Rev'd Up for Sunday

"The Road to Emmaus" Luke 24:13-35 | Episode 255

St. Mark's New Canaan Season 1 Episode 255

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0:00 | 34:00

Imagine Jesus joining you for a long walk and you don't even recognize him! Peter Walsh and John Kennedy explore the post-resurrection story of the road to Emmaus. What does it teach us that Jesus isn't recognized until he breaks bread with his friends, how did Luke's community make sense of this deeply Jewish story and Messiah, and how does this story mirror those of Adam & Eve or Abraham & Sarah?

Questions for Further Discussion

Themes and Application

  1. This story moves from scripture to table, from Word to Sacrament. Why might both understanding and experience matter in faith?
  2. Hospitality becomes the doorway to revelation when the disciples invite the stranger to stay. How can welcoming others open us to God?
  3. Once they recognize Jesus, they immediately return to community. Why is faith so often completed in shared witness rather than private insight alone?


Personal Reflection

  1. Have you ever realized later that something sacred was happening in a moment you almost missed?
  2. What practices help your heart “burn within you” spiritually: prayer, study, service, worship, beauty, silence, community?
  3. Is there someone you are being invited to welcome, listen to, or walk beside this week?


Broader Spiritual Considerations

  1. What does it mean that Jesus is recognized not through power, but through shared bread?
  2. How might churches become more like the Emmaus road: places where people can bring grief, ask questions, and discover new hope?
  3. If Christ can be present unrecognized among strangers, what does that imply about how we treat the people we meet each day?

Learn more about St. Mark's at https://www.stmarksnewcanaan.org