In his Easter 3 sermon Clay looked behind Luke's story of the Road to Emmaus to examine the character of Jesus. What he finds is empathy which he argues is at core of our faith. He draws from the US Democratic primary and a speech by Barach Obama to share a modern version of Luke's story.

"While the story is just that, a story, I believe it reflects the collective memory of Jesus’ followers about Jesus himself. It reflects a core truth about the character of Jesus, even if the words he uses are not his but those of the early church.

What is at his core based on this story? Jesus listens actively. Listening is a caring response. He is not defensive in his response to these disciples who still don’t understand. Nor is he coercive by arguing for who he is, subtly or overtly. Instead he draws out of them what they already know, respecting their autonomy and capacity. And lastly, he does not pull rank. He is non-authoritarian. He does not make them sit down to eat with him; he patiently waits to be invited to join them at their meal. When they finally discover for themselves how to leave the hopeless road they have been travelling, he gets out of their way."

Full text is at http://www.stmatthews.org.nz/nav.php?sid=448&id=826