"Was it not necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and then to enter his glory?" (Luke 24:13-35, Good News Translation) "Are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who doesn't know the things that have been happening there these last few days?" Cleopas asked Jesus (not knowing that it was in fact the Risen Lord who had joined them on the road to Emmaus)."What things?" Jesus asked them, obviously in no hurry to reveal his true identity." The things that happened to Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. At that point Cleopas and the other disciple began telling Jesus his own story - a very abridged version, that included their impressions of him (as a powerful prophet), his fate (how he was crucified), the women's testimony (about his empty tomb, seeing angels, Jesus being alive)..."And we had hoped that he would be the one who was going to set Israel free! "The disciples confessed it with their mouths but their minds and hearts couldn't grasp that the larger story of redemption they had tried to fit Jesus into had been about him all along, had been about the very man - "Jesus of Nazareth" - who now walked beside them on their journey. No matter how intently they examined the details they couldn't fit them together, because this story had never been theirs to tell."' How foolish you are, how slow you are to believe'...And Jesus explained to them what was said about himself in all the Scriptures, beginning with the books of Moses and the writings of all the prophets."  As Jesus spoke, the disciples' sad hearts began to burn as if on fire, not with renewed hope but with hope realized! Jesus didn't just order the details for them into a coherent narrative, he helped the disciples see how they fit into his eternal story. In Emmaus, when Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them, the disciples' "eyes were opened and they recognized him".  Imagine that moment of recognition, as they physically took the bread broken for them from their Redeemer's hand.  It must have been like stepping into his story, or like a realization that they had been a part of his story all along and now could see it!  They were so excited that they immediately journeyed back to Jerusalem to tell the other disciples what they had heard - Jesus' story, and now their story. What about you? Do you see yourself in Jesus' eternal story, or are you walking along the road trying to make sense of the details?  We may not always see him there, but Jesus walks along with you and me and speaks to us.  If we listen, I believe we'll hear him and begin to see how we fit into his story. I'm going to take some time this Lent to read in my Bible, to step into Jesus' story at as many points as I can in the next 6 weeks.  Would you like to come along with me?  I think I'll start in...Genesis, and will post again soon...