Church can be an odd place, full of odd people. What sometimes makes it odder is that these odd people think that other people are odd. Despite Jesus’ ‘great commandment’ to love each other as He loved us we shy away from strangers, we are fearful of difference and we gravitate towards people who are like us and who do like us.
This week’s lectionary Gospel reading is that odd story of the Emmaus Road where two disciples walk with a stranger who asks them about what has happened over easter. They tell him and the stranger starts to talk scripture with them, reminding them of all the things Jesus had said. Still they don’t recognise him.
Why? Why can’t they see Him for who he is? It’s not until he breaks the bread that they really see him.
I wonder if it was because they didn’t expect to see Jesus? They just weren’t looking.
I wonder how often we miss Jesus because we aren’t looking? How often we just don’t see?