Word and Sacrament

Rebecca Sheridan
Sunday, April 19, 2026
Luke 24:13-35

What do you think was Jesus’ favorite food?  Well, since Jesus doesn’t play favorites, my guess is he loves all food and would say he doesn’t have a favorite food. Or, if I was hard-pressed to pick something, I’d say bread is Jesus’ favorite food. He speaks about himself as the bread of life, he multiplies loaves, he breaks bread with his disciples at the Last Supper, and in our gospel for this morning, once again, he breaks the bread, blesses it, and gives it to these two disciples.  And it is in sharing a meal, in the breaking of the bread together, that these disciples realize who this stranger really is – their risen Lord.
    Sharing a meal with others can be incredibly powerful.  I still remember the first meal Rich cooked for me when we started dating, and every time he makes it, it brings me back to those early days of our relationship!  Can you think of a time when you shared a meal with someone that was particularly memorable, or even life-changing?  Research has consistently shown over decades now that families who prioritize meal times together regularly  - sitting down together to eat and talk with one another without any distracting screens – improves mental health outcomes for the parents and children alike.  It strengthens the trust between parents, children, and siblings and creates a sense of belonging, safety, and love.  
In many cultures, offering food is how you show people love.  Rich’s father was half-Italian, and we have his top-secret family tomato sauce recipe.  He loved to cook and love his family through Italian food in particular.  Cooking his food keeps his memory alive for us.  Recently, our kids had to research their cultural backgrounds for their school’s multicultural week, and we discovered what we already knew to be true – that in fact Italian food has been designated as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO – food is that important in Italian culture.  Multicultural night is coming up at school, and it’s consistently been a way for our school community to build relationships through sharing of our different cultural foods.  Food breaks down barriers of difference and encourages transformative relationships.
    This Emmaus meal that Jesus shares with two disciples is transformative.  Cleopas and the unnamed follower of Christ are walking away from Jerusalem – about a day’s journey of 7 miles.  They are stuck in the mood of Good Friday, and almost to the point of despair.  They know Jesus was crucified. They have heard rumors that he is alive again, but they are reluctant to hope.  “We had hoped,” they tell the stranger.  Past tense.  Isn’t it interesting, though they are called disciples of Jesus, they do not recognize him.  They call him a stranger.  They are keeping their distance from this stranger, from hope.  But as they talk and arrive in Emmaus together, they let up on their guard.  They strongly urge this stranger to stay with them.  As they eat this holy meal, witnessing Jesus breaking bread and blessing it once more, they realize who they’ve been walking with all along.  They no longer have to doubt or despair – the risen Christ has been with them this whole time – not a stranger at all, but their Teacher, Messiah and Lord.
    It is still the Easter season and we are God’s Easter people!  Every Sunday, even if it’s in November or December, is still a little Easter for us. We gather for worship around Word and Sacrament, a holy meal of breaking bread together, to celebrate that the risen Christ has never left us but in fact has always been with us and is with us still.  This holy meal brings together people from all over the world, from different cultures and backgrounds who may enjoy quite different kinds of food, to make strangers friends and even more than friends – brothers and sisters in Christ.  This holy meal in fact challenges us to recognize the risen Christ among us and within one another.  The food that Christ offers us still has the power to transform our lives!
    As we continue to reflect on stories of Jesus appearing to the disciples after his resurrection, I want us to not only recall the story, but think about what it means for us today that Christ is risen, he is risen indeed, Alleluia!  The story of the travelers on the road to Emmaus is quite relatable for us today.  How do we refrain from calling someone a stranger to instead recognizing the face of Christ in someone we do not know yet?  How do we offer hospitality and welcome to those we meet, especially when they walk through these doors of our church?  
    As Lutheran Christians, we sometimes throw this phrase “Word and Sacrament” around assuming others know what we are talking about, but it’s an admittedly lofty, churchy phrase.  What we are talking about, though, is essentially living out the story of Emmaus.  We walk together, we have a discipline of reading/hearing/studying/reflecting on the Word of God as revealed to us in the scriptures, and we share a meal together, recognizing that the risen Christ is at that table with us.  In some ways, it’s very ordinary. It’s a routine part of our daily lives – eating, drinking, talking and listening.  Yet that word “Sacrament” means “holy things.”  In the Sacrament of Holy Communion, Christ makes the ordinary holy.  Bread and wine become his body and blood.  We are reminded of his death and resurrection at the table.  The resurrected Christ still showing up today for us in ordinary things like bread and wine, revealing truth to us through words on a page that we read or hear, is in fact incredibly holy, power, and often life-changing, believe it or not!
    So when we think about how we live as God’s resurrection people today, being strengthened by Word and Sacrament through regular weekly worship is no small thing.  We need the body of Christ as our community to support us and strengthen us and reminds us that we are not strangers, especially not to God.  We need Christ’s body and blood to help us live out our faith, knowing that Christ lives in us.  May our hearts burn within us, and may we recognize Christ walking among us.  Amen!