DIVINE 911

Luke 24:13-35

When we think of intervention, does the first image that comes to mind that of someone being confronted about their behavior by a group of friends and family members?  I know God does intervene, convicts me, when I need to make a change for the better.

I also believe that intervention happens when we're in a situation that is beyond our capabilities  to solve a problem.  You know, those times when we're up to our arm pits in alligators and someone shows up with a boat.  In the same way, God intervenes when we need guidance and help.

In Luke 24:13-35, we find the story of the walk to Emmaus.  It had been a confusing and difficult morning for Jesus' followers, including Cleopas and his friend.  Was Jesus alive or dead?  Had the body been stolen or had Mary gone  to the wrong tomb?  So Cleopas and his friend decided to leave Jerusalem and go home.  Scripture doesn't tell us why.  Passover was over, and with Jesus' death, there didn't seem to be a compelling reason to hang around in Jerusalem.  Maybe they were afraid the authorities would be coming after them next.  Or, in their grief and disappointment, going home to their old lives seemed like a very attractive option.

It's not unusual when we find ourselves traveling through the wilderness of change, to want to back to the way things were.  

In 1984, my husband and I moved ourselves from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to Des Moines,  I wasn't happy about moving so far from my family and friends, but we were both out of work and unemployment in Michigan at that time was in the double digits.  With Tom driving a U-Haul truck, I followed him in our car listening to our cat howl all the way from Iron Mountain-Kingsford, Michigan, to Des Moines.  It was a very long drive.  

When we got to Des Moines, we missed our exit and got lost, and I knew both of us were getting low on gas.  Somewhere on the western edge of West Des Moines, we found ourselves on a county highway, with no idea where we were.  We pulled over and got out of our vehicles.  Then I broke down, and Tom held me while I wailed.  I was scared and at the end of my rope.  I so wanted to turn around and go back home.

When things seem overwhelmingly difficult journeying through the wilderness of change, God intervenes.  God shows up and comes through for them. There is nothing passive about God's statement, "I am here."  It is both a promise of God's presence and a promise that God is personally involved in acting for our good.  Remember when the people of Israel were traveling to the Promised Land.  By day, God was visibly present to them as a pillar of cloud during the day, leading the way.  At night, he watched over them, taking the form of a pillar of fire.  

On their walk to Emmaus, Jesus intervened.  Appearing to them as a stranger who had joined them on the road, Jesus assured them and brought them peace as he reminded them through the scriptures, that what happened was God's plan.  Feeling their spirits lifted and hearts encouraged, they invited Jesus to dinner.  In the blessing of the meal, Jesus reveal himself to them, and then disappeared.  Filled with joy, the two disciples ran back to  Jerusalem to share the good news that Christ was alive.

Living in a large city and in a state where I wasn't related to anyone left me feeling rootless without an emotional support network.  I was lonely and depressed, and then God led me to a little United Methodist Church.  In that community of faith, God comforted me and encouraged me through the new friends and brothers and sisters in Christ I found there.  

Looking back, I can see that Des Moines was a necessary stop in my journey which has led me to Fort Madison, Iowa.  Without going through the transitions and changes in my life, I would never know the joy of serving Christ as a pastor and sharing the good news of our Savior who is alive and active in the world today and working for our good.

When God says, "I am here,"  what God is promising is that God's love and power is constantly intervening in our lives, breaking into our moments of need.  God's work in our lives is about change, but it is change that brings us to new places of healing, wholeness and joy.