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?” (Luke 24:32, New Revised Standard Version)
Perhaps not surprisingly, pastors can sometimes be a purchasers and collectors (and hoarders?) of many Bibles, whether they need them or not. Abingdon Press came out with a new Bible a few years ago called the The Wesley Study Bible and it’s, of course, replete with reflections from John and Charles Wesley, in addition to some scholarly notes, too. Did I need another Bible when I bought it? Of course not. But it was too enticing to pass up.
It’s not a Bible that I pick up every day, but I use it about once a week, especially when reflecting on the Scripture I’ll be preaching on the coming Sunday. I noticed something odd about it a year or so ago, though. It seemed to be…I guess molting would be the best way to describe it. The outer layer of the cover is slowly coming off. At first, I was kind of disappointed by this because it’s not terribly attractive, but I realized something else that made me kind of like it. Whenever I would pick the Bible up, a bit of that molting material would remain on my hands. It’s kind of a nice reminder that even when I put the Bible away, the transformative messages that I read stick around, literally and figuratively.
In Luke’s telling of the resurrection, he shares the story of what’s known as the “Walk to Emmaus,” when the resurrected Christ appears to some followers and walks, talks, and eats with them. After he vanishes from their sight, they look at one another and reflect and realize that Jesus’ presence–his residue–remains.
As we head into seasons where we will reflect on things like gratitude and anticipation, I hope that the residue of these reflections stick around beyond the Thanksgiving prayer you may say or the Advent devotional you may read. Both of these are good things, of course, but they lose a bit of their impact if we don’t carry with us and remember Christ’s presence in the midst of these holy interactions.
May the residue of Christ stick around during these important seasons. And may the residue of Christ be evident to others that you come across.