An Emmaus Encounter

AN EMMAUS ENCOUNTER Two men so dejected and lonely Together walked there on the way; They had such great hopes in that Savior, But their lives seemed so hopeless that day. Then a Man came and walked there beside them, And He asked them, “My friends, what is wrong?” They could not believe that He said it; They replied, “Have you been away long?” Then they told Him the things that had happened, How the Christ that they loved now had died, And the hopes they cherished so dearly Passed away when He was crucified. Then in love this strange Man opened Scripture And He showed them the promise fulfilled, And He showed them that all of the suffering Was ordained by the Lord’s holy will. As the evening drew near and the journey Drew to time when they must spend the night, The Stranger would have traveled on longer If the men hadn’t this One to invite. So He came, and He sat at their table, And then He broke bread, and their eyes Were amazed and ashamed as they saw Him-- It was Jesus, and they were surprised. “Yes, our hearts burned within us,” they stated, “Oh why were we so slow to believe? Had we not let Him be right here with us, We still might not the message receive! Let us run and the good news deliver; We have seen that the Savior’s alive! And our hopes through this sight are rekindled, And our faith has again been revived!” Oh, we need such a walk like those men had, For we, too, lose our faith now and then. And we need once again His assurance That He lives ever more now to reign. So He comes and He walks there beside us, And He opens His word once again; Through His Spirit He speaks to our spirits, Our lives He forgives from our sin. Our road down life’s highway may be one That’s different from what those men trod, But it’s one where we have sweet communion With Jesus, the begotten of God. And our hearts burn again with the fervor, Our love for the Lord is renewed; His power and His Spirit infill us As we feast on His heavenly food.