Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-06-06
Lesson for june 0.


Emmaus." 1t Is a side-light In the little
incidental mercies that follow us all the
days of our lives. The great passion was
over, and the resurrection, too, though as
yet they little apprehendcd the latter. Yes
1t was all over, 1t seemed, to them. There
was the grief of it. Those sweet walks
with the Master those blessed converse
tons by the sea, those gracious pilgrim
ages, with healing hands where need was
20 thronging those happy, happy days
with Jesus of Nazareth-all ali gone. And
now come the tastes of earth again, after
walking as it were, in the heavenlies with
Jesus, now the dull routine and the hum
drum of life, all to be taken up again just
as of old, and just as il Christ had never
been. D.. here is the keenest sorrow.
Coming back from the grave and settling
down to ordinary work again. Here il
the test. Trying to readjust ourselves to
the little duties and appointments of tho
home, and the shop, and the street. But
right in the midst of this comes a Pres
ence and Blessing. Christian. there Ia
sweet comfort for you in this lesson. Sin
ner, If you will there Is Saviour for you
here-the gracious, everyday Christ. Tho
wayside Christ, our Jesus, unawares.
DeuOlu, TWO Oh lneu1. Anu was Luke
one? Is it his modest way Of speaking Of
himself? Certainly he tells of the Incl
dent as one very familiar with its details.
|, And yet are there not points in 1t to which
all hearts give instructive response? We
also are there. 1t was that same day."
!. e., the day of Christ's resurrection, but
they knew it as yet only as the third day
after his burial, and their hearts are sad.
Still, life's burdens have to be carried.
the days duties have to be performed.
And sympathy. "They talked together
Of all the things which had happened"
How sweet it is. q tier pain, just to talk
it all over with one we love. II must see
and have a talk with him." When you
come to such resolution. you are on the
way to relief. o there are some souls
about us just heart-broken to tell it, to
tell it all. Go and draw them out; it will
do them good and be better than medi-
cine. 1t is medicine, the medicine of SYM
patty. And thus also does Godehelp in
days of grief.
But the best help was yet to come.
Jesus himself drew near and went with
them" 1t was while they "communed
together and reasoned" Greek: inquired
together) Moreover. "Their eyes were
holden that they should not know him."
Thus often does Christ come to us in our
ordinary tasks and in our daily inter-
course. We do not recognize him in the
midst, but after the hour is past, the labor
or the interview, we say with heart half
awed and wholly glad, "He was there; he
was there!' "He made as though he
would have gone further" not thrusting
himself upon them. but awaiting their
rentreaty. 1t is an encouragement to
prayer. "What things?" he says, regard
ing the matters he knows already far
better than we, for he wants to hear us
tell. He passes on as if to go further
in order that voice like that of blind
Bartimeus may be lifted, "Jesus, thou
Son of David. have mercy on me-" No,
he will not force the door, nor press him
self in. Love must loose the fastenngs
and extend the hand. He waits to be ask
ed.
"tNe trusted that it had been he" No,
not trusted" They simply had hoped.
And this indeed is what the Greek of the
passage says, We are hoping. Had they
been trusting they would not have been
"astonished," as they confess they were.
ut the tidings of the resurrection brought
by the women. We have altogether too
much of the kind Of trust spoken of here
in our churches and Sunday schools to-
day. 1t may account for much of our
bewilderment when once the power Of God
manifests ITSELF and for much Of our pres
ent apathy and dullness. ,
"A vision Of angels which said that he
was alive" AS yet the doctrine of the
resurrection was an angelic possession.
Nobody was saying it in faith, only
company of angels. Yes, and a group Of
wondering women. just now gathering
faith. But the only preachers of the res.
direction at the first were angels in the
garden. Then came the Epiphanies. Then
came Pentecost, and Peter, and presently
Paul, and now a vast multitude of re-
deemed souls, who with n stronger voice
than angels, and more efficient, cry, "He
Is risen! The Lord is risen indeed!'
Hints and Illustrations.
ga little talk with Jesus,
How it smoothes the rugged road!
How il seems to help me onward,
Where L faint beneath my load.
When my heart is crushed with sorrow,
And my eyes with tears are dim,
There is naught can yield me comfort
Like little talk with him."
1t is lesson of Christian experience,
and of everyday experience. There are
revelations of Christ which may be called
epochal; but here we have the wayside
Christ the Jesus of the everyday pill
grimage, the Jesus that comes and walks
with us at our ordinary tasks. We can
all feel an interest here, the humblest as
well as the most exalted in point of ser
vice, for we all have experience. There
are more common days than great days,
and this is the revelation of the common
day. Call forth expression. Get the ones
who do not often speak, or who seem to
have had no great divulgences, to speak
to-day. 1t is their turn.
This lesson tells of a common expert
ence. A joyous experience, too. See those
disciples with swift feet Fastening to tell
of "what things were done in the way and
how he was known of them in the break
ing of bread" The others were full of the
wonderful divulgences made to Peter and
the Marys, but this. there was enough for
them, the Christ that came by the way.
Do you know the joy? And strengthen
ing. How sturdily these men trudged
back over the three score furlongs "the
same hourv Did they leave their errand
unfinished? Did they drop everything and
go? Anyhow, they had seen Jesus, and
how strong they felt!N All, these are the
revelations that make us to mount up with
wings as eagles, run and not be weary,
walk and not faint. Is not the walk back
after the sermon or the prayer easier than
tha xx,ov go;no1 Christ;one fh;s IL what