Emmaus

My brother died 6 years ago this week. Below is something I shared with friends.

04/22/03

Dear Friends,

I want to thank you all for your thoughts and prayers for my family and me in the last few months. Carey and I were very close and I finally feel that I am back to work and giving focus to my job. There would be no other way to survive this, without all of you and I thank you.

During this Easter season I have reflected on what is to me one of the most fascinating stories in the Bible, the Walk to Emmaus. This of course is the story of the two men walking on the road to Emmaus, AFTER Jesus has been crucified. Jesus, very inconspicuously appears beside the men and starts asking them about their grief. Of course they do not recognize Jesus at this time. These men are two friends—people who had known Jesus, who had walked with Him, talked with Him, and eaten meals with Him every day for three years. And they didn’t recognize Him even on a long walk down a dusty road.

This story makes me want to ask two questions; Where is Emmaus? And how do you get back home from there?

Where is Emmaus? Oh sure the bible says it is 7 miles outside of Jerusalem. But when you think about it, the Emmaus road is different. Emmaus is not a place on the map or a village; it is more of a mood. It is a place where you go when life has gone sour on you. Emmaus is the road you choose when your life is filled with despair. Emmaus is not 7 miles from Jerusalem; Emmaus is 7 miles from a sense of hopelessness. It is a road where Jesus just appears, often times he appears without us knowing. Have you ever wondered about that? I have. How could that possibly be? The reality is: like the disciples, we are often looking at a man who happened to be traveling along the same road we were. We do not always see Jesus because we do not always expect to see Jesus.

How do you get back to home from Emmaus? How do you get back from Emmaus when life is hopeless? When the Messiah has been crucified and you are in such despair?

How to you get back from Emmaus when you’re in a stairwell in the World Trade Centers, and the building is crumbling to the ground?

How do you get back from Emmaus in those 90 seconds that our Astronauts sat there when they knew that something had gone wrong on the space shuttle Columbia?

How do you get back from Emmaus when you are a soldier in the desert in Iraq?

And how do you get back from Emmaus when you walk in the door and your wife tells you that your brother is dead?

You get back home by experiencing the living Christ. By having your eyes open and seeing Jesus in everything around us. It might not ever be in some great pomp and circumstance, but just in the small things that we take for granted. In the story these guys have already heard about the tomb being empty, but they didn’t have their eyes opened until he broke the bread. I saw Jesus on my difficult road in all of the cards, letters, hugs, meals, emails, prayers, and tears. I saw Jesus in YOU!

When we open our eyes to Jesus’ presence in the world around us, we will come to see His spirit manifesting in our own lives. And thus we can say as the disciples did at the conclusion to the Emmaus story,

“Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road . . .”—Luke 24:32

When you are on that dusty road, that dusty road of hopelessness…. when you are on any road in your life, you will feel the presence of the living God. If you listen carefully you will hear those sandaled feet falling into step with yours. He is on that road with you. All hope is not lost

The Tomb is Empty!

CAMERON CORDER

Great Timing

My 11 year old son Brooks has unbelievable comedic timing.

This week, Ryanne had a playoff basketball game against Winston Salem Prep (WSP). On the way to the game, I shared the old joke about the sea captain and his red shirt. Click here to read joke. At dinner prior to the game the coach was sharing that he had done some checking around and he thought we could beat this team.

But as WSP walked on the court it became obvious we were in for a long night. Every girl was over 5'10 and they looked like they could beat UNC. When I glanced at Brooks to get his reaction he said, "Somebody better get coach his brown pants!"