Grace in Sadness
Grace in Sadness
God enters into our conversation, journey, and sorrow.
Grace is about God's love always initiating, always moving forward first.
Welcome to the Light of Christ Weekly Podcast. Light of Christ Anglican Church is located in Georgetown, Texas at MLK and University Avenue. We are a modern expression of the ancient faith. You can learn more about us at lightofchristgeorgetown.org.
Our sermon soundbite for today comes from Luke chapter 24 where we get a vignette of the resurrected Christ. We meet Cleopas and his friend, disciples of Jesus who are walking on the road to Emmaus, and they are sad because of what they've seen about Christ dying and what they've heard about this empty tomb and the inability to find the body of Jesus. Suddenly, this mysterious character joins them. They don't recognize him, but he is the risen Christ.
Notice that Jesus engages them in their journey. He enters into their conversation, their sadness. So, they aren't looking for Jesus, Jesus is looking for them, and this is what grace is. This is the good news, not that we love, but that God first loved us. John tells us in his first epistle, it's God. Grace is about God's love always initiating, always moving forward first. We don't. We are blind. We run away from God, but he seeks us out.
And notice how Jesus engages them in the conversation and invites a response through a series of questions, which are really funny because it's Jesus there that they don't recognize and he knows, right? Jesus knows what's happening. Who would know more about the resurrection than Jesus? No one, but yet he asked them verse 17, “What's this conversation that you're holding with each other as you walk?” And then they say, “Well, what haven't you heard what's happened? Have you been living under a rock stranger?” And then he says, “What thing?”
What does this response remind you of? I think Luke wants us to remember something in our past. Think for a moment through Genesis one, two and three, what happens when Adam and Eve's eyes are open to sin, when their eyes are closed to the loving presence of God, what do they do? They run and they hide from God. And what does God do? He seeks after them. And what does he ask? Where are you Adam? Where are you Eve? Who told you that you were naked? God was asking these questions not because he didn't know, but because he was seeking them out, inviting them, calling them to a response out of their fear, shame, sadness, and in to the recognition of his loving presence for them.
Thank you for listening to the Light of Christ Weekly Podcast. Let us end our time together with a prayer from the Book of Common Prayer. You can find the prayer for the third Sunday of Easter on page 612.
Almighty God, you gave your only Son to be for us both a sacrifice for sin and an example of godly living: Give us grace thankfully to receive his inestimable benefits, and daily to follow the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
