There is a story in the bible that illustrates what life is like without hope and what life is like with hope. This story is so powerful because it talks about how important it is for people to have hope. Because when we have hope, it can help people in the most dire circumstances come alive. This really about coming alive. 

The Story takes place in Luke 24. It takes place on the road to Emmaus. The story serves a review of sorts. What has happened up until now? Twelve Jewish young men, who had been completely cast aside by their culture and a number of women who were all outcasts for one reason or the next suddenly found themselves connected to a living legend. 

For some he just waltzed into their job, for others he was just there when they were at a low moment, wherever they were when they met him, one thing is certain. This man categorically changed their lives. He made them feel alive. 

Have you ever had that experience? A time where you just felt alive, more than a momentary high or the fleeting thrill of a one night stand. I’m talking about a moment when everything just seems clear and you feel settled and calm. We call that peace. A time where you are not constantly second guessing yourself or watching your back for fear that this “too-good-to-be-true” scenario is really just a dream. 

These sisters and brothers were a collective of regular shmegular, rank and file, go to work, hate Monday’s, hate your boss, hate this coffee, who used up all the toilet paper, I need a vacation, I just binged a whole season of game of thrones you and me people. 

And, somewhere along the way they found purpose and meaning. Somewhere along the way they started to believe in something bigger than themselves. Like many of us here today. And just when the getting got good, the bottom fell out. 

Imagine the whiplash of these contradicting moments. One moment everywhere you go everyone is chanting for your friend, and you’re a part of this famous entourage. VIP passes, yup. Cool band T-shirt, yup. Overnight you go from unknown to being friends with Beyoncé; madness.

And then suddenly one evening, your friend gets arrested. You find out that someone in the crew sold him out for some money, then committed suicide.

Your friend gets put on trial over some trumped up charges by those “tough on crime” social leaders. Between the lying leaders in church and the pathological politicians, your friends fate goes from bad to worse. 

And on that dark Friday afternoon, all you can hear is the cry of your friend in agony, the crack of 39 lashes and the sting of seeing your future disfigured with indifference. All to culminate in the rumor that the body you helped lay to rest is now missing. No goodbye, no closure, no resolution. Just gone.

This is the story of Jesus. It is not just sweet baby Jesus, thank you Ricky Bobby. It is not blue eyed blonde haired America first Jesus. 

It is the story of God coming to the earth. Engaging with humanity, identifying with the full human experience. The highs and the lows. This is not a social media gospel. This is not “devo at Starbucks on my way to missions in the Philippines #blessed.”

This is the story of being alive. The pain of being alive. The pain of knowing that people are in poverty. That the graduation rate among English language learners is dropping. That the minimum wage still isn’t a livable wage. That we literally are so divided that we are either for women or babies but somehow cannot figure out how to minister to the needs of both. That we can raise over a billion dollars for some stone relics across the Atlantic but can find money for Puerto Rico to rebuild or for Flint to have clean water. 

The Bible says that they were talking about all of these things. 

And they were on a journey. A road to Emmaus. The Bible had an old town road before old town road. If you don’t know then you’re not a country fan. 

On the road to Emmaus. (The artistry in the scriptures is spectacular). The word Emmaus means warm bath. You can imagine with me some meaning here. That the point of this text is to communicate the natural human yearning for some level comfort with all the deafening din of bad news surrounding them. 

I’m sure there are many of us today who have sought comfort in this cold world. Sought the comfort of being surrounded by people who only think like you. The comfort of only serving your needs. The comfort of only caring for your concerns and the agenda that matters to you. 

But the story of the resurrected Christ, once crucified on Calvary’s hill, now crowned with heavenly glory, his story is a journey from isolation to community. He didn’t come so that we could hide in Holy huddles. Jesus came to make us alive. To live a life that is bigger than ourselves. This is why Hill City has to happen! We are a community that is alive. All of this music, all of this excitement, we’re not just a black church. we’re not emotionally unstable. We believe that Jesus has come to make us alive. So we’re going to live. We’re going to live lives that consider the vulnerable. We’re going to live the lives that Jesus died for us to have. We’re going to serve others, love our neighbors, and seek justice.  WE ARE ALIVE!

Love

John 15:9-10 Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

Love. Such a confounding concept. It is deep. It is complex. It is the object of the musings of philosophers, musicians, rulers and subjects alike. Love transcends class, generations, zip codes, positions, and titles. Love is beautiful and awe inspiring. Love can also introduce us to great pain. There is little pain like losing a loved one. There are few consolations that make up for the pain left by love. Yet, through it all, it is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.  So, as believers how are we to approach love? We look to the bible for our understanding of Love. 1 John 4:16 teaches us that God is love. Thankfully we have an example in Jesus of Nazareth. His life on earth shows us what love embodied looks like. Let’s take a look at 3 quick lessons about love from Jesus. 

1. Love Lasts. It is a commitment. There are times when it love is exhilarating. In these times, exercising the disciplines of love can seem easy. But, the beauty of love is that it lasts even when  the feelings of excitement and exhilaration leave. This is why Jesus teaches us to abide. It is a word that means to endure. Jesus wants our love to last. When you spend time with Jesus, you are building up your resistance to the temptation to run away when things get tough. 

2. Love is known when it’s shown. Love is something that ought to be shown early and often. In our culture today, there is a phrase “say less.” It is an idiom that indicates people who can communicate with fewer expressions than expected. But, when it comes to love, it works best when there is demonstration to match our declaration. In other words, the more you say and do, the better point comes across.  What you say should be punctuated by what you do. Jesus laid out examples of love. The father loved Jesus, and Jesus demonstrated his love for us. And then, Jesus asks us to remain faithful to him in love by obeying his commands. 

3. Love has limits. Jesus explains the importance of limits that protect our love for him. In order for our love relationship with Jesus to last there need to be boundaries in place that help us endure. These limits help us to avoid pitfalls and distractions that would pull us away from God’s love. Jesus gives us commands to help us not hamper us.

So continue in love. You can pray that God would reveal God’s love for you. Continue to pursue God’s example of love in your own relationships both with God and other people. When you spend time reading God’s word and learning about God’s commands, you will build your capacity to love the way that Jesus loves.