stranger while they walked along the road.
As they did so, their hearts were lightened and hope re-kindled. Later, when they were at supper they recognised the stranger as Jesus.
Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, we too sometimes fail to recognise the presence of Jesus within ourselves and in others.
Time apart to rest, relax and pray helps us become more attuned to the presence of God in our lives, so that we can better celebrate how much God loves us and walks with us in our own individual circumstances.
Here's the 'Emmaus Story'...
Luke 24:13
On that same day two of Jesus' followers were going to a village named
Emmaus, about 11 kilometres from Jerusalem, and they were talking to
each other about all the things that had happened.
As they talked
and discussed, Jesus himself drew near and walked along with them; they
saw him, but somehow did not recognise him. :Jesus said to them, "What
are you talking about to each other, as you walk along?"
They stood still, with sad faces. One of them, named Cleopas, asked
him, "Are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who doesn't know the things
that have been happening there these last few days?"
"What things?" he asked. "The things that happened to Jesus of
Nazareth," they answered. "This man was a prophet and was considered by
God and by all the people to be powerful in everything he said and did.
Our chief priests and rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death,
and he was crucified. And we had hoped that he would be the one who was
going to set Israel free! Besides all that, this is now the third day
since it happened. Some of the women of our group surprised us; they
went at dawn to the tomb, but could not find his body. They came back
saying they had seen a vision of angels who told them that he is alive.
Some of our group went to the tomb and found it exactly as the women
had said, but they did not see him."
Then Jesus said to them, "How foolish you are, how slow you are to
believe everything the prophets said! Was it not necessary for the
Messiah to suffer these things and then to enter his glory?"
And Jesus explained to them what was said about himself in all the
Scriptures, beginning with the books of Moses and the writings of all
the prophets.
As they came near the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as
if he were going farther; but they held him back, saying, "Stay with
us; the day is almost over and it is getting dark."
So he went in to stay with them. He sat down to eat with them, took the
bread, and said the blessing; then he broke the bread and gave it to
them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognised him, but he
disappeared from their sight.
They said to each other, "Wasn't it like a fire burning in us when he
talked to us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?"