Recently, my pastor gave everyone at Soma his “One Year Bible” reading plan for 2014. I must confess, I’m already behind. It’s February and I’ve already missed an entire month’s worth of readings. Earlier this week I reflected more on what it would mean to read the Bible regularly over the next year. I really do think I need an orderly plan to make reading Scripture worthwhile. I’ve tried journaling my observations before, but I’ve never been able to maintain any kind of consistency. Perhaps maintaining a blog is a solution to that. Perhaps having some kind of audience will increase my motivation to read, study, and learn. I intend to update this blog once a week for the next year. I’ve never before maintained a blog, so I’m not sure if this goal is realistic, but I am eager to dive into the heart of the Bible and share everything that I’m learning.
I chose the name of this blog because the Emmaeus story (recorded in Luke 24:13-24) has always resonated with me. In Luke’s account, the unnamed disciples have heard rumors of an empty tomb but they do not fully grasp the significance of what has transpired earlier in the day. They also do not immediately recognize Jesus, who joins them during their walk and explains that the messianic prophesies of Moses and the Prophets have been fulfilled in him. Later, Jesus reveals his identity to them, and they later observe: “Were not our hearts burning within us when he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” For me, Emmaeus stands as a metaphor for the journey of faith: the growing awareness that something extraordinary occurred in history in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, a personal encounter with Christ himself that affirms this awareness, and a burning within as one comes to terms with the implications of faith. The Emmaeus walk lasts as long as one’s lifetime. It is a life that I hope to spend encountering God’s grace and sharing it with others with what little strength I have and in whatever quarters I may find myself.
A Road to Emmaeus 