First Thoughts: This lesson tells the story of the road to Emmaus, how Jesus walked with the disciples and taught them. It seemed at first they didn't recognize their old friend, but later -- as they recall the experience -- they remember that their hearts "burned within them." Their hearts recognized the truth before their brains were able to connect all the dots. This is probably an experience we've had as well. We get little "hints" along the way, indications and reminders that God is with us, directions and clues keep us pointed in the right direction. But it's only after we've had our great revelation that we've been able to look back and recognize those hints for what they were. It's wonderful to have this kind of hindsight, but it's even more powerful when we learn to recognize the hints in real time -- when we learn to take seriously that slight twinge in our heart, the tiny blessing that welcomes us as we step out the door, the sense of connection when we meet a stranger in the coffee shop. If we realize that God is constantly speaking to us, giving us direction and encouragement in each moment of our lives, we can practice keeping our eyes open to the signs. We still might not know exactly where God is leading, but we will know with confidence that God is leading somewhere.
Teaching On Your Own: Hey, guys, something funny happened to me yesterday. I was in my backyard playing and suddenly I heard someone humming this beautiful song. It reminded me of a lullaby I used to love when I was little. But I didn't see anybody singing. Weird, huh? I thought so, but I went back to playing anyway. Then a few minutes later I smelled something wonderful -- chocolate chip cookies baking! Do you guys like chocolate chip cookies? They're my favorite. So, obviously, I got pretty excited. I started searching high and low, trying to find those cookies. And then I got the biggest clue yet! Someone was calling my name, and I recognized the voice. It was my grandma! She came for a surprise visit. She was the one humming the song and the one who made the cookies. I followed all the clues and found someone I love. That is like our story today.
A group of Jesus' friends were walking on the road to Emmaus, and Jesus showed up. But remember, everybody thought Jesus was dead, so they didn't recognize him at first. But as they walked together, Jesus talked to them and taught them things, and their hearts started burning within them because in their hearts they knew who he was. Sometimes our hearts know things before our minds do. That's why it's important for us to pay attention to what our hearts are telling us. Sometimes we feel curious, joyful, confused, or even hurt, and that's God telling us something. When that happens we need to investigate it, just like I did. Where does that smell come from? What about that tune? We pray and spend time listening to what God has to say to us. The important thing is to stay alert, because we never know when God's going to make a surprise visit!
Teaching As A Team:
Leader 2: You know, (name), something funny happened to me yesterday.
Leader 1: Tell me about it.
Leader 2: I was in my backyard playing soccer when I heard someone humming this beautiful song. It reminded me of a lullaby I used to love when I was little. But I didn't see anyone singing.
Leader 1: That's a little strange.
Leader 2: I thought so, but I just went back to playing. A few minutes later I smelled something wonderful -- chocolate chip cookies baking!
Leader 1: Mmmm. What did you do then?
Leader 2: I got excited. Chocolate chip is my favorite cookie! I didn't see any cookies so I decided to investigate. I began searching high and low, and then I got my biggest clue yet!
Leader 1: What?
Leader 2: I heard someone call my name, and it was my grandma! She came for a surprise visit. She was the one humming the song and...
Leader 1: Let me guess -- she was the one who made the cookies?
Leader 2: Yes!
Leader 2: So you followed all the clues and found someone you love. That is like our story today. A group of Jesus' friends were walking on the road to Emmaus, and Jesus showed up. But remember, everybody thought Jesus was dead, so they didn't recognize him at first. But as they walked together, Jesus talked to them and taught them things, and their hearts started burning within them because in their hearts they knew who he was.
Leader 2: Like me with the song and the cookies.
Leader 1: But, you know, sometimes our hearts work faster than our brains. So even though their hearts knew Jesus, the friends still didn't really know it was him. It wasn't until dinner that night when Jesus broke the bread that their brains finally woke up. They remembered that Jesus had broken the bread just that way. And suddenly they knew it was him!
Leader 2: Just like I was absolutely sure what was going on when I finally heard my grandma's voice.
Leader 1: Sometimes our hearts know things before our minds do. That's why it is important for us to pay attention to what our hearts tell us. Sometimes we feel curious, joyful, confused, or even hurt, and that's God telling us something.
Leader 2: So what do we do then?
Leader 1: Just what you did -- we investigate. Where does that smell come from? What about that tune? We pray and spend time listening to what God has to say to us. The important thing is to pay attention...
Leader 2: Because we never know when God's going to make a surprise visit!
Leader 1: That's right!
Closing Prayer: God, thank you for speaking to our hearts and our minds, and for always giving us the right clues to know you're with us. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear what you're telling us. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
Follow-Up Lesson: A great way to reinforce this lesson in a classroom or home setting is to revisit the scripture passage with the children by encouraging them to reenact the scene on the road to Emmaus. Let one child be Jesus, and the others are disciples. Give each disciple character a small flashlight to hold next to their hearts. Give the Jesus character a few things to say, like "God is with you all the time" and "You are forgiven as you forgive others," allowing the child to come up with other teachings as well. Each time Jesus speaks have the disciples turn on their flashlights for just a second. When they arrive at the meal, have Jesus thank God for the meal and break the bread. Prompt the children to turn on their flashlights, this time keeping them on, as they shout together, "It's Jesus!" Allow them to reenact the scene until everyone gets a chance to play different roles. Ask the children what this lesson teaches us. There were these little bursts of light every time Jesus spoke, because their hearts were excited to hear his voice. But light finally came on and stayed on when the realization finally reached their brain. That's when they knew God was really with them and everything was going to be okay. Wouldn't it be great if we were able to turn that light on more quickly and keep it on more often?
One way to keep that light on is to practice a version of the Examen. This is an ancient spiritual practice in which we prayerfully examine the moments of our lives to see how God has been with us in each one, starting with the morning and working toward evening. Explain that we're going to look for the "hints" when God was speaking to our hearts during the day. Start by inviting the children to take a few deep breaths and close their eyes. Begin with a prayer, such as, "God, help us to listen to our hearts, to see how you are always with us." Follow up with prompting questions, such as, "How was God with you when you woke up? When you ate breakfast? When you went outside to play? When you cleaned your room?" Allow the children to come up with their own events as they walk you through their day. Remind the children that God isn't only present when things are going well, but when things are difficult. So encourage them to ask the question about how God has been with them then they were feeling sad, angry, confused, bored, and so forth. Close with a prayer.
