conversation about a post resurrection conversation

Lately I have been thinking about conversations. You know,the ones that are made of more than just small talk about weather or sports or royal weddings. The kind that eclipse the everyday hype that seem to fill up the voids in our minds. True conversations about things that really should matter. Ones with words that excite,enrapture, and encapsulate the mind. I am talking about those conversations that happen on a so infrequent basis that they change our lives by challenging our lives. It is the existence of those such conversations that are fraught with so much that we can almost miss them. We don't seem to have them as much as we should. Instead we talk around each other, or talk about each other, or worse yet we frame the conversation we may be involved with in such a way that marginalizes people , make them less that so our words seem more important . I, personally have been guilty of such conversations. I really don't want to do that anymore. 

 I really want to be more like Jesus -especially with the two travelers' on the road to Emmaus. [Luke 24:13-34] It is in this post Resurrection story we find a pair of men walking along .conversing as they go, when Jesus joins them unrecognized. The three strike up a conversation about the important life challenging ,life changing events of the past several days since the Passover in Jerusalem. They talk of the prophet Jesus and the loss of hope that came with his death. The conversations turns to the some what doubtful story told by a few women followers of Jesus that he was risen from the dead. But those tales turned out to be untrue.

What is about this conversation that has captured my imagination? I am not really sure. What I do know is that While thinking about what I wanted to write here I am struck by a conversation Wonder and I had recently. The short version of it would be that we as Christians have chosen to be Christians because it is the one faith that offers any real hope. I can tie that to the conversation on the road to Emmaus by the comment made[ Luke 24:21] And we had hoped that he would be the one to liberate Isra'el! Besides all that, today is the third day since these things happened; Complete Jewish Bible] The death of the prophet//Rabbi Jesus represented the death of the Hebrew hope of their liberation. Several things stick out to me here.

One, that hope can be easily lost ,maybe more so, than gained. Especially when there is the expectation of 'liberation” Or restoration. Or Freedom. I have often noted- ;particularly among political conversations , that there is very little in the way of hope Ever wonder why that is? I have to suspect that is the work of an enemy who wants to steal our hope, especially if that hope empowers us to do things greater than we could imagine before that hope arrived.

Two, Hope can be misplaced. For myself I have been re-learning what is that I really have hope in. One of the things I have noticed about the followers of the teacher/rabbi/prophet called Jesus is that they some how missed out on him claiming his God-hood. I don't know about you but that is kinda important. Without Jesus being who he said he is; he then becomes another man. Fallible. Misguided. Powerless to deliver on his promise of hope –'specially if he is dead.

Three, Hope can be revived. The news of Jesus resurrection at first offered a brief glimmer that hope had returned. Of course not finding what was expected dashed that moment. Then there was the Jewish tradition that taught that after three days the spirit left the body of the deceased;making any hope of resurrection or renewal impossible. Hope Denied.

Lastly I see that Jesus explains the real interpretation of the Scripture and the Messiah,that he had to suffer before being raised from the dead. Hope renewed. These truths don't seem to take hold until they stop to eat.This is where Jesus reveals his true identity to his fellow travelers. AS HE BREAKS THE BREAD …. interesting.

So to sum up my thought, Conversations are important and some conversations are more important than others. A Life changing conversation is about hope. Our Faith, as well as the Gospel is based on hope. It is only with real hope, and real conversation, that we can change the world. The resurrected Jesus lives to give us life challenging, life changing hope. It is this hope that makes for a real faith I can believe in.