Wait for it- A Sermon (Luke 24:44-53)

Wait For It

    Luke 24:44-53

June 1, 2025

For the people of First Baptist Church of Austin, Texas

Rev. Carrie Houston

Washington D.C. is a tourist’s dream city, especially if you like history.  There are so many museums, monuments, and fun attractions to visit, and so many of them are completely free. Even the Metro is an attraction in and of itself, especially to a Texan who did not grow up near a subway system. The train cars are clean and air conditioned, and the locals are mostly friendly when asked for directions, unless you break the cardinal sin of standing on the left side of the escalator, then you’re likely to be yelled at to move to avoid someone missing a train. Don’t be an escalefter. When you are traveling on the underground Metro in the city’s center, 32 stations have a unique “waffle” style ceiling designed by Harry Weese. You know you’re in DC when you see the waffles. The metro is the easiest way to get around and as a tourist, you rarely need a car. 

Get off at the Smithsonian Metro Station and walk a few blocks to one of the best exhibitions in Washington D.C -the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. President Jimmy Carter created a Commission on the Holocaust, which was tasked to create a memorial to the victims, confront hatred, prevent genocide, promote human dignity, and strengthen democracy. The Holocaust Museum was established as a result, and opened in 1993. The museum has a permanent exhibition where visitors are invited to witness the historical artifacts, video footage and personal stories of the atrocities that occurred at the hands of the Nazis.  To say the experience is heavy is an understatement. Three floors of exhibits chronologically narrating the Holocaust will sit heavy within your soul. 

I remember the first time I went to the museum as an adult.  I was in my early 20s with a deep curiosity for WW2 history, specifically the Holocaust. I know, it sounds dark, but I think my young self was genuinely trying to process how something like this could happen outside of a twisted fictional story. I needed to “see” for myself the artifacts and hear the stories of survivors as well as those who were killed. When I went through the museum, I read every plaque, every story I could in the dim and quiet museum. Winding my way through three floors, I was physically and emotionally exhausted when I entered the end of the exhibit, which guides you into the Hall of Remembrance, a hexagonal space that is illuminated with sunlight, a stark difference from the darkness I had just spent half a day in. 

An eternal flame burns in front of an inscription from the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 4, verse 9:

Only guard yourself and guard your soul carefully, lest you forget the things your eyes saw, and lest these things depart your heart all the days of your life. And you shall make them known to your children, and to your children's children.

I lost it with tears.  Balling like I’d never done in public before. The weight of the loss was too much for me to bear and I processed my feelings with tears. The experience has never left me. Even to this day, I am impacted by the stories of grief and sadness. I bought a magnet from the gift shop that I read every time I open my fridge. It says, “The next time you see injustice, the next time you witness hatred, the next time you hear about genocide, THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU SAW at the Holocaust Museum.” What I saw was unforgettable. 

There is power in seeing the unthinkable, the supernatural, the unbelievable. Seeing the thing that no one would ever believe you if you told them about it will change you forever.  It will change the way you see the world, the way you see yourself, the way you see humanity. You can’t erase the truth of it’s existence or the experience because YOU saw it with your own eyes. 

For the disciples, they are experiencing this roller coaster of realizations too. Jesus has just done the unimaginable- he died a painful death and they were all witnesses to it. Now, they are grieving the loss of their teacher and friend. The reports from Mary, Mary Magdalene and Joanna that Jesus wasn’t actually dead, but was very much alive, seemed too far fetched to believe. Their eyes were not open to the truth of the resurrection yet-clouded with grief and unmoored, unsure what to do next. 

Jesus does the supernatural, the unbelievable and appears to them in flesh multiple different times, like in our text from last week, on the shore of the sea of Galilee to the disciples who were fishing to no success, to the two disciples walking on the road to Emmaus, and here again to the whole group of disciples as they are processing Jesus’ recent appearance at Emmaus.  Jesus just shows up, seemingly out of nowhere. I know I’d be stunned and would struggle to believe that the guy you just saw die was back to life and sitting in your living room hanging out on the couch. 

Jesus knows he’s going to need to prove it to them, that he is not a spirit lost in the afterlife.  He shows his wounds and eats fish and bread as evidence of his living humanity. He wasn’t a ghost, because clearly, a ghost can’t eat. A ghost doesn’t have flesh, but a living, breathing human does. The disciples needed the extra help understanding the truth of the resurrection and Jesus gives them this physical confirmation. 

I like to imagine Jesus like a kind friend, gentle with our disbelief, helping us to faith, patient and understanding, and guiding us to truth.  It might take us a few tries and we may not get it right the first time, but he won’t give up on us. Jesus asks his disciples to remember, to think back to the things he said when he was with them last. “Remember all that was written about me?” he asks. He reminds them in the most concise way possible, confirming his life and death is the fulfillment of the Scriptures, that this was always the plan, as painful as it may be.  Remember? This was what God was up to all along. 

Remembering can be a powerful, life-affirming action. We remember the love we have for the ones we’ve lost when we sit around and tell stories at funerals.  We might laugh and cry as we conjure up memories from long ago that had been lost by time. It feels therapeutic to re—tell the stories.  

We recall with a smile on our face the memories from our childhood of our grandparents, like the memory I have of my grandmother’s wig getting stuck in the tree when she walked under a low branch, or when she took us to the Stop-N-Go for an occasional candy treat and we ran into Sean Elliott of the San Antonio Spurs. How excited I was to meet a local basketball legend. Our memories affirm our connection to each other and to the value we have in our human relationships. 

Memories keep the truth of someone’s legacy alive. We remember Volma Overton Senior and his commitment to a more just city of Austin in his work desegregating AISD schools, recreational spaces, and places of worship. Volma joined First Austin in 1963 and was the church’s first black member and served as a deacon. He was active in the missions ministries of the church and developed a partnership with Oak Springs Elementary, which continues today.  In 2009, Volma Overton Elementary was opened in East Austin, named after the Austin civil rights giant. Remembering someone like Volma can call us to move forward in kindness, courage, justice and inspire us to action.  

When we remember, we aren’t dwelling on the past, but we become witnesses to the truth. Jesus understands the power of memories. Just a few chapters before, he asks his disciples to remember him when they break bread and share wine. We do the same when we participate in the sacred act of communion, like we will later in the service.  We remember the stories of Jesus, the way we’ve experienced the grace and love of Christ, when we remember Jesus’s life and resurrection.

Jesus asked him disciples to remember… And that’s when it all made sense to them. The text says, “then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures.” Their eyes were opened to the truth and they could finally see it. All of the last few days and weeks and years had meaning and purpose. His death and resurrection was real. What they are seeing in front of them was the truth, no matter how unbelievable it might feel. Jesus was really alive.

This radical revelation would fire anyone up if they experienced it first hand. How could you not respond to seeing a formerly dead person come back to life? The time has come for the disciples to get off the side lines and participate in a new mission to the entire world, starting in Jerusalem and going everywhere from there. This new mission is the beginning of something big; bigger than they can imagine. It’s a commission to take the lead and go.  He calls them “witnesses”, tasked to proclaim Jesus “to the ends of the earth.” They must take what they’ve seen and go into the world and tell everyone. Wouldn’t you?

But how many of you cringed thinking about the idea of Christian witnessing? Did you conjure up memories from childhood about the requirement to share your faith? Many of us have a lot of baggage around the idea of proselytizing and have seen it done in harmful and Colonizing ways.  Christianity has been used as a way to justify oppression and violence, slavery, subjugation of women and the LGBTQ community. I don’t want any part of that kind of Christianity… wouldn’t it be safer to distance myself from it? Do we have to go, Jesus?

What if we reconsidered what being a witness could be? What if being a witness is noticing where God is showing up in the world? Paying attention to God’s provisions in the life of a good friend and giving thanks… What if being a witness is being available to what God is doing in our own lives and saying yes when called to do something scary? What if being a witness was less about sharing the ABC’s of salvation, but being silent and curious about the spirit’s moving? What if being a witness means to receive the unconditional love from God and believe it to our core that we are God’s beloved?

What if being a witness is less about screaming REPENT on the corner with a bullhorn, and more about building a community of love and respect? Building a community that shares God’s abundant grace, even if that means sacrificing some personal resources.  

We are witnesses when we sit and actively listen to the people who aren’t like us…. The ones who are suffering, the ones who have different economic beliefs than we do, the ones whom we disagree with about immigration. The lonely cashier at HEB, the panhandler on the side of the highway, the waiter who brings your food. We are witnesses to the truth of the resurrection when we treat another human with dignity and love. When we take a trip to the border to serve a group of humans who have traveled a long way for safety and a better life. When we clear downed trees in our neighbor’s yard after a crazy rain wind and rain storm. When we bring food to a hurting widow or lonely shut in.  This is being a witness. It’s taking seriously the call to be a community connected in love.

Jesus knows the work ahead is hard and that even the disciples, who had been with Jesus throughout his entire ministry and have walked every step alongside him, would need a little time to prepare themselves for the big task ahead. The disciples are asked to wait in Jerusalem before moving to the next thing.  They are to wait until they are clothed with the power from on high.  

This might seem odd and out of place that Jesus is telling them their next new mission but then asking to wait to start it.  It’s like the gun has gone off but you aren’t allowed to start the race yet. The anticipation is building. But Jesus knows that the task ahead is daunting. It’s bigger than the disciples can even imagine. They are going to need help, because they can’t do it alone. Jesus promises “power from on high” alluding to the power of the holy spirit that is to come because he knows they will need it in his absence.

Sometimes we all need a little down time in order to be ready for the next big thing. We can get caught up in all the musts and shoulds and the lengthy to-do list. But what we really need is time to recharge. We may not even know how tired we actually are until we slow down long enough and pay attention to how exhausted our mind, body and spirit is. 

I think about Anne Lamott’s insight on life a lot when she says, “almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” When was the last time you unplugged? I don’t necessarily mean the last time you went to an all inclusive beach resort to lay in the sand and soak up the sun with a cocktail in your hand and your bestie beside you. That does sound like a great way to recharge, but we can’t wait until our next vacation to find rest for our souls. I’m thinking about the last time you intentionally stopped doom scrolling on social media, turned off the 24 hour cable news, stepped away from the things that give you that flurry of stress under your skin. The last time you took a walk, watched a sunset, did something that gave you great joy, where you experienced God’s presence. How long has it been?

We can learn a lot about ourselves and about God from this practice of waiting. I’m thinking about the practice of contemplative prayer that forces us to slow down, focus on the mind-body connection, and sit with what the spirit is doing. It’s also scientifically proven to help your brain. Studies are showing that meditation and contemplation can actually increase neuroplasticity, that is the brains’ ability to recognize and adapt by forming new neural connections.  This is how we learn new things, keep our brains sharp and adapt to the world around us.  These studies are also showing that contemplative practices can activate the brain in ways that can help us calm our fight/flight responses and cope with stress.  If you’ve ever practiced any form of breathing exercises, silence, or yoga when you’re anxious or stressed, you’ve likely experienced this calming effect.  Contemplative prayer practices make us human, connecting us to the divine in ways we couldn’t do without it…. And it’s good for our brain health too!

Jesus is always finding time to intentionally be with God. We see it over and over again throughout the gospels when he turns from everyday demands, often at the peak of his busyness, to retreat to a deserted place to pray. The disciples are frequently frustrated with Jesus’ disappearing acts, and struggle to slow down long enough to connect to God in the ways Jesus models for us. Remember the story of the disciples in the boat, when Jesus asks them to pray but they fall asleep instead? Yah, we aren’t great at this. 

Jesus takes time to unplug in silence and solitude to rest and restore himself. This is his way of showing us a kind of life that has balance between the doing, the musts, the shoulds, and the time of restoration for our souls, the connection to the divine that gives us the strength and power to keep going. 

If you’ve ever needed permission to slow down, to retreat to pray, Jesus is giving you one now. And not just permission, but commands us to do it. Even Jesus couldn’t keep up the pace of his ministry without frequent stops, so why do you think you can? Give yourself the grace to stop and wait for the holy spirit… wait to transform your consciousness and inner being… wait to recharge. Jesus promises to be with you and give you the power you need to go into the world to be a witness of the wild love and grace that our God offers all people, into all the nations. And go with overwhelming joy, knowing that the spirit of God goes with you. 

Amen.