Sermon for April 18, 1999

Sermon for April 18, 1999

Luke 24:28-29

"Time to Open Our Eyes"

As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them.

I have a lot in common with these men. The Disciples going home to Emmaus that first Easter were joined by an unknown guest. Carol and I going home from Bible Study last Thursday were also joined by an unknown guest, a member of the Douglas County Sheriff's Dept. Both the Emmaus Disciples and us experienced God's grace on our journeys. Jesus asked them questions and stayed with them. The patrolmen asked us questions and let us go with just a warning. On our life journey we will now be more likely to signal our turns onto the Interstate. On their journey, Jesus changed their whole life.

Like most of you, I've done a bit of travelling in life. I've moved a few times, and each time it's brought me new friends, new experiences, and new joys. Though I grew up in Minnesota, my journey with Jesus brought me to Colorado in 1985 and a month or two ago brought me here to a new church. It brought me through churches in North Dakota, California & Utah, and now here to this fine little congregation. And I'm so thankful God has given me this new opportunity to be your pastor. Like yours, my journey with Jesus has had some bumps and I've hit a few potholes. But God is good -- so very good -- and the journey has been surprisingly good, much better than I could have planned it. How good it is has usually depended on whether I had my eyes open or not.

Our journey with Jesus begins at baptism. In this wonderful event God washes us with water and removes our sin. The Bible says He washes us with His holy precious blood. Now there's a remarkable word picture -- being washed clean in blood! By the miracle of forgiveness, you and I are cleansed by the blood of the Lamb of God. The Bible says, "Though your sins are scarlet, they'll be white as snow." By the blood of the cross we are forgiven. By His resurrection we're given hope. Our Journey with Jesus begins at Baptism.

It continues with growth in God's Word. Not just growth. We all grow, but we don't all grow in God's Word. Growth in the Word comes with study and learning. Growth comes with worship and fellowship. It comes with faith and prayer. You and I grow when Christ is shared with us and we share Him with others. You and I aren't meant to travel alone -- we simply must travel with others. This journey is not for loners. That's why we're here today. Together we learn, together we find God's love. Together we're encouraged. Together we grow in His Word. We journey together. Our Journey with Jesus is meant to be shared.

Our Journey has many milestones -- education and training, marriage and family, work and vocation, service and fellowship. Our journey goes on until the grave. Then we come to our final destination, the eternal presence of God. God in His mercy lets us pass from this life to the next, to live with Him in a happiness more wonderful than any of us can imagine. In His life He's there beside us, showing us the way. Like the Emmaus Disciples, He explains the Word and shows the way. He's right there with us. We might not always know it, but He is. He's there to pick us up when we fall, and forgive us when we fail. And He loves us every step of the way.

What sort of a traveller are you? Do you enjoy things along the way, sharing thoughts with your fellow travellers? Do you stop and show kindness to others? Do you appreciate the road you're on, or do you just drive all night, head-long, stopping only for gas and bathroom, going, going, never resting till you finally get there, bleary-eyed and exhausted? Do you travel with your eyes open or are you asleep some of the time?

Do you ever stop at those Historic Markers by the roadside, or do you pass by thinking, "One of these days I'm going to stop and look at that." Are you the one who gets bored by the trip, killing time in the back seat listening to your headphones? Or do you complain the trip away?

Many travellers are unaware they're on the wrong road, and heading towards a cliff. Their heads are buried in their work, or they're busy with their toys. They think they're on the right road, but they have no destination. They think they know how to drive the car but they're headed for disaster. They need to stop the car and find a driver to show them the way to go.

I have three suggestions for our Journey with Jesus, three things to make our trip better, three helps to help get us where we want to go. They sound simple, but they're profound:

Travel Tip #1- Watch the Road. It won't always be smooth. We might think it should be smooth, but it will have potholes. And be sure you're on the right road. I once took a shortcut thru southern Wyoming. On the map the road looked great, straight and true and much shorter. But before we got off that road, we'd gone thru two livestock gates, dodged cattle herds and rocks, and forded a small stream. It took us 3 hours to cover 60 miles. Some of the cows looked at us as if we were the first humans they'd ever seen. My boys were only 10 and 12, and they still remember that road. They cleared rocks, opened gates and cheered Dad on. Watch the road you're taking...

On our Journey with Jesus, it's time to open our eyes and watch for rocks. Stay on the main road, even if it seems longer. Shortcuts promise much, but deliver little. God gives us a roadmap called the Bible. Read it carefully. Trust its contents. Open your eyes and watch the road! When you get lost, look at the map. In fact, read the map every day and you won't get lost.

Travel Tip #2 - Ask for Directions. There's nothing wrong with asking for directions. In 1979, I was driving my parents thru western Europe one day and I read the roadmap backwards. I wanted to cross a bridge, but couldn't find it. After two frustrating hours I discovered I was trying to cross a bridge west of me by going east. You can't do that! Finally I stopped and asked for directions, and even in Dutch the fellow showed me the right way to go.

On our Journey with Jesus, ask for directions. Let Him show you the way. Travel with others. Travelling alone these days is dangerous. Three years ago a young man found out it's not good even to walk alone for a block. He was mugged and left for dead. Thank God he came through it well. And take time out to visit with fellow travellers. Recently Carol and I called a couple we'd wanted to visit for several weeks and offered to bring pie to their house. $10 worth of pie was never enjoyed more. Take time out with fellow travellers. Speaking of that, don't forget our church is having a potluck April 29 - mark your calendars, and bring a dish to pass.

Travel Tip #3 - Travel Light. Most of us bring too much along, or we bring wrong things. We take too many toys and not enough clothing. Or we take too many clothes and too little money. We weigh ourselves down and wonder why we're so tired. We load our trunks with suitcases, our glove compartments with CDs, and the back seats with snacks. Our garages and basements look like a pack rat den, holding more and more, until the annual garage sale. Travel light.

During the last quarter of my last year at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, 28 years ago this spring, I noticed a lot of my fellow students loading up on books at the Sem bookstore. I guess we thought it was our last chance to get all the answers we'd need for the parish. I'll never forget a chapel message by a wise prof who told us, "Travel Light." He said to take just a few books, and not load up on those impressive but generally useless sets of Bible commentaries. Travel light - Ask for Directions - Watch the road.

These are my thoughts for your journey. And keep your eyes open because you might be joined by a stranger. We modern-day disciples have lots of questions, fears and concerns. Open your eyes, and see Jesus in the stranger walking with you. God sent Him to you, so listen to Him. Share His wisdom and love with fellow travellers.

Jesus Christ travelled the road of life, and it took Him to a grave. But thanks be to God His story didn't end there -- it never really ended at all. Christ is alive and lives for you and me. We don't know when our journey will end, but God will love us every step of the way. Open your eyes and see Jesus.

As Jesus so often taught with stories, so I want to conclude with one. It's called "THE RAGMAN." I saw a strange sight. I stumbled upon a story most strange, like nothing my life, my street sense, or my sly wit had prepared me for. Listen and I will tell it to you. Before the dawn one Friday morning I noticed a young man, handsome and strong, walking the alleys of our City. He was pulling an old cart filled with clothes both bright and new, and He was calling in a clear fine voice, "Rags!" Ah, the air was foul and the light was dreary to be crossed by so sweet a sound.

"Rags! New rags for old! I take your tired rags! Rags!" "Now this is a wonder", I thought to myself, for the man stood six-feet-four and his arms were like tree limbs, hard and muscular, and his eyes flashed intelligence. Could he find no better job than this, to be a Ragman in the inner city? I followed him. My curiosity drove me. And I wasn't disappointed. Soon the Ragman saw a woman sitting on her back porch. She was sobbing into a handkerchief, sighing, and shedding a thousand tears. Her shoulders shook, because her heart was breaking.

The Ragman stopped his cart. Quietly he walked to the woman, stepping around beer cans, broken bottles and Pampers. "Give me your rag," he said so gently, "and I'll give you another." He slipped the handkerchief from her eyes. She looked up and he laid across her palm a linen cloth so clean and new that it shined. She blinked from the gift to the giver.

Then, as he began to pull his cart again, the Ragman did a strange thing: he put her stained handkerchief to his own face; and then he began to weep, to sob as grievously as she had done, his shoulders shaking. Yet she was left without a tear. "This is a wonder," I said to myself, and I followed the sobbing Ragman like a child following a mystery. "Rags! Rags! New rags for old!"

In a little while, when the sky showed grey behind the rooftops and I could see tattered curtains hanging out blackened windows, the Ragman came upon a girl whose head was wrapped in a bandage, whose eyes were empty. Blood soaked her bandage. Blood ran down her cheek.

Now the tall Ragman looked upon this child with pity, and he drew a lovely yellow bonnet from his cart. "Give me your rag," he said, tracing his hand on her cheek, "and I'll give you mine." The child could only gaze emptily at him while he loosened the bandage, removed it, and tied it to his own head. The bonnet he set on hers. And I gasped at what I saw, for with the bandage went the wound! Against his brow ran a darker, more substantial blood -- his own!

"Rags! Rags! I take old rags!" cried the sobbing, bleeding, strong, intelligent Ragman. The sun shown brightly now, and hurt my eyes. The Ragman seemed more and more to hurry. "Are you going to work?" he asked a man who leaned against a telephone pole. The man shook his head. The Ragman pressed him, "Do you have a job?" "Are you crazy?" sneered the man, pulling away from the pole, revealing the right sleeve of his jacket -- flat, the cuff stuffed into his pocket. For he had no arm.

"So," said the Ragman. "Give me your jacket and I'll give you mine." Such quiet authority in his voice! The one-armed man took off his jacket. So did the Ragman -- and I trembled at what I saw, for the Ragman's arm stayed in its sleeve, and when the other put it on he had two good arms, thick as tree limbs. But the Ragman had only one. "Go to work," said the Ragman.

After that he found a drunk, lying unconscious beneath an army blanket, an old man, hunched, wizened and sick. He took that blanket and wrapped it around himself, but for the drunken man he left new clothes.

By now I had to run to keep up with the Ragman. Though he was weeping uncontrollably, bleeding freely at the forehead, pulling his cart with one arm, stumbling for drunkenness, falling again and again, exhausted, old and sick, yet he went with terrible speed. He skittered through the alleys of the City, this mile and the next, until he came to the city limits, and then he rushed beyond.

I wept to see the change in this man. I hurt to see his sorrow. And yet I needed to see where he was going in such haste, perhaps to know what drove him so.

The little old Ragman came to a landfill, to the garbage pits. I wanted to help him in what he did, but I hung back, hiding. He climbed a hill. With tormented labor he cleared a little space, and then he sighed and lay down. He pillowed his head on a handkerchief and a jacket. He covered his bones with an army blanket. And then he died.

Oh, how I cried to witness that death! I slumped in a junked car and wailed and mourned as one without hope -- because I had come to love the Ragman. Every other face had faded in the wonder of this man, and I cherished him. But he died. I sobbed to myself and slept. How long, I did not know. I slept through Friday night and Saturday and its night. But then, Sunday morning, I was wakened by a violence.

Light -- pure, hard demanding light -- slammed against my face, and I blinked, and I looked, and I saw the last and first wonder of all. There was the Ragman, folding the blanket most carefully, a scar across his forehead, but alive! Alive and healthy! There was no sign of sorrow nor of age, and all the rags that he had gathered now shined sparkling clean.

Then I lowered my head and, trembling for what I had seen, I walked up to the Ragman. I told him my name in shame, for I was a sorry figure next to him. Then I took off all my clothes, and said to him, "Dress me." And He dressed me. My Lord, he put new clothes on me, and now I am a wonder beside him -- the Ragman! The Ragman! The Christ!

Jesus the Christ lived His life for others. He loved us and did all that was needed. And when it was all done, He climbed a landfill called Calvary and gave His life for us. It's time to open your eyes and trust Him, my friends. Let Him take your rags and clothe you with righteousness. Amen.

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