Hearing God in Communion

‘We’ve been walking the Emmaus road, discovering first how to discern God’s word in the Scriptures, in prophecy and ultimately in Christ, and second how to discern God’s whisper in the realms of dreams and conscience, friendships and culture. It’s deliberately only been a taster menu, a simple guide to a vast and important field of spiritual formation. I’d encourage you, therefore, to explore more and go deeper in the particular areas that interest you, using... the Lectio 365 devotional and the Lectio Divina Course which is designed to accompany this book.

But there is one final, beautiful aspect of the Emmaus story to consider as we conclude, which draws together all the other threads and themes in this book so far.

“When he was at the table with them, [Jesus] took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him.” (Luke 24:30–1 NIV UK)

The moment of recognition comes as Jesus re-enacts the Last Supper. It is, if you like, a moment of Communion.’

‘...when Jesus breaks the bread, we are reminded of his body so cruelly broken for us on the cross. We take his broken body into our own broken bodies and somehow in this moment we become the body of Christ, born again and again and again: the community through which he still speaks, the walking, talking embodiment – literally – of his Word in the world.

Every time we share Communion, the word of God is spoken out again in Jesus (through his life, death and resurrection, through the Scriptures, through his Spirit, through the Church), and we receive that word into our lives.’

For the couple who met him on the road to Emmaus, ‘Jesus revealed himself to them in an astounding personal encounter, and now they would be witnesses to his resurrection for generations to come. He opened the Scriptures to them in a way that left their ‘hearts burning within’, perhaps for the rest of their lives. They have broken bread with the resurrected Son of God, and nothing could ever be the same again. Having heard God’s word in the Scriptures, having experienced his word with burning hearts and having personally encountered God’s Word in Christ, let us too become carriers of that word to the world.’

Lord, thank you for the gift of your broken body and your spilled blood. Nothing compares to this. Help me to carry your word to the world.

Amen.