Sermon – Being Known
Genesis 45:1-7; Luke 24: 13-31
Farmville Presbyterian Church
10/6/24
It is absolutely no surprise to anyone that this is now officially the time for costumes of every sort and description. Everybody from Walmart to Party City is advertising the latest and greatest costumes for the littles and adults alike. Halloween is coming, and that might not be what you expect to hear in church. Personally, I have no beef with Halloween, per se, and enjoy the fun of dressing up with the community. I believe you might find me at 313 First Avenue on Halloween evening. The question is will you recognize me?
Even though this may not seem like church conversation, think again, because the whole reason for costumes is to be not recognized, UNrecognized. We hide our identities behind masks or costumes and have done so for more generations than we can count. Masks are as old as culture and have had their place. Here, we are considering the opposite. In fact, we are going from not being recognized to being recognized, from being unknown to being known.
While it might be fun to get dressed up in costumes, we have a much greater need to be known. It is so much more fun to go through life being recognized in good and healthy ways than to be perpetually ignored. Being known is one of those basic human needs like being heard, and in being truly known, we can experience something precious about the wonder of God.
Both of today’s stories are great. I deeply love the Jospeh saga through the end of Genesis: his rise, his fall, his rise, his fall, his rise, his fall, and his rise. He rose to prominence among his father’s children, and he fell from that privilege when his brothers sold him into slavery. He rose to prominence managing an Egyptian home as a household slave, and he fell from that privilege when he was framed for attempted rape and was imprisoned. He rose to prominence when he interpreted Pharaoh’s dream and became powerful among the leaders of Egypt, and I am saying he fell again when his brothers showed up at this doorstep looking for help. He fell emotionally, crushed and tortured, not knowing which way to act. He framed them with crime and manipulated them into bringing the youngest brother back to Egypt which nearly devastated their father. He orchestrated an elaborate test to see what kind of men they had become, but he also wanted to see his baby brother. When he struggled to identify himself to his brothers, he was so overcome with all of his feelings that his crying rang through the heights of Egypt, but Joseph did rise, again, and in telling his brothers who he was, he was able to give them forgiveness, grace, and compassion. They found mercy in knowing Joseph, again.
Jesus’ story is stranger and raises more questions. For some reason, the travelers are not allowed to recognize Jesus or maybe they cannot because of their grief and the obvious fact that they should NOT recognize someone who just died. It would be irrational to recognize a person who could not be alive. We are not given a reason for the deception, but it seems to be important for them to not know who Jesus is. This is the occasion for Jesus to explain God’s story of grace and redemption. This was the time to understand why Jesus had to die on a cross, something no one expected even though he pointed to his death again and again. They were blinded like Paul with those scales on his eyes after his trip to Damascus. They could not see the face of Jesus right in front of them.
We cannot understand truly what was going on here, but we can see the incredible hook, the incredible turn. The beauty is that the moment Jesus broke bread with them, they did recognize him. There in the breaking of bread, they knew their Messiah and that he was alive.
We don’t need to dwell on WHY Jesus did not seem to want to stop for food. We don’t need to dwell on WHY Jesus suddenly vanished the moment their eyes were opened. Like I said, this story does not tie up neatly and nicely. What we need to see is that in the moment of breaking bread, they saw. In the breaking of bread, Jesus was known.
Today is a breaking-of-bread moment. It is so incredibly easy to take Communion for granted, the bread and juice. It does not matter if you share in the meal once a year or once a week. We can take it for granted either way. We can lose sight of what it is we are supposed to see – who it is that we are supposed to know. Honestly, partly the minister’s fault who is trying to not hold people too long. Communion can become rushed, and we can easily forget whether it was this week or last week or if we celebrated the Lord’s Supper at all. Today is such a special sharing in the Lord’s Supper for me in that we are breaking bread and sharing the cup with so many followers of Christ in this moment that we cannot even imagine the number. That is exciting. Here in this meal, we are able to know the actual Body of Christ in a special way. The people of God spans so many places and so many borders. It holds so many lives and dreams and experiences and commitments. Here Christ Jesus really needs to be known. When Jesus gave us the bread and cup, he gave us himself. Here in his brokenness is how he told us to know him.
If we lose the moment, if we skip over something so important, we will not know the beauty of being in Christ together. It is like watching about the devastation from Hurricane Helene and then just turning the channel. Things are happening all the time that affect our sisters and brothers in faith, and without stopping to know what they are, we make their lives worth as much as paper the story is printed on or the electricity bringing us the report. God puts a premium on knowing and being known. The same God who knows us and is known in the breaking of bread has been calling people, claiming people, naming people, redeeming people, and loving people into relationship from the beginning of time. The same God equips us and sends us to know our neighbor, especially in need and in our own brokenness.
The Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Agency is one of the best arms of the PCUSA and does good enduring ministry where disaster strikes. This is part of an update from 10/3 posted on the bulletin board in the lobby, but they are part of a large and dedicated community of disaster response organizations and have three initial deployment teams in Tampa Bay Presbytery, Holston Presbytery (Eastern Tennessee), and Western North Carolina Presbytery. Two additional deployments are scheduled to Northeast Georgia Presbytery and Foothills Presbytery (South Carolina). In addition, PDA has sent six initial assistance grants to six Presbyteries to support unmet immediate needs and two church damage grants. There will be additional grants and years of service to come.
There are those who are content to not know who is on the other side of the fence, the other side of the street, or the other side of town. There are those who are content to leave the ones who have lost everything in Helene as nameless and faceless victims. There are those who are content to make the family of God as anonymous as possible, but that is not the way of Jesus. He wants us to know him and to know each other. Here in this breaking of bread and sharing the cup, we have an introduction to him and to everyone else who is taking this cup with us right now. May we all be known in love.
To God be the glory. Amen.