Walking From Pukehinahina to Emmaus and Back

The live version can be heard here


Gate Pa – Year A 3rd  Sunday in Easter,

Readings:
Psalm                          Psalm: 116:1-4, 12-19                                                                    
First Reading:                    Acts 2:14, 36-41         
Second Reading:              1 Peter 1:17-23                                              
Gospel:                                Luke 24:13-35                                                                  
What I want to say:
What are our stories of the Battle of Gate Pa or WWI/WWII etc?
Where is resurrection in these stories, or where do we see resurrection in light of these stories?

The Sermon

       1.     Introduction:

Last Tuesday some of us gathered at one of the services held during the day to remember all who have fought overseas from these shores
initially for British Empire
then for Aotearoa-New Zealand
Over these last few years we have particularly recalled the events and horrors of 100 years ago
WWI
and how  it cost the people of this land so dearly
And yesterday
some gathered in town and on this site to recall the events and horrors of Te Pakanga o Pukehinahina – Battle of Gate Pa
one last battles of New Zealand Land Wars
and how it cost the people of this land so dearly.
I could speak at length about both of these events
            I have in the past
today want to offer a chance for you to talk to some of your neighbours about your families stories from either Battle of Gate Pa
            or WWI
            or any other wars your family has been caught up in
so invite you spend next 10 minutes talking neighbour

      2.     Emmaus

This morning our gospel reading is well known story of two disciples
crushed by watching all their longings for peace and all their hopes of an end to violence of occupation being brutally nailed to a cross
two disciples bewildered by loss and the strange account from some of the women in their group that an angel had told them Jesus was no longer dead
and confused by Peters finding an empty tomb and the clothes Jesus had been wrapped in folded to one side.
They return to their home to resume life in the grey hopelessness
And on the way a stranger buts in and joins the conversation
asking what made them so sad
getting them to tell the story of their loss
and then placing that story within the much larger story of God and creation
the story told by biblical writers.
They have no idea who the stranger is
but his words offer hope and some consolation in the midst of their despair and confusion.
Once they arrive home they insist this stranger stay
partly because of social custom and the requirements to offer hospitality
and partly because they want to be with this man
and to listen to him for longer.
At the meal this stranger leans over and takes the bread, just as Jesus had done
gives thanks for it – just as Jesus had done
and breaks it before given them each a piece
just as Jesus had done.
Their eyes are opened
they see who the stranger is
it is the risen Jesus
there in the midst of their grief and bewilderment.
they rush to re-join the disciples in Jerusalem
and add their bit  to the growing story there

      3.     Brian McLaren

Brain McLaren describes what happens next like this
“It's dark when we reach Jerusalem. Between this day's sunrise and today's sunset, our world has been changed for ever. Everything is new. From now on, whenever we break the bread and drink the wine, we will know that we are not alone. The risen Christ is with us, among us, and within us - just as he was today, even though we didn't recognise him. Resurrection has begun. We are part of something rare, something precious, something utterly revolutionary.
It feels like an uprising. An uprising of hope, not hate. An uprising armed with love, not weapons. An uprising that shouts a joyful promise of life and peace, not angry threats of hostility and death. It's an uprising of outstretched hands, not clenched fists. It's the 'one day' we have always dreamed of, emerging in the present, rising up among us and within us. It's so different from what we expected - so much better. This is what it means to be alive, truly alive. This is what it means to be en route, walking the road to a new and better day
Let's tell the others: The Lord is risen! He is risen, indeed! Lord is risen! He is risen,
indeed! Lord is risen! He is risen, indeed!”[1]

      4.     We too are people of an uprising

today we began
like those two disciples
with our own stories
stories of tragic events
cost people of this land so dearly
In light of those stories
what does it mean for us to say
We too are people of an uprising
As we tell our stories
what does it mean for us to say
The risen Christ is with us, among us, and within us - just as he was today, even though we didn't recognise him. Resurrection has begun. We are part of something rare, something precious, something utterly revolutionary.”



[1] p.208 – 209, We Make the Road By Walking by Brian McLaren. 2014.

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