Matthew 18:15-20

“If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”

In my next life I hope to be a great novelist. I don’t even have to be a great one…I’d just love to be able to hold a book in my own hands that I wrote—an original story that makes some positive impression and impact on the larger society. I would like to write a story about reconciliation—a heartwarming tale of two individuals at odds—bitter enemies, perhaps—who come to a great reckoning whereby both people grow, change, and recognize that the other person is deserving of love and respect. It would not be a story of one person winning at the expense of the other. It would not be a story of tolerance—as though the best we can hope for in our world is to plug our noses, close our eyes, and merely tolerate the presence of someone else. No, it would be a story that makes it clear there is something profoundly beautiful, right, and holy about overcoming division and developing an authentic love for one’s enemy. But, like I said, that’s for my next life. I’m simply not creative enough to write a story like that.

This my great confession to you today—a disclaimer, really, given the nature of today’s gospel lesson. I cannot think of anyone with whom I had a serious or consequential falling out and now enjoy a restored relationship. I’d forgive you for assuming this is because I’m such an easygoing and lighthearted person that I simply haven’t made any enemies. But, alas, that’s not the case. As I’ve made enemies and had my fair share of disagreements…but not much reconciliation has resulted. What I’m trying to say is, this is an incredibly difficult sermon for me to preach!

I feel like I don’t have a deep well of reconciliation stories to draw from. It’s not something that has been modeled for me throughout my life and it is certainly hard to find today. Forgiveness and reconciliation are not really virtues that are held up by American society. Prevailing over the enemy…pursuing one’s one happiness regardless of everyone else…those are honestly way more synchronous with American values than are reconciliation or forgiveness.

This is pervasive throughout our culture. Most popular books and movies can be boiled down to the same fundamental conflict between good and evil, with the good prevailing and the evil being destroyed. Throw in some outstanding special effects and some attractive people in the lead roles and you’re guaranteed to have a blockbuster on your hands.

I can’t think of many stories that prize reconciliation—stories where conflicting parties overcome very real animosity towards one another, learn to appreciate and respect one another, and accomplish something together that they could not on their own. The only one I’ve come up with so far is the movie, Remember the Titans about the desegregated football team that unites after initial race-related struggles. I’m sure there are other stories and I would love for you to remind me of them, but I think you’ll agree these stories are few and far between—hence the need for my great novel.

We have to be careful because there are a few people who tout themselves as examples of reconciliation, but it’s often a cheap veneer. One I became aware of during my visit to South Africa is Christo Brand. He was a young white jailer at Robben Island—the prison in South Africa that held Nelson Mandela for 18 of his 27 years of incarceration. Christo enjoyed a degree of notoriety following Mandela’s release because he told stories about how he and Mandela had become friends during Mandela’s incarceration. He even wrote a book called Mandela: My Prisoner, My Friend. He has made a comfortable living off the book and speaking engagements; and today through Airbnb you can pay for a private dinner at a fancy restaurant in Cape Town with Christo where he will regale you with stories of his friendship with Nelson Mandela. Though, interestingly, I’ve read Mandela’s autobiography and Christo Brand gets exactly one mention in the nearly 700-page tome. Far from being an example of extraordinary reconciliation, Christo Brand is simply a man who has never had to atone for his role in an unjust and immoral society and instead continues to profit off his role within the apartheid system even today. That is not the kind of reconciliation Jesus holds out as exemplary.

Jesus’ idea of reconciliation involves confrontation and conflict. It involves standing up for what is right and checking your idea of right and wrong with others in your faith community. Jesus’ idea of reconciliation involves the restoration of the entire community, which benefits everyone. Jesus’ idea of reconciliation is unwavering. Recall Jesus says, “and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” This is not permission to dismiss the offender or exclude him from the community. After all, how did Jesus treat Gentiles and tax collectors? He sought them out and never stopped inviting them into the restorative community.

The Christian message itself is one of reconciliation and restoration. For me to say that I do not have many examples of reconciliation in my life is an admission that I have not let Jesus guide me. Christ-followers are to build their entire lives upon the foundation of God’s character and God’s promises. God continually seeks us out, forgives us, invites us into a restorative relationship and community, and equips us to do the same toward others. I take no pride in telling you this morning that I find that terribly difficult to do. After all, what kind of leader would pride himself on breaking relationships and not seeking forgiveness from others or from God? But I hope that my admission will invite you to examine your own life in case you, like me, have strayed from the path of discipleship.

I don’t mean for this to be a downer of a sermon. After all, you are the few who bothered to show up on a holiday weekend so I don’t want to you walk away feeling like you didn’t hear the good news. So, hear the good news. God is characterized by grace, forgiveness, and reconciliation. God’s kingdom is characterized by grace, forgiveness, and reconciliation. And God’s people are meant to live lives characterized by grace, forgiveness, and reconciliation. That is our foundation and our destination. The fact that we see so little of this in these days is an indictment of our sin; but it is also an invitation to seek God’s help as we seek to rise above our selfish impulses and restore broken relationships. God can and will change our hearts, but only if we genuinely desire it.

I pray for you, my brothers and sisters in Christ, that your lives would be infused with stories and examples of reconciliation. I pray that our country would experience reconciliation in these divisive times—reconciliation built on truth and trust in God’s character of grace. I pray that our church would be a place of holy confrontation and accountability, so that when even two or three of us are gathered, God would be among us. And I pray that my life would end up being one great story of reconciliation.

Amen.

Luke 24:13-35

Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, "What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?" They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, "Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?" He asked them, "What things?" They replied, "The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him." Then he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?" Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.

As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, "Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over." So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?" That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, "The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!" Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

We’re nearing the end of our “On the Road Again” series, so it’s fitting that today’s story is about Jesus’ last road trip before his ascension. This Emmaus road story is probably a familiar one, especially since Pastor Mark preached on this story a couple months ago. But this time the story hits me in a different way--as a message of hope and a reminder that God is always speaking to us.

I want to begin by telling you about my watch. A couple Christmasses ago my wife bought me a Garmin smartwatch. I don’t utilize 10% of what it is capable of; I just use it to tell time and keep track of my daily steps.

I quickly allowed that watch to determine my worth as a human being. Each night before I got into bed I would check my watch to see if I hit the magic total of 10,000 steps. Anything under 10,000 and I felt like I was a failure. Anything over and I felt like I couldn’t have possibly been a more fantastic human being that day. As far as measures of a man go, it was a pretty weak one; but at least it was quantifiable (unlike those other measures like character and relationships).

It should be noted, I did employ some mind games in relation to my daily step count. I noticed that I was not getting credit for steps when I mowed the grass (I guess that’s because I have a push mower and my hands are steady the whole time). Same thing when I went grocery shopping with a cart...no credit for those steps. So, on those nights when my count was under 10,000 I would mentally bridge the gap with whatever arbitrary value I needed.

What really hurt was when I discovered that the opposite was true; that is, my watch was giving me credit for steps that I knew deep down I did not earn. This was made explicitly clear following a drive to Chicago. I left early in the morning, not having gone for a walk before I left. I stepped out the car, glanced at my watch to double check I arrived on time, and noticed my step count had surpassed 5,000 for the day. Apparently my car needs new struts because the vibration convinced my watch I had been walking while in the car. I ended up with over 10,000 steps total that day; and as much as I tried to own it, I heard the little voice inside my head tell me my steps were a lie!

This watch is incapable of giving me an accurate reading of my actual steps, but it is pretty accurate with regards to my soul. Ever since I have owned and worn this watch, a little voice in my head has been telling me that not only was the step count not accurate, but also that it was counting things that ultimately didn’t matter. That’s not to say movement and activity is unimportant, but that certainly does not correlate with character.

I think about this when I read about the two Christ-followers who were on the road to Emmaus, all the while accompanied by Jesus himself, though they did not know it. The two characters were so focused on the wrong things (namely their disappointment and grief) that they missed the presence of Jesus. And yet, once Jesus was revealed to them in the breaking of the bread, one says, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?"

You see, we all have little voices and burning hearts desperately trying to crack through the surface of our thoughts, but our egos go to great lengths to keep them submerged. These little voices and burning hearts are one of the significant ways that God speaks to us. God gives us permission, even encourages us, to pay attention to the whispers of our own burning hearts.

In the story about my watch, my little voice and burning heart-whispers were telling me to stop lying to myself about the steps; that they were not a measure of my success or value as a person.

In the story of the Emmaus road, the little voices and burning heart-whispers were telling them that Jesus was still among them, physically and materially, even though he had died.

I am confident that each one of you has a little voice and a burning-heart whispering profound, beautiful, and God-given truths to you. I am confident that each one of you, like me, and like those two on the road, usually fail to hear or heed them, often because you are too busy paying attention to the loud voices of your selfish desires or distorted impressions of yourselves.

Think back to a recent argument or conflict in which you were engaged with someone else. At any point did you hear a voice whispering, “You can let this one go; you can walk away; you can be right and not have to prove it by tearing the other person down.” But instead your pride and ego took hold, your heels dug in, and the conflict lingers still today. Please tell me I’m not the only one this happens to!

Think back to a recent time in which your thoughts were stuck on all the ways you are a failure or a disappointment. Maybe your first reaction was to numb yourself from that pain by watching another hour of television, scroll mindlessly through social media, stuff yourself with junk food, or pour yourself another glass of alcohol. In the midst of that, did you ever hear your burning heart whisper the truth that you were actually a beloved image-bearer of the divine and worthy of love and respect?

For some reason our negative and damaging thoughts carry more weight in our minds than positive ones. That is as true for us as it was back in Biblical times. The Emmaus travelers had faith in the good news that Jesus was alive; however, their disappointment and focus on the situation at hand kept that truth buried. It’s easy to let the bad stuff build up on the surface of our lives so much that it is all we end up noticing.

But hear the good news: those “good news” whispers became shouts and their burning hearts became raging fires of the Spirit through something as simple as the sharing of a meal after a long journey.

The two travelers had ventured far enough away from Jerusalem, far enough away from the center of their disappointment and pain, that Christ was able to break through to them through something as ordinary as a shared loaf of bread.

It took those travelers a 7-mile journey on foot. It took me a 200-mile shaky car ride. I don’t know how much distance you will need to put between yourself and all the lies you tell yourself; but I do know that God will break through the surface and fan the flame of your heart that had all along been burning with the knowledge and love of God. I’m not suggesting that you need to run away from your problems to solve them; but a little road trip often yields just enough perspective to see things for what they really are.

Amen.

O Reconciliation, Where Art Thou?

On the Road & Burning Hearts