“What are you discussing as you walk along?” (Luke 24:17)
Jesus joined the two walking along in their despair. They were lost, not on the road way – but entirely lost in thought. The kind of conversation where one isn’t really aware of one’s surroundings. I can picture repeated questions between the two, with no clear answers as they were reviewing harsh words, piercing accusations, and swift actions in Jerusalem. It had all happened so fast that while they knew the sequence of events, they could not make sense of it. So, the resurrected Jesus walked along with them, started over again with Moses and walked through God’s story so that they could understand. It was only after they broke bread together that they realized who was giving them such council – Jesus, the living Lord!
There is much in this story for us as a community of learning that is also a community of faith. The kind of understanding the two travelers were looking for was found in connection and relationship. Jesus walked with them, and went about a daily pattern of life with them – eating a meal. Meaning came from prolonged period of relational connection.
LCES staff spend up to 10,000 hours with our students from JK-8, living in a connected way with them. Formal instruction, personal conversations, shared trips and shared meals offer the stage for wise council. Spirit-led moments of discovery are formative as our students make sense of a world that is often harsh, inconsistent, and confusing – but ultimately is loved and redeemed by Christ. May our children also recognize Jesus along their road of life.
SJ
