Good Shepherd Good Sheep

“Heartburn”

Acts 2:14a, 36-41 1 Peter 1:17-25 Luke 24:13-35 Easter 3

CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN, INDEED! … ALLELUIA!

The two whose eyes were opened said “Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the road, while He opened to us the Scriptures.”

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Bridge

I’ve seen miracles since becoming a pastor. It wasn’t seminary stuff (at least, not obviously so) but doing the work in the few years that I have been so far, I’ve been doing things that have shown me

(sometimes obviously) miracles. For instance, I’ve been to hospital rooms and there saw heartburn.

Now, no one was hospitalized for the medical condition (it’s not the kind of heartburn that Tums gets sought-for or that can become confused for, maybe, a slight heart attack), but heart burn it has been, nonetheless, that I’ve seen.

What I’ve seen creates a flush in the skin; faces become often redder because there’s a visible heat- wave that can be seen in the flesh. It’s noticeable enough to almost burst-through from the pours of the skin so it’s not miss-able. Sweat can be caused because of it and breathing can become accelerated by it.

One of the people I saw with it had been jaundiced beforehand, and her room was kept chilly yet paleness and, even, yellowness turned to a deep red in her body and her speaking that was just in whispers before became stronger and clearer.

And the physical effects of this heartburn is (I think) the news of the day. Doctor Luke (our

Gospel writer, a likely medical doctor himself) makes sure we hear about it … and what made such a thing happen (that, most of all). Text

The day started off worse than others … and it often does when noticeable miracles happen. When we’re most open to something good in news / when we’re less self-assured and satisfied (ears-open and hearts and minds more ready and even more hungry) then one just might see the miracle of this kind of heartburn.

For 2 believers (called disciples because they really did want what they thought the Lord Jesus had to offer) the day was terribly depressing and drudgery and their 7-mile walk painful initially. Their hope

(they thought) had been destroyed / their leader (Savior) killed (dead, they assumed, and buried in some grave) but, then, confused since His body was apparently missing or had been moved or whatever. And they were headed home, defeated (they thought) and foolish for having followed a dream which didn’t pan out.

Someone bothered to join them, though. Walking west from Jerusalem, someone who they could not, yet, recognize ‘til later through His taking of bread, blessing it, breaking it and giving it to them like He still does, Jesus (risen from the dead) took guys prepped to listen down a process that would burn their hearts … and be for them ultimately eye-opening.

Getting them to say the obvious out loud, the Lord asked them what they were talking about: “what bothers you so?” like we have to confess that we don’t have things very figured out on our own:

“Are You the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered Him up to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. But” (and here’s where the confession comes in) “we had hoped that He as the One to redeem Israel” (the way we wanted), “and besides all this, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find His body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that He was alive and some of those who were with us also went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said”.

“O foolish ones”, Jesus chastised, “and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary” (because of such foolishness / sinfulness) “that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory?” And “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, Jesus interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.”

The process was, then, well under way because they were so prepped, so listening very intently. The

Lord Himself spoke and had a long walk in which hungry disciples could listen. Then (finally) He was recognized in the breaking of the bread of the meal, and disciples’ eyes got opened to notice the miracle in themselves: “did not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the road, while He opened to us the Scriptures?”

Application

I have to tell you what it was that MADE the heartburn miracles happen that I saw. I was doing pastoral visits, which means I was visiting shut-ins or people in hospitals or on death beds and, on my own, I’m barely adequate for such things (if I, just, came to say “Hi” and only sit with someone for awhile, that, I suppose, has its purpose and I can fulfill that purpose “adequately”, but I come with a

Bible … and it’s from my reading of God’s Word that things get interesting).

It’s from the reading and unpacking of God’s Word that a burning hearts happen. I’m getting better at seeing it, even, subtly (even while I stand up here and look through the room I pick up signs) but sometimes it’s glaring. Like a simple fisherman who addressed thousands on Pentecost, I’m noticing better the burning hearts affected by God’s Words. Peter got a “what shall we do?” and, yes, I’ve seen it when I’ve expressed God’s Law and Gospel.

I remember (in particular) the woman jaundiced in color. She was dying and I’d been with her for weeks having, first, baptized her and her son then, eventually, several more from her family right after the funeral I gave her. The last time I saw her in this life, her daughter let me into her room while she waited in the living room. It was Holy Week and I read the entire account from Maundy Thursday’s meal till Easter morning’s empty tomb discovery. I saw her change and glow and speak with greater strength as did her daughter after I’d left. As a matter of fact, her daughter called me on my cell phone while I was driving back elated and crying to tell me that her mother (who’d never lived knowing the Gospel) told her that she finally “got it”.

See, Christ died in order that she and you and me could live and, then, rose to live leading us and teaching us and emboldening us and granting us joy. He died to save us … forever. He rose to give us heartburn … again, potentially forever.

It’s the overall Gospel (the Law that must crush us if taken serious, driving us then to the Good

News of forgiveness and life / hope and peace).

You can see the miracle of heartburn yourself … you can see it in yourself and in others where your speaking of Divine Words causes an effect that’s, often, noticeable. Let’s pray:

“Father, grant us such heartburn. We know where to get it (because today you remind us). Your Word can build a burn in us that Your Son’s meal can help us recognize. Bless us to be prepared to receive it and grow in its effect. In +Jesus name. Amen.”

CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN, INDEED! … ALLELUIA!

There’s a little P.S. to the story. Even Jesus didn’t create heartburn by, just, hanging around (you’ll notice) … there’s no record of that anywhere, so just having Him “about” doesn’t cut it. He walked, you’ll notice (even resurrected and, so, glorified) 7 miles right there with believers without their ever getting warm fuzzies accept-for from the same means that we can create it: through the unpacking of Scripture (both to ourselves and others). This is about the effect of God’s Word when spoken and applied / taught. Don’t miss what, here, works … even for the risen Lord Himself. Amen.