On Walking With
April 19th, 2026
Rev. Traceymay Kalvaitis
Luke 24: 13-35
Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.
As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
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Today’s sermon is titled On Walking With.
As I began seminary, the very first class I was able to enroll in was Advanced Pastoral Care. Somehow, I was able to talk my way out of having to take the prerequisite class. The professor was Dr. Wayne Gustafsson. He had worked for over 20 years as a chaplain in the prison system. In the first class he showed us the sign that hung on the wall outside of his office door in the prison those many years. The sign read as follows: God does not protect us from adversity; God protects us in adversity. Consider the vast difference implied by changing one preposition. God does not protect us from adversity; God protects us in adversity. There is an entire realm of theology implied by that statement. It implies the concept of God as Emmanuel, God with us in all we face.
In the tradition of the United Church of Christ, you may have noticed that we do not have doctrines we follow or creeds we memorize and recite. In the United Church of Christ, there is a saying that many ministers include in their welcome each Sunday: “Whoever you are and wherever you are on your faith journey, you are welcome here.” In the United Church of Christ I am charged to meet each person where they are in life and model the example of Christ walking with. My Friend and colleague, Rev. Leaf Seligman uses the phrase “to offer warm accompaniment.”
In our Gospel reading for today from the Gospel of Luke, we have a beautiful example of the incarnation God walking with, in warm accompaniment. Christ meets two of the disciples on the road where they are bewildered and grieving the death of their teacher, the one in whom they had put so much hope…hope for liberation from the oppressive Roman Empire. Christ meets them in their bewilderment. Christ meets them in their grief. Christ meets them on the road, of all places. Isn’t it perfect? They are not met in the temple or in some beautiful garden; they are met on a dusty road. They are met where they are and as they pour out their grief and disappointment, Christ walks with them.
Friends, Christ walks with us, too. How is this possible, you may ask? Jesus is quoted as saying in John, chapter 14, “I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” This is the mystery of the indwelling. This is not introductory Christology for beginners. This is advanced Christology for anyone who is willing to consider what it might mean. This is Christ as a way of being in the world. This is Christ as a way of seeing the world. This is Christ as awareness that we can bring into every moment of our lives; we could call it Christ consciousness. Wherever we are, whatever we are facing, we can enter into a consciousness of Christ, an awareness of Christ, and we can then respond to the demands of our lives with equanimity, with patience, and with greater capacity.
The disciples on the road to Emmaus did not recognize Christ walking with them. It was not until Christ took the bread, blessed it, broke it and passed it to them that they could then truly see and then Christ vanished in an instant, as if to show them that the Divine is beyond form, beyond time, and beyond space. This is the expansive experience of Christ that we are invited into, Friends.
Jesus is quoted in Matthew 18:20 as saying, “Wherever two or more are gathered in my name I am there also.” From our own experience, we know that when we work together for the common good, Christ is there, urging us toward health and wholeness. When we listen intently, offering our full attention, Christ is there, urging us toward empathy and understanding. When we speak up for the rights of others, Christ is there, urging us toward justice and equality. When we care for the earth, Christ is there, urging us toward right use and sustainability. As we hold the hand of the dying and as we hold the newborn babe, Christ is there, urging us toward full experience and deep appreciation for all the phases of our lives.
In closing, I remind us that we will have hardship, we will experience loss and grief and heartbreak but we will not be broken because Christ is here, dwelling within us, protecting us in adversity, walking with us in warm accompaniment. So be it. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer Beloved God, I thank you for the precious gift we receive when we look to Christ as the embodiment of your highest wishes for us and for our fulfillment as human beings. Lead us through these dark times with holy light and divine love. Many in our nation and in our world are emotionally wounded, traumatized, grieving, and experiencing financial crisis. Empathy for our brothers and sisters and the struggles they face can be painful to bear, Lord, and yet through this deep feeling, we become more alive, we become more humane, and we come closer to the place within where you reside. I pray for our nation, for America; lead us in the ways of righteousness. Lead us in the ways of Peace. With devotion, I pray in Jesus’s name. Amen.
Benediction I leave you with these words from Ephesians chapter 5:“Walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us.” Walk in the way of love. Amen.