Episode 2 Search for Meaning

Hello, and welcome to After Sunday: After the Amen.

This is the space where we take a moment… just after the final hymn has faded, after the chairs are stacked, after the “Amen” has been said…
and we ask—what now?

This week, we’re thinking about something many of us carry quietly:
the search for meaning.

Because if we’re honest, not everyone who listens to this podcast feels close to faith right now.
Some of you may feel like you’ve drifted a little.
Or wandered.
Or just found life got busy… and faith slipped further down the list.

And yet—something still stirs.

A question.
A curiosity.
A sense that there must be more than just getting through the week.

You’re not alone in that.

In fact, the Christian story is full of people who wandered, questioned, doubted…
and still found themselves drawn back.

So wherever you are today—close to faith, far from it, or somewhere in between—
this episode is for you.

Because sometimes, meaning isn’t something we achieve…
it’s something we rediscover.

So stay with me, as together we explore what it might look like
to take a step back… after the Amen.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 1:20

Hello and welcome to After Sunday, After the Amen. This is a space where we take a moment just after the final hymn has faded, after the chairs are stacked, after the Amen has been said, and we ask, what now? This week we're thinking about something many of us carry quietly, the search for meaning. Because if we're honest, not everyone who listens to this podcast feels close to faith right now. Some of you may feel like you've drifted a little or wondered or just found life got busy and faith slipped further down the list. And yet something still stirs a question, a curiosity, a sense that there must be more than just getting through the week. You're not alone in that. In fact, the Christian story is full of people who wondered, questioned, doubted and still found themselves drawn back. So wherever you are today, close to faith, far from it, or somewhere in between, this episode is for you. Because sometimes meaning isn't something we achieve, it's something we rediscover. So stay with me as we together we explore what it might look like to take a step back after the Amen. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, What are you discussing with each other while you walk along? They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopatra, answered him, Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days? And he asked them, What things? They replied The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty indeed, and the word before God and all the people and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. And besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those women who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see him. Then he said to them, Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared. Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory? Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he was going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, Stay with us because it is almost evening, and the day is now nearly over. So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed, and broke it, and he gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, Were not our hearts burning within us whilst we were talking to whilst he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us. That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem, and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon. Then they told them what had happened on the road and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread. Well I walked straight up to the doors, stepped forward, and nothing happened. So I shuffled a bit closer, still nothing. And then I realized I was trying to go in the exit trying to go in the shop through the way out. Now at this point you've got a decision to make, haven't you? You can either admit what's going on or pretend that it was your plan all along. So I hovered there for a moment, looked around casually, as if I was just checking the door. Meanwhile, the girl on the tail is watching the whole thing unfold, trying not to laugh. And to be honest, I wasn't quite succeeding. And in the end, there was nothing for it. I just had to turn around, walk back out, and go in the right way. Slightly less confident than before. And it's funny. But it's also a bit close to home. Because sometimes in life we think we're heading in the right direction, only to realise we're going the wrong way. And that's exactly where this gospel begins with two people heading the wrong way. They say it to themselves. We had hoped. Note, they say that in the past temps we had hoped he was the one. We had hoped things would be different. We had hoped God would act, but hope had died. And when hope dies, people move. They don't always make a speech, they just start walking. Not rebellious, not dramatic, just walking. Walking away from Jerusalem, walking away from hope, walking away from what didn't work. Because when hope dies, people don't always argue, they just drift step by step in the opposite direction. And here's the surprising thing. Jesus doesn't wait in Jerusalem for them to come back. He goes after them. He meets them on that road while they are walking away. And they don't recognize him. It feels very true to life. Because often people don't realise that God is already walking with them, even when they think they've left him behind. And we should notice what Jesus does. He doesn't interrupt, he doesn't correct them straight away. He asks a question. What are you discussing? And then he listens. He lets them tell their story. He lets them name their disappointment. And maybe that's where the church begins again today. Not by telling people they're wrong, but by walking alongside them and listening. Then when Jesus begins to speak, he opens up the scriptures. He shows them that what looked like failure was actually part of God's bigger story. And sometimes things then began to happen. They say later in that gospel passage, were not our hearts burning within us, there was no certainty, not full understanding, but just a spark, a warmth, a sense that maybe God is still at work. And that's often how faith returns not in a flash, but in a slow burning a conversation, a moment, a flicker. Of course, they reach Emmaeus, the place that they were heading for, the place they thought they wanted to be. And Jesus acts as if he will go on. And this is the turning point. They say stay with us. It's a small invitation, but it changes everything because at the table, in the breaking of the bread, their eyes are opened, and suddenly they see that Jesus was with them all along. And then comes the moment we mustn't miss You hear these words that same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem. That same hour, not later, not tomorrow, not when it's easier. They turned around. The road that had carried them away now would carry them back, back to Jerusalem, back to the place of pain, back to the place of confusion, but now with new eyes. People are still walking away, not always angrily, not dramatically, just drifting drifting from church, from faith, from anything that once felt like Jerusalem. So maybe we've been asking the wrong question. Instead of how do we get them back? Maybe the question is how do we walk with them? Because Jesus is already there on the road, in the conversation and in the questions. And sometimes our hearts begin to burn again. And when they do, a lot of people turn around. And this isn't just about others, it's about us too. Because there are times when we walk away, even if we're still physically here, when our prayers feel empty, when ministry feels heavy, when hope feels thin we may still show up. But inside, we've started heading towards Emmaus. And the question is will we recognise him walking with us? Will we invite him to stay? So perhaps our calling now is this not just to stand in Jerusalem waiting, but to walk the road, to meet people where they are, to listen more than we speak, to trust that Christ is already present. Because resurrection doesn't just happen in empty tombs, it happens on roads, in conversations, in ordinary moments. So maybe faith is a bit like that moment for me in home bargains, when you suddenly realize I'm heading the wrong way, and there's that slightly awkward moment when you have to stop, turn around and go back. Not quite as confidently as before, but this time you're going the right way. Because the resurrection isn't just about Jesus rising, it's about people turning around and discovering that he was with them all along. Amen. Where we have lost confidence, renew us, where we have lost direction, guide us. Where we have been content to stand still, send us out. Help us to be a people who walk with others, who listen before we speak, and who reveals your presence in word and action. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer. Lord of all creation, we bring before you a world that often feels confused and divided, where nations walk the path of conflict, turn hearts towards peace, where communities feel forgotten or left behind, bring hope and renewal, where people are searching for meaning. Meet them, Lord, on their journey. May your light be seen on every road and your presence known in every place. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. Lord Jesus, you met your disciples on the road away from Jerusalem, and we pray for those who are walking away today, from faith, from church, and from hope. For those who feel disappointed or let down, for those who carry questions or doubts, and for those who feel there is no place for them. Walk beside them, we pray. Speak into their hearts, and in your time, turn them gently back towards you. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. Lord of life and resurrection, we remember before you those who have died, and we give thanks for their lives, and we entrust them to your eternal care. We pray especially for those who are grieving, for all who walk the difficult road of loss, when hope feels distant, and the way ahead uncertain. Draw near to them, walk beside them in their sorrow, comfort them with your presence, and bring them in time to the light of your peace and the hope of the resurrection. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. Compassionate Lord, we remember all those who are struggling, those that are sick and suffering, the anxious and the lonely, the weary and the burdened. Walk with them in their pain, be their companion in the darkness, and bring them comfort of your presence. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. Finally, Lord, we pray for ourselves when we lose our way, when our faith grows cold, when we find ourselves drifting, draw near to us. Open our eyes to recognize you, set our hearts burning again, and give us the courage to turn back towards you. Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.