?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

Introduction

The name Emmaus comes from a scripture passage (Luke 24:13-35), wherein two of Christ's disciples meet Him on the road to Emmaus shortly after His resurrection. At first, the two disciples do not recognise Jesus. However, with night approaching, they invite Him to dine with them and stay the night. It is only then, in the breaking of the bread, that their eyes are opened and they recognise Him.

This journey provides the central image for the Emmaus Retreat. Just as Luke tells the story of that first Easter afternoon when the risen Christ appeared to the two disciples who were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus, we too can walk through life blinded by preoccupation with our own immediate difficulties, and like these two disciples, sadness and hopelessness can prevent us from seeing God's redemptive purpose in the things that have happened.

And yet, the risen Christ ?came near and went with them,? opening the disciples' eyes to his presence and lighting the fire of God's love in their hearts. As they walked to Emmaus, Jesus explained to them the meaning of all the scriptures concerning himself. When they arrived in Emmaus, Jesus ?took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them,? and their eyes were opened. They recognised him as Jesus, the risen Lord, and they remembered how their hearts had burned within them as they talked with him on the road. Within the hour, the two disciples left Emmaus and returned immediately to their friends in Jerusalem. As they told stories about their encounters with the risen Lord, Jesus visited them again with a fresh awareness of his living presence.

However, the story of Jesus' resurrection does not conclude with the disciples' personal spiritual experiences. Jesus ascended to the Father, and the disciples became the body of the risen Christ through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. The disciples were sent forth by the Spirit to bear witness to the good news of God in Jesus Christ. They learned to walk in the spirit of Jesus, to proclaim the gospel to a disbelieving world, and to persevere in grace through spiritual companionship with one another.

The Emmaus Retreat offers today's disciples (our Year 10s) a parallel opportunity to rediscover Christ's presence in their lives, to gain fresh understanding of God's transforming grace, and to form friendships that foster faith and support spiritual maturity. While Emmaus provides a pathway to the mountaintop of God's love, it also supports pilgrim's return to the world in the power of the Spirit to share the love they have received with a hurtful and hurting world.

This is the very essence of the Emmaus Retreats: discovery, discipleship, acceptance and growth. Whether sharing a meal together, spending time in prayer and discussion, or engaging in spontaneous games, Emmaus retreatants learn from one another the lesson of faith, respect, compassion and brotherhood.

?When we meet God,
it is not by way of meeting a stranger
whom we have not known before;
it is by way of overcoming estrangement
from someone with whom we have been travelling.?

Our Logo

The logo for the Emmaus Retreat is very simple in form: it is a picture of a road ? our road of life. The road in this logo lays out before us the continuation of our journey through life. But rather than just offering the empty road we are reminded of ?another? who journeys with us just as He did with the disciples on their way to Emmaus. When we look at the logo a second time we can see the image of a flame which also reminds us of the sensation felt by the disciples when they realised that Jesus was present with them: ?Were not our hearts burning when he talked to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us!?

Prayer

How do I find you God?
How do I still my heart to find you, God?
How do I blot out the traffic,
the seemingly never-ending concerns
On my mind, the many unfinished tasks?..?

You are the God that finds me,
even when I am overwhelmed, and find it difficult
to be aware of your presence.
The one who is always beside me, wherever I go.
You are the God of the everyday.

In my busy-ness,
I must discover you.
In the mundane,
I must recognize your touch.
Amongst the daily concerns,
I must catch a glimpse of you;
Stop for a moment, and encounter you
And let you touch me.


Lord, help me to still my heart before you,
And hear what you are really saying to me.
Help me to put you first in my life.
Lord, I need to recognize you in my daily routine,
Where I become more fully aware of your presence with me.
Teach me how to include You in all my plans and thoughts,
So that I no longer run my life without your involvement.
Then your peace will infiltrate my circumstances.

Then I will find You.