It Is Finished

Happily Ever After Written By: Kim Whipkey

Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him.  He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”  “What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”

He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread. Luke 24: 13-35 (NIV)

Who doesn’t like a good fairy tale? Whether you prefer Cinderella or Snow White, Rapunzel or Sleeping Beauty, we all know the basic premise. It starts with the phrase “Once Upon A Time,” includes both a damsel in distress and a handsome prince that comes to the rescue (although those roles are sometimes swapped), and ends with the famous words “And they lived happily ever after.” Did you ever notice that they don’t tell you the rest of the story? They don’t tell you what happens when you bring that new baby home from the hospital and he doesn’t sleep for the first twenty-four hours. They forget to mention the arguments when there is too much month left at the end of your time, energy, and money. And they especially don’t mention the unexpected events, like the sudden loss of a job, that can land on you with all the weight of a ton of bricks.

So, I want to tell you a modern fairy tale: Once upon a time, a smart but stubborn young woman went to visit a friend, and met her prince, a smart and equally stubborn young man who shared her dislike of fake people. The prince knew how the story would go, but the young woman was not a damsel in distress, and wasn’t too sure about this happily ever after business. But the prince was patient, and eventually won her heart, and the young woman ended up proposing to him. She, and her prince, said vows in front of God and family and friends, and embarked on their new journey, but before they could reach happily ever after, life happened. Worn down by the daily struggles, and then crushed by the wall of bricks, the slightly older woman gave up hope in ever seeing happily ever after. And when God tried to speak to her, she responded like a bratty child, putting her fingers in her ears and humming loudly to drown out God’s voice. But God loved her so much that He sent her message to a friend, and the friend was faithful and invited her to participate in a Walk to Emmaus.

Yes, the story I just told you is the first half of my fairy tale. I had the great honor and privilege of attending an Emmaus Walk several years ago. If you have never been to a Walk, it is equal parts spiritual retreat, and summer camp, revival and discipleship training. It is a three-day event where participants are fed, both physically and spiritually, pampered, and made to “grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.” You may recognize those last few words from Ephesians 3: 18. Toward the end of the Walk, after three days, they challenge you to determine what you are going to do on the fourth day. Is the conclusion of the Walk going to be the end of your journey, or is it going to be the beginning?

Like the Emmaus Walk, the Easter season we celebrate today is also divided into four days, Good Friday, what I like to call “Sad” Saturday, Easter, and Easter Monday, and really our Christian journey is also divided into four days. So, just how do we, as Christians, navigate from Once Upon A Time to Happily Ever After? Before we can answer that question, the first thing we have to do is determine what day we are living in.

Are you on…

Day One- Are you living in Good Friday, as if you have not yet met the Christ who died for your sins? Notice that I am not asking if you have met Him, but if you are living as if you have met Him. Maybe you have never had a relationship with Christ, maybe you simply forgot whose child you were, or maybe, like me, you had the knowledge of the Christ in your head but the message was not received by your heart.

Or are you on…

Day Two- Are you living as if it’s Sad Saturday, stuck between knowing the Christ who died for you, but not yet having met the risen Savior. Again, it is question of how you are living. Now, we have either known someone or been someone who has accepted that Jesus died for their sins, but the joy of the resurrection never reaches their hearts. You can recognize these people by their crossed arms and unsmiling faces, and you want to ask them, “Do you know that Jesus rose from the dead? Then, can you tell your face?”

Maybe you are living on…

Day 3- Are you living as if the risen Savior is walking with you but you don’t recognize Him? This one is little harder because we experience Easter with the proven certainty of hindsight, but the only evidence available to most of Jesus’ contemporary followers was hearsay. This is the experience of the disciples walking to Emmaus; they had heard rumors of Jesus being raised from the dead, but the possibility was more than they could wrap their minds around. And when presented with the risen Savior, they couldn’t recognize him.

This reminds me of a sermon I heard from a pastor at the church I grew up in. He used to work at a soup kitchen, and the clients who came in to eat would have to sign in. Many times, they signed in as former presidents or other famous people, but one time, a client signed in as Jesus. Now I’m not saying this was Jesus, but it could have been. What opportunities to serve Jesus have you been presented with but you missed them because you didn’t recognize Him? I can think of several myself.

Hopefully, you have been living on …

Day 4- Are you living as if you know Christ who died for you, have met the risen Savior, have recognized Him and are continuing to walk with Him. If you treat today as if it is the first day of the rest of your life, you are most likely living in Day 4.

The main thing I want you to realize is that this Christian path we have chosen is narrow, and it can be arduous, but it is not a one-way street and we will not always move in the right direction. We will trip and land on our faces. We will make wrong turns and have to decide whether to double back or find a new route. We will have to detour around unexpected roadblocks, and sometimes we will lose our footing and slide backwards down a hill. Sometimes, a squall will come along and knock us clear off the mountain. What matters in these situations is not where we find ourselves, but what we do next. Remember, it is when we are at our lowest point that we begin to look up to God.

TO BE CONTINUED TOMORROW…