“Heartburn” (Luke 24:13-35)

One of my favorite meats to grill is flank steak.  It is a family favorite with everyone at family gatherings.  My wife, Dana, marinates the meat in lots of hot and spicy herbs and spices . . . which is not something I usually enjoy, but for this cut of meat it is wonderful.  I enjoy it every time as I savor each and every bite.

One of my least favorite meats to grill and eat is flank steak.  Because it is marinated in lots of hot and spicy herbs and spices . . . it gives me heartburn.  I moan and groan the whole evening . . . I toss and turn all night . . . and, I always vow that I will never ever submit my stomach to such pain.  It is a terrible feeling, but it is a feeling that gets my attention and demands some sort of response . . . each and every time!

Well, guess what . . . I must have a poor memory because I still grill flank steak at least once a month from April through September.  It has become a “love/hate” relationship.  I guess I have come to the conclusion that it is worth the heartburn to enjoy the steak.  Maybe some day I will come to my senses, but I doubt it.

Heartburn is said to be a painful burning or discomfort in the upper chest or mid-chest—that area around the heart.  It can be caused by underlying diseases or from such things as spicy food, alcohol, overeating, or even tight clothing.  It is the stomach sending a message that it is not too happy and wants some attention.  If you have ever had it, you know what I am talking about.  So, in response we do a variety of things . . . we take an anti-acid of some sort, we lie down . . . we do something.  After eating flank steak my stomach lets me know . . . and, I, in return, just want to crawl and lie down somewhere to die until it passes.  Heartburn is a hint that something needs attention.

I think that we can have physical heartburn . . . and, we can have spiritual heartburn.  I think that we all understand, and have probably experienced, physical heartburn.  It is the spiritual heartburn that we need to consider this morning.  This morning our scripture reading speaks to this idea of spiritual heartburn.

On the same day that Jesus had his second encounter with the disciples behind closed doors, there were two disciples making their way from Jerusalem to Emmaus.  As they were walking and talking about all the things that had happened, they encounter a stranger.  The stranger begins to walk with them and asks what they were talking about.  Of course, they tell him all about the things that had taken place . . . the words of the prophets, the trial, the crucifixion, and the empty tomb.  The stranger kinds of looks at them strangely and basically says, “And, why did you not believe?”  From that point on the stranger gave them a theological discourse worthy of the world’s best seminaries.  He covered it all from the beginning through Moses and all the prophets telling what it all meant about the Messiah.

To say the least, they were enthralled with the stranger and all that he was sharing.  They had lost track of time and place as they walked, then suddenly they were to their destination.  As they stopped, the stranger kept going.  They urged him to stay.  Together they had a meal.  The stranger “took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.”  Suddenly their eyes were opened to who the stranger was . . . it was Jesus.  Then he disappeared. 

Astonished is probably not even a good word to describe what the two felt of their encounter with Jesus.  Excitedly they compared notes and asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”  And, there it is!  Heartburn!  The disciples had a case of heartburn . . . spiritual heartburn.

From where does spiritual heartburn come?

For some I think it came from when we were exploring and learning about Jesus and what it means to be a person of faith.  During that time, we are reading the scriptures and stories of Jesus . . . learning more about him and how much he loves us . . . of how we can come into intimate relationship with God.  It was something that grew within us until we thought our hearts were going to burst . . . and, we responded by giving our lives over to follow him wherever he led. 

I think that is probably the first encounter most of us have with spiritual heartburn . . . that desire to follow Jesus and to enter relationship with God.  And, there are other ways.  I think that the other comes, fortunately or unfortunately, as our faith grows, and we understand better and more deeply what it is that Jesus is asking us to do as we follow him.  Faith moves beyond that stage of infatuation with the beloved into the stage of living that love out.  It comes from reading and hearing the stories of Jesus and the people he encountered . . . the people he stood up for . . . the people he spoke for . . . the people who were on the outside looking in.  It comes as we realize that nothing has changed . . . those people exist in our day and age . . . they still hurt, struggle, demand justice, demand to be seen, accepted, and included.  Seeing those around us our hearts burn to reach out and love as Jesus loved and acted.  That is spiritual heartburn.

So, if heartburn is demanding attention . . . demanding action, then it makes sense that to get rid of it we must do something.  As the two disciples congratulated themselves for having encountered Jesus, they did not idly sit by and do nothing.  No . . . in their belief they hightailed it back to Jerusalem, found the other disciples, and told them everything that had happened.  But, most importantly, they let them know that they believed.  They especially believed that Jesus called them to follow . . . all was not lost, there was still a future and much to be done.

To get rid of heartburn you have to respond and do something.  For the heartburn brought upon us when we encounter those whom Jesus ministered to and loved . . . for the hungry, we feed them . . . for the naked, we clothe them . . . for the imprisoned, we visit . . . for the lonely, we sit with them . . . for the oppressed, we free them.  For whatever it is that burns within our hearts, we respond . . . we respond by believing . . . we respond through love . . . we respond through action . . . we respond as Jesus would.

And . . . it makes us feel good.  It feels right.

As we continue the Easter journey to discover Jesus in the world around us, let us be mindful of where we feel our hearts burning . . . let us be prayerful of how we respond to the heartburn we feel.  And, let us embrace the knowledge that Easter brings . . . there is a better world waiting for us.  Our hearts burn for it . . . let us respond in kind.  Amen.

“Peace to Believe” (John 20:19-31)

Fear is a great immobilizer . . . it can stop you in your tracks . . . it can make you run . . . it can keep you from ever fulfilling your potential, realizing the opportunities for growth, and knowing how to truly love.  Fear is used to keep people in place . . . to scare them off . . . and to control them.  Nailing Jesus to a cross was an act meant to create fear . . . was an act meant to send a message to Jesus’ followers . . . you could be next!

From what we saw from Jesus’ disciples would confirm that they got the message loud and clear.  In our reading this morning we heard that the disciples were in hiding behind locked doors “for fear of the Jewish leaders”.  The disciples were scared.  Their leader, teacher, master, and friend had been brutally beaten, nailed to a cross, and left to die.  Everything that they had put their heads and hearts into was gone . . . destroyed.  And, they understood the message being conveyed . . . they could easily be on the next cross if they weren’t careful.  So, they were hiding . . . hiding behind locked doors with no clue what they were going to do to escape this nightmare engulfing their lives.

Do you see the power of fear?  Do you see what fear can do?  The disciples—all the followers of Jesus—were in the gripe of fear.  A gripe that choked the dream to its death . . .

. . . or so it seemed.

Something happened.  The writer of our scripture reading this morning tells us that in the confines of their locked dwelling, Jesus suddenly appeared among the disciples.  He greeted them, “Peace be with you!”  Then he showed them his hands and side . . . he was alive!  The disciples were overjoyed.  And, again, Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you!”  With this encounter the disciples believed.

But not all believed.  Thomas, one of the original twelve, had not been there when everyone else encounter the risen Jesus.  He would not take their word for it.  If Jesus was alive, he wanted to see for himself before he would believe.  So it was, a week later, in the same locked house, that Jesus appeared among those gathered—Thomas included.  Again, he greeted them, “Peace be with you!”  Then he told Thomas to touch his wounds for himself . . . to “stop doubting and believe.”  Thomas then believed.

Something happened.  With the presence of Jesus something clicked

for the disciples . . . something changed.  The fear began to leak out of the darkness of their lives.  Hope was born.  There was a tomorrow.  Life would go on . . . and Jesus was proof of that.  They were beginning to understand . . . to understand the words Jesus had spoken . . . to understand the actions that Jesus had taken . . . to understand that Jesus had shown them the way.  God’s will would be fulfilled.  Now, it didn’t happen over night as we all well know, but with the encounter with Jesus something happened for the disciples.  In all the fear and turmoil, they were told to discover “peace”.  Out of the peace they would discover belief.

The word “peace” gets thrown around a lot and has different meaning to different people.  There is the “peace” in which there is an absence of war and fighting.  There is “peace” in which one finds tranquility from stress.  And, there are probably a whole lot more meanings to that word “peace”, but the “peace” that Jesus speaks about is all that stuff and much more.  Remember, Jesus said that his “peace” was not of this world . . . his was the “peace” to believe.

Over in chapter 14, verse 27, of the Gospel of John, Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Jesus tells this to his disciples during that last meal in the upper room as he is discussing with them the craziness that they are all about to enter.  His words are meant to bring to them assurance that things would work out no matter what happens . . . that everything that had happened would not die but find new life.  Thus, he offers to them “peace” . . . “peace” to believe and do what he has taught and shown them through his own life.  It is a “peace” that allows them to go forth and live life in loving God and others as God has loved them . . . no matter what . . . no matter what life throws at them.  It is a peace to believe.

That “something” that happened in that locked room was born in the words the risen Jesus said, “Peace be with you!”

It has been said that “proof is in the pudding.”  So, it was when the disciples encounter the risen Jesus in that locked room.  The words of Mary Magdalene were true . . . Jesus lives!  Now they knew it for themselves . . . saw him with their own eyes.  Seeing the defeated climb up off the floor and enter once again in the fray, brings a sense of hope.  Nothing can keep it down, not even death.  There is a better tomorrow . . . there is new life . . . that is the promise Jesus fulfills.  The future has been seen and now it is up to the disciples to get there.  Nothing can stop them, not even death . . . and there is a sense of peace that allows them to believe.

On April 3^rd, 1968, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered a speech in Memphis, Tennessee in support of the striking sanitation workers . . . striking for their civil rights . . . striking to be seen equal to all people no matter what their color or race.  It is one of the highlights of the Civil Rights movement during a contentious time in our nation’s history.  It was a speech that he gave the day before he was assassinated . . . an act meant to create fear and stop a movement.

In this speech King shares the history of the movement, much like the history of God’s children in the Old Testament.  He talks about the tactics of violence and fear.  Tells of the difficulty of the movement striving to reach equality.  He prods the people not to give up hope . . . to keep fighting for their equal rights.  They can’t let fear win.  They will prevail.  That it is God’s will.

Despite all the turmoil around him . . . despite the violent threats against him, despite it all, King was at peace . . . he believed. He closed his speech with these words:

Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

In Easter we see the promise fulfilled . . . we see the future before us . . . and, it is good.  It is God’s will.  There is hope, but more importantly there is peace . . . not the world’s peace, but God’s peace.  No matter what happens we are in God’s hands . . . God will not abandon us.  There is a sense of peace in knowing that that allows us to believe . . . and believing, we can face anything.

During this time of pandemic in a world that was already a little unnerving, we step into the peace that is found on Easter . . . in that peace we discover hope . . . we believe.  God is with us, always with us.  So, let us go forth and live our lives in the love of God and love others as God has loved us despite what the world throws at us.  Jesus lives . . . he is with us . . . he tells us, “Peace be with you!”

And, we believe.  Amen.