Be Known To Us In the Breaking of the Bread

Stephen has been fond of saying that "holy places move." Well, he said this morning that if holy places move, then Emmaus dances! In fact there are at least four credible "Emmauses." We visited one of them, a crusader church in Abu Grosh called the Convent of Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant. For those who don't know the story in Luke 24:13-35 about Jesus meeting the disciples on the road to Emmaus, I commend it to you. It is, I think, my favorite of the resurrection appearances. As we gathered today we could look back on the road we had just traveled on from Jerusalem, as shown above. Who cares if it is the road or not? Our journey here has come to an end, and yet of course continues as we travel home again. Always we are on the Road to Emmaus, and every once in a while our hearts burn when we get a glimpse of the risen Christ, who takes and blesses and breaks and gives the bread.



Someone emailed me recently to say they had been reading this blog and it seems I return home with more questions than answers. Indeed. But that fits with my faith, and comes as no surprise. I do believe that faith is a never-ending journey and in some deep sense the journey itself is home. In fact perhaps it is why this pilgrimage has been so valuable for me: it has not settled anything, but it has allowed me to see some things with new eyes. Early on I quoted from an A.A. Bondy song about wanting not just to talk about Jesus here but to "see his face." In the Emmaus story, Jesus is made known to the disciples in the breaking of the bread. So it has been for us as well. We have had ample opportunities to celebrate the Eucharist together - by the Sea of Galilee, on Mt. Tabor, and today on a hill looking back toward Jerusalem. We've also had other opportunities along the way to share many meals together and discovered the joy of tomatoes and cukes at breakfast, hummus at least once a day, spices we'd never before tasted. Along the way, Christ has been present. So yes, I've seen the face of Jesus, in many of the same ways that I do when at home. Today as we celebrated on that hill we could hear the sounds of kids playing at recess, a dog barking, cars honking, an ice-cream truck playing an insipid tune.

But if we can find Christ in all of those ways, then why travel to the holy land? Isn't all land holy? I think of Brian Wren's great Easter hymn and agree (totally!) that since Christ is alive, he is "no longer bound to distant years in Palestine." And yet...

...I encourage any and all who can make this pilgrimage to do so. For me at least it has brought a level of depth that I think I will carry with me for the rest of my life. It has opened my eyes and ears in new ways, in ways that make it clear as I return home that I am not leaving Jesus behind, but rather I return with eyes that hopefully see more clearly and ears that listen more carefully in the midst of the place where God has called me to serve.

I have taken over 300 pictures on this trip, and posted less than 1/3 of them on this blog. In the same way, I am guessing that while this blog has been a helpful tool for me to begin to process my experience here, if I've gotten 1/3 of the way there that would be surprising. I know it will take much longer.

Tomorrow night in Holden, at our mid-week service, my Emmaus journey continues as I begin my thirteenth year as the rector of St. Francis Church. I'll wear a new stole and bless a new paten and chalice at the altar; a little bit of Jerusalem and Bethlehem unleashed on Holden! I may make one or two more posts on this site, about this journey, as it continues to be made manifest for me in the upcoming weeks.

I am also considering the possibility of continuing this blog (although clearly at a far less intense level that I have over the past two weeks) beyond this trip. It has been something I've enjoyed doing and I hope others have enjoyed coming along for the ride. I do realize that those who signed up, signed on for this trip. But perhaps you may be interested in checking in from time to time as the journey continues, on the road to Emmaus and beyond.