Mark’s sermon tonight looked initially at ‘close encounters’. Close encounters of the first kind relate to the sighting of UFOs. Close encounters of the second kind relate to some sort of physical evidence that something has been there. Close encounters of the third kind are where there is evidence of an actual contact made. The latter is also the title used for a science-fiction film!
Luke 24:13-35 narrates a ‘close encounter of the God kind.’ After the resurrection of Jesus, His disciples had personal encounters with the risen Lord. They had spent time with Him during His life, seen the miracles He performed and heard His teaching, but they still needed that personal encounter to believe for themselves. Initially, the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, did not recognise Jesus; they talked of Him simply as a prophet, showing that they had still failed to grasp who He really was. It was only as they reached their destination that their eyes were opened and they realised that they had been talking with the risen Lord. This changed everything for them; being in His presence affected them, giving them a purpose for living, replacing their sadness with joy and their blindness with envisioning. As a result of this encounter, they ran back to Jerusalem (when they had simply ‘trudged’ to Emmaus, being downcast and disheartened).
An encounter with Jesus transforms us. Lethargy is replaced by motivation; fear is replaced by peace; blindness is replaced by vision. So often, we are walking in the wrong direction, weighed down by troubles and sadness and unbelief, but an encounter with Jesus snaps us out of our problems and turns us around so that we can walk beside Jesus on a daily basis. Life is not meant to be walked alone. We need Jesus at our sides every step of the way; only that regular contact with Him has the power to transform us and sustain us.