Remember back in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic and the major impact on all things normal in our world? Who can forget?
One word I heard that year, more than maybe ever before, was the word “pivot.” A cute little word that was more than overused to signal that everything was different, plans were thwarted, and what we thought was gonna happen, certainly could never happen now. We’re going to pivot and hold school online. We’re going to pivot and work from home. We’re going to pivot and hold church on the lawn. We’re going to pivot and turn indoor restaurants into sidewalk cafes.
The two men on the road to Emmaus appear to have a plan in mind. Headed from point A, Jerusalem, to point B, a village seven miles away, they walked. They likely timed their journey out so they left not too early nor too late. They had witnessed events that made for interesting conversation for much of their journey.
They knew some stuff, they had a lot of facts straight, they’d paid attention.
“Jesus of Nazareth. Powerful in word. Powerful in deed. A prophet—he had authority to speak for God. He had died by crucifixion. And now his body cannot be found. Angels had appeared, saying Jesus of Nazareth was not dead, but alive.”
Lots of correct information. But so what?
These two men knew a lot, but didn’t see the connection between the events that had occurred and their lives personally. Off to their home village they went. Pretty wild weekend in Jerusalem, but now it was back to everyday life in Emmaus.
It wasn’t until later, when Jesus, still with them, gave thanks and broke the bread, symbolizing his body, that the men recognized their world had shifted. It was time to pivot. Normalcy in Emmaus was no longer an option. “Pivot” meant they returned to Jerusalem, they found the disciples, and they couldn’t keep quiet about Jesus the Messiah.
I reflect on Easter Sunday… We sat in comfy pews… or chairs, wore pastel church clothes, sang resurrection-themed worship songs, and maybe, after church, ate ham and hid Easter eggs.
Does my life direction pivot because Jesus rose from the grave? 2,000 years after these two men met a risen savior on a road to a village, do I live in light of an empty tomb? The resurrection says Jesus won. The crucified Messiah is alive, and his victory over sin and death means salvation is possible for every one of us. May we live with this in mind, may we not keep the good news of Easter to ourselves.
Donielle Winter
EFCC Member