I am surprised how captivated I was by Artemis II. I didn’t know we hadn’t returned to the moon in my lifetime. I guess I just assumed we’d kept it up given all our shuttle launches, satellites, and probes.
Everything about the effort to rocket four astronauts to the moon and back is awe-inspiring. To think about all the details considered by scientists, all the tests run by engineers, all the funding by taxpayers, all the centuries of human development and intelligence that was required to do something as daring as this, well, it’s jaw-dropping. They surely also have scriptwriters involved because the astronauts are also selling the story of their voyage and offering messaging back to all of us here on Earth.
From far away in space, the astronauts delivered us Hollywood-worthy observations, including, “In all of this emptiness — this is a whole bunch of nothing, this thing we call the universe — you have this oasis, this beautiful place that we get to exist in together.” Or, “When we saw tiny Earth…what struck me wasn’t just Earth, it was all the blackness around it. Earth was just this lifeboat hanging in the universe.”
Isn’t it amazing what people can accomplish when they set aside their egos and work together? These four astronauts were the focal point, but it took thousands of people from fourteen nations working together to make this daring thing possible. It’s a testament to the great ability God has given us and to the opportunities we have to do amazing, good things here on Earth. We could eradicate diseases. We could ensure all are fed. We could work together to limit and even reverse the effects of a warming planet.
Imagine the force for good humans could be if we became less selfish and more other-oriented.
I know I’m in awe of the world God has given us. I also think many of us traipse through life on autopilot. Sure, we love where we live. We think the lake is beautiful. We’re grateful for parks and even for snow (now that it’s basically in the rearview mirror). But there is something holy in paying deep attention to the moment. It’s impossible to do 100% of the time, but it’s good for the soul to do so.
As most of you know, I’ve been involved in ministry in Belize for over 12 years now. This summer will be my seventh trip. There’s lots to love about the people and work we do together, but we also take the time to appreciate the country itself. The past two trips, we’ve taken an hour-long boat ride on the New River from Orange Walk to the Laminai Archaelogical Reserve. We used to ride in vans to get there, which was practical, but the boat ride causes us to pay attention to the world more deeply.
While we’re cruising on the river, we get to see the diversity and activity of nature in an immersive way. The water sustains so much life. Birds of all types and sizes are all over the place. We see alligators, termite mounds, and iguanas. But to see all of this, we had to pay attention. If we were only focused on the destination of the journey — getting to the Mayan ruins — we would miss everything happening around us.
I asked our last team to send along some pictures just so you could see a fraction of what we witnessed, simply because we took time to pay attention. There’s the boat-billed heron, hanging in the tree line just above the river. The great blue heron is there as well. The great kiskadee flits around everywhere. There’s also the northern jacana, otherwise known as the “Jesus Bird” because it walks across the lily pads, as though it’s walking on water. We even had a toucan stop by for a visit. While we were at the ruins, a praying mantis hopped on for a ride, and a troop of howler monkeys made their presence known while we were having lunch.
We were fortunate to have two guides with us. Vladimir is a professional guide, so as he’s driving the boat, he’s also got his head on a swivel looking for interesting things to share with us. Even better, Pastor Ed’s son-in-law, Freddy, grew up going to a huge nature preserve with his father. I swear Freddy saw birds before Vladimir did and knew more about them too. (Vladimir almost lost his mind right at the end of trip, when a great currasow flew by the boat. He hadn’t seen one in the wild in decades.) We learned so much from these faithful guides.
Not all of us will go off to a place like Belize, but, my friends, there’s also something special about the ground you stand on. Last summer the church offered guided hikes through some of the fantastic parks we have. We hiked through Ottawa Sands, Hemlock Crossing, and Hoffmaster. These were for folks of all ages and stages of life, and we did this for several reasons. First, we believe something special can happen when we take the time to walk around in nature. Second, we wanted new relationships formed. People who would not have spoken to each other at coffee hour were now walking side-by-side in the woods. Third, having a knowledgable guide with us allowed us to see new things in the world right here around us.
Have you ever sat on a porch with your eyes closed just listening? Have you noticed how noisy the world around you can be? Can you identify the insects and birds calling out? Have you ever just simply sat in the sand at the state park and stared at the vastness of Lake Michigan, watching the waves roll in while the wind gently musses your hair? Have you ever laid down in the grass on your side, opened your eyes, and seen all the insects flitting around the blades of grass? There’s something holy to beholding the world around you, and it’s better done with others.
This church has earned the title Earth Care Congregation for almost a decade straight from our denomination, thanks to the efforts of the Earth Care Team, the Session, and lots of others. It’s part of the reason why I’m dwelling on the Artemis mission, boat rides in Belize, and our hikes. These are all part of our life together, and when we approach God’s world with awe and intention, we have the opportunity to deepen faith while taking absolute pleasure in God’s wonders all around us.
Whether you’re walking in the woods or on a boat in Belize, or you’re simply trying to engage in life more deeply, it’s helpful to have a guide. It’s also necessary to devote the time to it. And it’s essential to be open to what you’ll discover along the way. I want us to hold onto that thought because it connects well with today’s scripture.
Our gospel text is one of my favorites. It’s known as the Road to Emmaus and takes place later on the same day of Jesus’ resurrection. It happened that two disciples were leaving Jerusalem on foot. Walking was the main mode of transportation in their day, so a seven-mile journey is perfectly ordinary. It’s really around a two-hour walk.
Imagine if this happened in our time. These two would have jumped in their cars and been there in under fifteen minutes. What would they have missed out on? In not slowing down, they wouldn’t have had time to talk deeply, to pay attention to what was happening.
The two of them were discussing things when Jesus comes alongside them. The word for “discussing” actually means “to throw back and forth” or “to exchange views,” so they’re wrestling with the events of the recent past. They don’t know what it means, only that the hopes they placed on Jesus have been dashed.
What they need is a guide, and Jesus shows up for that very purpose. Luke tells us that the disciples were prevented from recognizing Jesus. He writes this in what we call the “divine passive,” meaning that God is behind their inability to recognize that Jesus is with them. It is clear that they need to be on this journey longer in order for revelation to come.
Jesus joins them on the journey with curiosity. “What’s on your mind?” he asks. I picture them stopping in their tracks, their faces downcast. Our translation renders this as “looking sad,” but it’s deeper. It really means “bummed out.” Their souls are downcast, and they no longer know where their lives are headed. They’re on the path to Emmaus, but they’re don’t know where the path to life is anymore. They had believed it was in Jesus, but things didn’t go as they expected.
So, they share with Jesus their version of events. There’s irony here because they’re giving this news to the one who lived them in the first place. They close with these words, “We had hoped he was the one to redeem Israel.”
This week I came across a story that reminded me of their inability to recognize someone. In the Fall of 2024 an American named Darnell Davis was walking through Regents Park in central London. Davis was in his late 40s, but his mother died when he was 10. He’s made it a practice, wherever he was in the world, to go for a short morning walk to speak to God and his mom. That’s what he was doing that day, when a local stopped him in the park and said, “I like your fit.” Davis was flattered and thanked the man. He said, “You’re looking fly too!” The two men kept talking, when others started pointing and giggling. Two girls came up to the men and asked for a picture. Davis thought they noticed his outfit, but they wanted a picture with the British gent.
Davis took the picture, and then went back to the man, asking if he was famous. The man replied, laughing, “I’m a singer.” It was Harry Styles, only one of the most famous singers on the planet.
Like these disciples, Davis was blind to what was right in front of him. But as talented as Harry Styles is, he is not Jesus, the Son of the Living God. These dejected disciples continued to pour out their hearts to their traveling companion. They shared how some of the women in their group had gone to Jesus’ tomb that morning only to find the stone rolled away. They were blinded to the fullness of what God was doing.
So, Jesus guides them. He begins with words from their scriptures — words that could now take on new meaning, words that they were coming to understand in a new way. Judaism didn’t have a concept of a Messiah who would suffer and use that suffering to reverse the order of things. Their idea of a Messiah was precisely what these disciples told Jesus — we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.
Their hope wasn’t wrong, but their conception of how God was working was. It’s only later — after Jesus, after years of the early church wrestling with this new Jesus thing — that we came to start seeing other passages about a suffering servant, particularly in Isaiah, as a glimpse into what God would do in Jesus. Today we hear passages like Isaiah 53 with Jesus in mind, but back then they did not view this as connected to the Messiah. These were a picture of the suffering of Israel and how God would redeem even that.
Isaiah writes, “Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed.” We hear that and immediately think, “That’s Jesus!” At that time, they did not.
It’s very interesting that this passage clearly shows the importance of how Jesus is revealed in worship. How, you might ask? Jesus is revealed in the Word proclaimed and explained. He opens the scriptures to these disciples, and they slowly move towards faith and understanding. They draw near their destination and beg their traveling companion to stay with them for supper. This is a very clear example of how important hospitality is in the Middle East. They’ve already walked for two hours together, and their relationship continues on over supper. It’s what you do.
And it’s during supper, when their guest takes bread and breaks it, that everything falls into place for them. They couldn’t recognize Jesus during their hike. They couldn’t see it was him as he was reframing scripture to them. It was in the breaking of bread that they finally see Jesus. Folks, this is a clear echo of communion, one of the essentials of our worship. Seven miles of nothing and then the revelation came. Upon reflection they start to see Jesus’ fingerprints over their hike.
My friends, sometimes you have to put yourself in the position to encounter Jesus. It’s tempting to believe that we grow in faith naturally and without any effort. Wouldn’t that be great? But it rarely works that way — and when it does, accept that as the gift that it is!
Earlier I mentioned how important it is to have a guide to help you see in new ways, how essential it is to devote adequate time to pay attention to God’s voice around you — in worship, sure, but also in the world around you, through the voice of others, and in so many other ways — but also to be brave in stepping into the unknown to encounter Jesus even there.
So, are you making space for an Emmaus-encounter in your life? Do you devote purposeful attention to seeking God? Do you make space to involve others in that seeking? Do you have a guide? Are you open to the new thing God may be doing in and around you?
For many the end of the school year is a busy time, but I hope we can all start to think about the new rhythm of summer. Will you be intentional about deepening faith outside of this sanctuary with others? Can you be a guide to someone? Can you seek out a guide? Will you devote time for a regular hike or coffee where you can go deeper in faith? How will you open yourself to discovery this summer and not simply float along?
Jesus is the path to life. He walks patiently with us as we sort things out for ourselves, but when we truly encounter him, our eyes open to all the possibilities of what God is doing in and through us right here, right now.