Two travelers trudging
the long road from Jerusalem.
Their sorry faces are bent,
reliving the sad event
that sent them scurrying.
“What next?” they wonder.
The stranger comes alongside,
and he is told the sad tale,
but far from sympathizing
he starts scolding them;
too slow of heart,
too slow on the uptake,
not enough faith.
They did not know him;
but their hearts burned.
What quality was in that man
that sparked interest
rather than resentment;
hope rather than anger?
Only at the dinner table
is the unseen traveler
on every road revealed;
Jesus stands among us.
Suddenly fortified,
the travelers take to the road
fueled with good news,
for all generations:,
“We have seen the Lord!
We have seen the Lord!”
I am a Mennonite pastor currently teaching theology at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario. I’ve served congregations in Ontario and most recently, Alberta.