Seeing Jesus in Your Routine. Luke 24:13-32

From the Anchor sermon "Feeling Far From God" preached by Pastor Ryan Alsheimer. Communion message by Pastor Kaler Carpenter.

The beauty of this story is that Christ and His presence was with the two disciples throughout the entire journey...

even when they didn’t realize it.

Often times, we may feel far away from God, or like He doesn’t care when we’re discouraged. But, the whole time, 

He is walking beside us, encouraging us, speaking truth into our lives.

In the midst of trials and tribulations, our prayer should be, “Lord, give us eyes to see that you truly are with us.”

Now, in this story and even in those special moments when God reveals Himself to us, it is the Holy Spirit performing the supernatural work of “opening our eyes,” to the reality of Jesus Christ and his resurrection power. That said, on a practical level,

God is one to use the ordinary and the familiar, in order to reveal to us the love of Christ in supernatural ways.

In the case of the two disciples, this revelation was experienced through “the breaking of bread.” In this text, when it says, “ He took bread and broke it”, it refers to sharing a common meal--an ordinary meal where one person takes an ordinary loaf and divides it to be passed out. 

Thinking back to the disciples’ time spent walking with Jesus, they likely enjoyed dozens, if not hundreds of meals with their Master. At the start of each meal, Jesus, as is customary for rabbis, “took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.”

Each one of these meals, though ordinary, was made special to these men because they shared a table with Jesus and enjoyed his presence.

At this inn located outside Emmaus, the Holy Spirit used the very moment of Jesus breaking the bread (in the exact same way that he’s done so with them many times before) to bring their hearts back to the past times when Christ was with them, and then, reveal to them that

the very same Jesus is with them now

in their time of extreme discouragement. 

Friends, “Why does this church break bread every week?” If we do it at every worship service, wouldn’t that make a special sacrement, ordinary? I love how Pastor Don once answered this question, with a question. He said, “Why doesn’t your church break bread every week?”

You see, there’s value to finding Christ in a familiar routine.

• By coming to church regularly and fellowshipping with the saints,
• by reading the same scriptures over and over again,
• and by coming to the table and remembering the death and resurrection of Jesus, 

ESPECIALLY when you feel far away from God, 

you are, in effect, creating a space in the midst of your ordinary routing where you’re inviting the Holy Spirit to supernaturally work in your heart to remind you that God’s love is, indeed, oh so real. 

So, when we come to the table tonight, bring your burdens and your doubts, and come with an open mind and an open heart. I pray that, 

when you participate in this familiar act, your spiritual eyes will be opened, and your own hearts will, like the disciples’, “burn within” with the reality of His resurrection.

It’s a reality that encompasses every aspect of the human experience,

the good times, 

and even the bad.