Luke 24
The most important thing that happened on Easter Sunday was, of course, Jesus rising from the dead. No one would have said a word if He had taken the day off after that. He certainly deserved it.
But we know He did not take the day off. Scripture tells us in Luke 24 that after sending Mary to proclaim His resurrection to the disciples, Jesus immediately showed up on the road to Emmaus to walk with 2 men who had lost all hope.
I know beyond all doubt that if you are reading this devotional, you completely understand what it means to lose all hope. It’s just the way of this world we are traveling through. Situations arise that we have no control over and fail to see in our human eyes any hope.
These two men were part of the crowd that followed Jesus. Scripture does not tell us how long, but in my heart, I believe it had been most of the time Jesus proclaimed His ministry here on earth.
The story of the walk to Emmaus in Luke is the basis of one of the most powerful ministry retreats we have today.
It’s strange, though, if you read the scripture to figure out why it’s there at the end of Easter Sunday.
What purpose does this story serve in the outline of Jesus’ resurrection?
It is a little like the story of the prayer of Jabez found in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10. It is placed in the middle of another important story without much follow-up.
Of course, everything in the Bible has meaning and purpose. A good pastor could find a month’s worth of sermons just in these few scriptures.
It wasn’t until 1978 that the Upper Room ministries took this Biblical journey of the Walk to Emmaus and turned it into a very powerful retreat. Jesus planted the seed on Easter Sunday well over 2 thousand years ago.
According to the Upper Room ministries, the definition of the Walk to Emmaus is this: The Walk to Emmaus is a spiritual retreat program designed to strengthen local churches through the development of Christian disciples and leaders.
I went on my walk in the spring of 2002. Since then, I have served as the spiritual director of women’s walks every year.
Serving on a walk to Emmaus becomes more soul-cleansing with each one.
If you would like to know more about this powerful ministry, you can check it out here.
www.upperroom.org/walktoemmaus/faq
If you have been on a walk to Emmaus or would like more personal information on attending one, I would love to hear from you.
Luke 24:33-35
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.
They got up and went back to Jerusalem to tell Peter and everyone gathered in that locked room.
We would never have known this story if those two disciples had high-fived each other and just gone to bed.
We must tell our story.
We must share what Jesus has done in our lives to give hope and encouragement to others.
You are one step ahead of someone coming up behind you. Your story, if told, will help them take that step.
RevDeb
