Devotion for Week of April 26

 

When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them.  And their eyes were opened and they recognized him; and he vanished out of their sight. They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures?" (Luke 24:30-32)

The Disciples met the Risen Jesus on the road to Emmaus and didn’t recognize Him. I believe that sometimes He comes to us, not in person, like He did to the Disciples, but through another person.

At the volunteer camp in Pass Christian, the Katrina volunteers have an exercise called “The Face of God” in which the volunteers recount where they saw the face of God that day. This encounter on the road to Emmaus might be called the Voice of God. It happens to us, too. We hear words we need to hear from someone unexpected, perhaps a stranger, perhaps a friend. The words, however, are exactly what we need to hear. Later, we might realize that the words were no accident. Somehow the person had been given those words to say to us at that time.

Some years ago our daughter was working with some youth. One night the youth were acting up and she needed to give them a “corrective action” speech. When she came home, she told us, “Wow! I don’t know what happened. I opened my mouth and you came out!” Someone had given her words to say that were important at that time.

God speaks to us in many ways. Have you heard His voice today, seen His love, felt His touch? Or did you miss it all because you couldn’t recognize the words as important when they are coming from the person talking to us? Or have you ever said something to a friend or stranger that you didn’t recognize as your own words but somehow they were important to be said? 

Like the volunteers on the Gulf Coast, pausing to ponder where they had seen the face of God that day, perhaps it would be good for us to reflect on important words spoken to us and by us this day. Was there a “voice of God” in anything I heard or said today? Luther said that we are called to be “little Christs” to each other. Where did I hear Jesus today?

Heavenly Father, we thank you for those times you come to us in the words and actions of people around us. Help us to discern your presence in our lives. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

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