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Sunday 30 April ’17
Third Sunday of Easter
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Chistophany 2017
Youth Retreat of the Diocese of Bethlehem
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
I imagine that as the time came for you to come here, especially those of you who are here for the first time, you probably wondered "what is Christophany?" By this point the event now makes sense. The name of the event is probably still something of a mystery.
So, what does the word Christophany mean? It means "the revealing of Christ." It is a reminder that here in this place Jesus is among us.
Jesus is among us. I overheard at least one of the seniors refer to this on Friday night as "Jesus Camp." There is some humor in that phrase. But there is also a lot of truth in it. We are camping with Jesus. He is among us right here and right now.
I love the fact that as we celebrate the Eucharist at this Christophany, this "Jesus Camp," we have heard the Gospel of the Road to Emmaus. I didn't pick this Gospel for this event. If we were all at home and in our own congregations, we would have heard these same readings.
It's a long reading. Allow me to simplify it for you. Two friends were walking in the country one day. As they walked, a third person joined them, walked with them and talked with them. It was someone they knew well, but they did not expect to see him. And so they missed who it was. As they were about to stop their day's walk and rest for the evening, they asked this "stranger" to join them for a meal and a night of rest. He stayed with them. And at dinner with them, when the stranger took bread and blessed and broke it, in the breaking of the bread, they realized this was no stranger. Jesus was the one who had walked with them. The stranger was in fact their friend, their teacher.
Christophany is now almost over. In these final moments, I invite you to look around and see that Jesus has been with us this whole time. He didn't just show up now because we are celebrating the Eucharist. He has been here the whole time. And he didn't come just because we came. He has been here the whole time, even as he was with us where we were before we came here. Indeed, he came with us to bring us to this place. There is, after all, never a place where we are found where Jesus is not with us. He is always at our side, longing for us to know that we are not alone.
Remember that, not just now, but especially when we leave this camp today. And here is why I want you to remember that Jesus is always with us. Remember what the theme of this weekend retreat is; OVERCOME!
This weekend you have been challenged to overcome. Overcome your fears! Overcome your doubts! Overcome all that tries to make you forget you are a child of God, loved of God. Overcome all who tell you that you cannot be what God believes you can be and are already! Overcome the distractions that make you forget Jesus for even the smallest amounts of time.
But how can I do all that? How can I be the child of God that God believes I am right now? And how can I be that when I am not here? It's easy to be a child of God at Jesus Camp. It isn't that easy at home, or at school, or on a playing field. How can I do it?
Here is the answer. Trust that Jesus is always with you. Trust that you can overcome, because Jesus says to you and to all of us, "I will be with you always, and I will overcome with you and for you. Trust me; Follow me!"
In a little while we will bless the Seniors who are preparing to enter into the world as adults. Certainly, they need to know that Jesus goes with them. But we all need that reminder, no matter how old or how young we all are. Whatever waits for your return when you leave this place, remember these words:
"I can overcome all things because wherever I go, Jesus is with me as my friend who strengthens me and overcomes with me, as my God who loves me and gives me all that I need to be a child of God, today, tomorrow, and every day!"
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
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Father Timothy Alleman
Rector of The Church of the Holy Cross
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