Koinonia

Dallas Emmaus Community Newsletter
May 16, 2014

	Contents
Upcoming Walks
T-shirts available
Golf Fundraiser
Weeping Outside the Tomb
Friendship
Obstacles
Mother's Day or Mother's Year?

Upcoming Emmaus Events

Dallas Women's #253

7/17-7/20, 2014

Camp Copass

Dallas Men's #254

10/9-10/12, 2014

Sabine Creek

Dallas Women's #255

11/6-11/9, 2014

Mount Lebanon


The DEC 2014 Walk Schedule and Applications are available! Kairos of Texas Inside Calendar Outside Calendar If you know any woman who would benefit from Kairos Outside, please visit KONT and visit the Guest tab for the reservation form.

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DEC header

Upcoming Walks

Dallas #253 Women

7/17-20, 2014

Camp Copass

Dallas #254 Men

10/9-12, 2014

Sabine Creek

The Community is encouraged to attend the following events:

Send-off which starts at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Candlelight begins at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday.

Closing will start around 4:00 p.m. on Sunday.

Please be careful not to arrive earlier than 7:15 p.m. if just attending the Candlelight services on Saturday.

The online Prayer Vigil

supplements (but does not replace) the paper Prayer Vigil passed around at Candlelights and other DEC events for signature. Both Prayer Vigils are posted during Walks for Pilgrims to see who has been praying for them.

The Prayer Vigils are now available online for the 2014 Walks. Please click here to add your name and pray for the Pilgrims!

Please prayerfully consider if you are being called to sponsor

a friend or member of your congregation.

"The aim of sponsorship is to build up the body of Christ."

from The Upper Room online

T-shirts - Get yours at any Dallas Emmaus Community Gathering

Are You A Golfer?

Would You Be Interested In Helping To Plan A Fundraising Golf Tournament?

If This Sounds Like Something That You Would Enjoy, Please Contact Carolyn Jestis or Mike Pappas, Our Community Lay Director at laydirector@dallasemmaus.org

Message from the Community Spiritual Director

Weeping Outside the Tomb

Sometimes the conditions of this life can beat us down to such an extent that we cannot see anything but our problems. Sometimes the darkness and despair grows so deep that we almost lose sight of our hope. Sometimes we become so focused upon our fears and anxieties that we lose touch with the One who suffered and died for us. We think we are alone. We feel as though we have been deserted. We look, and can find no reminder of God's love and presence in our lives. We become lost in what the spiritual writers sometimes call "the dark night of the soul." My friends, all Christians seem to slip into some form of this condition at sometime in their lives. All Christians, no matter how spiritual or how faithful, can become mired in the bog of spiritual depression. There is nothing unusual about such feelings; they are a part of what it means to struggle with the powers and forces of darkness in this present evil age.Every time I read the Resurrection story from the Gospels, especially the version of the story as found in John, I cannot help but be struck by the breathtaking juxtaposition of heart-wrenching emotions: rejoicing and weeping, excitement and depression, victory and defeat, faith and doubt. Here, at the focal point of our faith's eternal proclamation, where there should be comfort, joy, acceptance, and un-wavering faith, we find instead a whole slew of conflicting and competing emotions. Why?

Certainly the disciples couldn't have been so blind! Certainly they could see an empty tomb and realize that Jesus had been raised! Certainly Mary Magdalene, having found the tomb empty, must have realized that death couldn't be the end of her Lord, and that this empty tomb couldn't be the product of nefarious activity. And, yet, there seems to be a refrain, found in all four Gospels, that the Resurrection took most of the Disciples by surprise.

Their varying emotional responses, their skeptical disbelief, their confusion, their grief-filled tears ... all of this reflects a deeply seated lack of faith. They had traveled with Jesus for years, had heard him preach, had experienced the truth of his words in their inner-most souls, had seen and, in some cases, personally experienced the power of his healing touch and divine presence. And, yet, when it came to the open, empty tomb, doubts and tears were what flowed rather than faith and joy. If those who were intimately acquainted with the historical Jesus could express, through words and actions such a lack of faith, why should we be surprised when our own responses to the empty tomb, to the Resurrection message of victory over sin and death, is often tainted with expressions of doubt, fear, and even rejection?

"Mary, why are you weeping?" Jesus' question is pertinent not only to Mary Magdalene and the other disciples, Peter and his denial, Thomas and his doubts, and all the rest in their deserting him in fear. It is the question which each of us needs to hear, too. We also find it difficult to see the truth of the empty tomb through our tears - tears of pain and division, arrogance and skepticism, tears which cloud our spiritual senses and make it difficult, if not impossible, for us to see the risen Christ in our midst.

In John's Gospel the one called "the Other Disciple" is not only John, he is quite frequently a literary stand-in for you and me, for all those readers of the Gospel who are supposed to know the truth, meaning, and reality of the Resurrection. Indeed, he is far more a literary device than he is an historical person, and yet it is probable that at least some of his words and actions are those of John the Disciple. It is regrettable that more of us can't be like the Beloved Disciple: seeing and believing. So often we either see but don't believe, or we don't even see. So frequently we're like Mary, incapable of looking through the tears of this life to see the Resurrected One standing in our presence.

I've had people tell me: "Greg, I just don't believe in resurrected bodies. Souls, yes. Spirits, yes. I can accept a spiritual resurrection, but this physical stuff is beyond our experience and beyond what science tells us is possible." While not an outright denial of some kind of resurrection, it is still an expression of serious doubt that allows the tears of this life, the supposedly "scientific" expectations and interpretations of "reality", to come between us and faith in Christ. Many who say these kinds of things end up spending a great deal of time questioning, seeking, and often never finding the "truth." The details of "the faith" go beyond their modernistic expectations, which get in the way and block their ability to see "truth." Indeed, this is a plague that infests most of what once was called "Christendom". It is not unique to just liberal, progressive, or modernist Christianity. It infects us all: traditionalist, spiritualist, modernist, and post-modernist alike.

We expect to see a Jesus who meets the preconceived notions and expectations which we bring to our faith. For spiritualists, Jesus is usually some kind of a self-help guru; for traditionalists, Jesus is frequently conceived of as being either a "prosperity preacher" or a moralistic fault-finder; for the modernist, Jesus is often the anemic, inconsequential, impotent creation of ivory-tower academics; for political activists Jesus is a social worker or community organizer, more interested in temporal justice than in where that justice is touched and transformed by eternal grace. The weird truth is that Jesus is, at the same time, some of all of these and far beyond any of them.

The true Jesus, indeed, the Biblical Jesus, refuses to be confined to the narrow limitations of our expectations. The Resurrected One denies our doubts and calls forth our faith, and not an anemic faith which will only see or believe that which we can understand or explain. No, the Resurrected Christ calls us to expressions of faith in the unbelievable: in real resurrections, in transformed lives, in miracles, in the Holy Real Presence of God in and for a broken and hurting world, not a far off, distant, unknowable God, but a God made known to us in Jesus Christ.

It is in the face of doubt, the face of fear, the face of the impossible, that faith is called forth from us, and empowered, by God's grace. We cannot believe on our own; we must know, experience, and live within the Real Presence of Jesus in order to truly believe and then truly act on our beliefs. We must be infused by God's grace to act in faith.

It is in this way that the Eucharist is the "Resurrection Meal." Far from being just a memorial of his death, it is a present day, every-day, "eternal-now" experience of the Resurrection power of Jesus Christ. When we partake with faith we experience the miraculous out-pouring of the love of God into us anew and afresh for our living as members of the Body of Christ. Some have asked me why I hold Holy Communion so dear ... this is why! It is in and through this Holy Sacrament that the very Real Presence of God, which raised Christ Jesus from the dead, comes to be with and transform us and raise us from the spiritual death of our sin-sick souls.

Every Sunday - every weekly Resurrection Day - let us wipe away the tears of doubt, fear, pain, oppression, reluctance, and greed. Let us wipe away the tears that cloud our vision and, like Mary and the Disciples, obstruct our view of our Rabbi, our Resurrected One, Jesus the Christ. Let us wipe away the tears and look not upon the One whom we believe Jesus to be but, rather, upon the One who is our God, our Lord and Savior, our Brother and Friend ... the Jesus who is.

De Colores,

Rev. Gregory Neal

Walk #97

Table of Luke

Community Spiritual Director

Message from the Community Communications Chair

Friendship

If your ever in a jam, here I am
If your ever in a mess, SOS
If you ever feel so happy you land in jail, I'm your bail
It's friendship, friendship
Just a perfect blendship
When other friendships have been forgot, ours will still be hot
Lah-dle, ah-dle, ah-dle, dig, dig, dig

Cole Porter's song: Friendship

The above is some wonderful lyrics about friends and friendship.

Remember the Christian Action talk during the Walk to Emmaus weekend? There was probably a poster or PowerPoint page that said:

"Make a Friend, Be a friend, and Bring your friend to Christ."

So are you that friend now? Do you share with them your life and be there for them in the good times as well as tough times? Do you let your friends see that you have a living faith? If they don't know Christ, them. Share your relationship to the source of life and love. Your friends will need to have seen Christ in your life for this introduction to be natural and authentic. Jesus calls us not just to witness but to be witnesses in our words and deeds. (Acts1:8) We need to give our hands and feet to God.

As Dionne Warwick sings in the song "That's What Friends Are For"

Keep smiling, keep shining

Knowing you can always count on me, for sure

That's what friends are for

For good times and bad times

I'll be on your side forever more

That's what friends are for

Since I went on my walk back in 2004, I've made some wonderful, lifelong friends through the Dallas Emmaus Community. I'm moving to a new city, and will miss all of my Emmaus friends here terribly. I plan to connect with a new Emmaus Community.....and make new friends!

De Colores,

Ruth Dunn

Walk #178

Table of Elizabeth

Communications Chair

Message from Community Lay Director

Obstacles

A couple of weeks ago, I watched my daughter and four friends do an obstacle/mud run. (This was several Sundays ago when the rains and hail came so even though I was not participating in the mud run, I got plenty muddy!) It was a 5K race with ten obstacles. Climbing, rock walls, ropes, hurdles, belly crawl, etc. I must say, this was not something I would have ever considered doing. THOSE GIRLS WERE A MESS! But they had a great time. I saw them helping each other through the obstacles and offering words of encouragement constantly. They gave each other a hand up and waited if someone was struggling with an obstacle or was just worn out. They even waited for each other at the end so they could cross the finish line together - as a team.

It made me think about the obstacles we have in our lives - obstacles that seem like huge walls to climb over or a slimy pit of mud that we have to crawl through to get to the other side. God puts those obstacles and hurdles in our way so we will rely on Him to get us through, and He always gets us through it. It may not be in our time or with the speed that we think it should be, but He always holds our hand and stays with us to the other side. It may not be the solution that we think we need, but it is all part of the plan.

What obstacles are in your life right now? What things are going on that you just don't think you can get past? Are you talking to God and asking Him to get you through it? Are you asking Him to be by your side, holding your hand though the problem? Or do you think you can do by yourself?

De Colores!

Carolyn Jestis

Walk #180

Table of Esther

Community Lay Director

A Message from the Board

Mother's Day or Mother's Year?

"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?" Isaiah 49:15 NIV

When Isaiah wanted to reassure Zion that they had not been forsaken by God, he invoked the metaphor of a mother's love as justification that they could not be forsaken or forgotten. This column is lovingly dedicated to three remarkable women in my life, two of whom have left this life for their reward. They are Syble (Grandmama) Rohre, my late mother, Peggie (Memaw) Eades, my late mother-in-law, and my bride, Darcy (Gran) Rohre, loving mother to my children and "Gran" to the grandkids. In all cases, my family and I won the lottery. I also lift up the women of the Dallas Emmaus Community, both the mothers and the mothers to be.

I am writing this on Mother's Day afternoon but you will see it later that week. Why would we only want to honor mothers on one day a year, in light of all they do for us? Little more on this earth is as beautiful as the sacrificial and all consuming love demonstrated by mothers worldwide for their children. To put it in earthy context, my niece recently posted on FaceBook a cartoon with a young mother's greatest wish - to go to the bathroom alone! Or women in dire circumstances to ensure their children eat before they do. Or mothers who forgo new clothes for themselves for their children to have school clothes. As you realize, I could go on and on, but you get the picture.

If you had to explain the concept of Agape love to someone who had never heard of it, what better way to explain it than the illustration of a mother's love and giving for her child, often to her own detriment? What better earthly reflection of God sacrificing his only Son than a mother's sacrifices and unconditional love.

As you see this column later in Mother's Day week, reach out and honor your mother or, like me, honor her memory, and recognize the little images of her you see in her children and grandchildren. When Jesus prepared the apostles for his departure from this earth, he told them about the Counselor, the paraclete, the Holy Spirit, who would be with us and guide us. Mothers seem to have adopted a little piece of that job description. Will you join me in thanking Him for them today, tomorrow and all year?

De Colores!

Chuck Rohre

Walk #186

Table of Paul

Board Secretary

Help Wanted

Working on a Fourth Day Team is a rewarding way to participate in the Emmaus weekend as as the hands and feet of Christ, and the easiest way to stay connected with the Community. To sign up, view the Walk Schedule to get in touch with the 4th Day Director for the walk you want to serve on.

DEC is on FB

Next time you are on Facebook, search the Dallas Emmaus Community, then select the "Like" button to be updated on the latest news and events including Candlelights, potlucks, prayer requests and more. "Share" or "Suggest" the page to your friends so they can stay easily connected to the Dallas Emmaus Community too. As of Dec. 2013 there are 509 likes!

IMPORTANT TO NOTE: You do not have to be on Facebook to see what's going on... click here to see what's it is all about. Email Melinda O'Brien with any questions.

You can easily donate money to the Dallas Emmaus Community at any time by clicking here. PayPal is a secured donations system which directly deposits all funds into the Dallas Emmaus Community account. This is a great way to make payment for a pilgrim you are sponsoring or to keep the cost affordable for others who may not otherwise have means to sponsor a friend or loved one.

Looking for an opportunity to serve in a powerful ministry? Visit Kairos of Texas online to find out about the units and areas of ministiries near you.

Kairos is a prison ministry whose success is dependent on the community of faith support in providing agape such as prayer chain signatures, cookies, and financial donations. If you are interested in knowing more about how you can participate, or to find out how to attend a Kairos closing, email the editors for information.

"... whatever you did for the least of my brothers, you did for me."
~ Matthew 24:40

Contact Information

Dallas Emmaus Community
www.DallasEmmaus.org

info@dallasemmaus.org

214-502-4072