Emmaus

It is often the throwaway line from the sermon that actually gives someone the "aha!" moment.

Today I preached on the encounter between Jesus and the two disciples travelling on the Emmaus road, with a focus on that poignant phrase one of them utters, "But we had hoped ..."

But it was the throwaway observation at the end that brought one member of the congregation his "aha!" moment.

After encountering Jesus and recognizing him in the breaking of the bread, what do the two disciples do? Now, remember, they are a full day's walk from Jerusalem and it is night time. The sensible thing to do would have been to wait until the morning, until they were rested, until it was light, until it was safe.

Instead, they rush straight back to Jerusalem because their news is so momentous.

What would happen if today's first world Christians could be moved to such a sense of urgency?