The Road to Emmaus
Sermon Preached by Rev’d Tracey Gracey on Sunday, 19 April 2026
Reading the Signposts – Luke 24:13-35
There was a backpacker who knew the destination that she wanted to travel to. As she travelled along a road she came to a crossroads.
Unfortunately for her there were no signposts.
She stood at this crossroads deliberating which road to take.
Good fortune would have it that a local was passing by and stopped and asked if she was lost.
I wouldn’t say I’m lost because I know the destination that I want to go to… but this crossroads has no signposts, so I’m just not sure which road I should take.
Any chance you could point me in the right direction?
Well, let’s see… if you choose this road and go past the woods and the lake and the meadow, you will arrive at your destination, it’s a lovely scenic route.
But if you want the shorter route then choose the other road, just go around the corner, past the school and over the bridge and you will arrive at your destination.
On the other hand, if you are a serious hiker, you may like to head straight up the hill and wander down the winding path… and then you will arrive at your destination.
The backpacker was a little confused.
So what you are telling me is that no matter what road or path I take I’ll arrive at my destination?
The local replied,
Yep, that’s about it. It’s more a matter of what kind of journey you want and what you want to see along the way. Easy or hard, pretty or short — it’s up to you — but you’ll get there in the end.
The Road to Emmaus story is a crossroads moment.
Because on that same day — the day of the resurrection —
people are trying to make sense of what has happened and what direction they should take.
The women stand at the tomb, searching for a signpost that will help them understand what they have seen.
Peter looks and leaves the tomb, wondering, searching for a signpost that will make things a little clearer.
The disciples gather in fear and uncertainty, longing for a signpost of reassurance, a signpost that reminds them they are not alone.
And the two on the road… begin to walk away,
as if the only signpost they can see is one that leads them away from what has happened and from all they had hoped for.
All of these people are standing at a crossroads.
Trying to understand what has unfolded.
Looking for a signpost that will give them direction.
And what begins to emerge is this:
there is not just one signpost, but many and somehow, they begin to lead in the same direction.
For some, the way forward begins in conversation.
In talking things through.
In going over what has happened.
In sharing questions, doubts, and reflections.
And it is in that conversation that something begins to take shape
and they begin to notice the signposts that are already there.
For others, the way forward is found in presence.
Not in answers but in the quiet realisation that they are not alone.
That even in fear, even in uncertainty,
there is a presence with them even if they don’t yet know where it might lead, or what it might mean.
For others, it comes through remembering.
Through recalling what has been said.
Through hearing again the words of Jesus.
Through recalling the Scriptures and hearing again what had always been there.
And suddenly, what once didn’t make sense – begins to.
For others, it is found in the ordinary moments of life.
In being together.
In sharing.
In something as simple as a meal.
And it is there — in the breaking of the bread —
that recognition comes.
Eyes are opened, in the very moment that Jesus is no longer seen.
What was once in front of them
is now something they carry within them.
A knowing.
A recognition.
A heart awakened and burning.
Different paths.
Different signposts.
And yet, these signposts all begin to lead in the same direction.
Toward a deeper understanding.
Toward recognition.
Toward belief.
And when that recognition comes, it doesn’t leave them where they are.
Instead, it becomes another signpost – the signpost of returning.
A returning to one another.
A returning to community.
A returning to a life with a new direction.
Those who had been walking away
now find themselves drawn back.
Those who had been locked away in fear
find themselves drawn out.
Not because every question has been answered,
but because something has been recognised.
And perhaps this is where all the signposts have been leading.
Not just toward understanding, but toward returning.
And that is the invitation for us.
Because we too stand at crossroads in our lives.
We too try to make sense of what has been.
We too look for signposts.
And we don’t all find them in the same place.
For some, it is in conversation.
For others, in quiet presence.
For others, in remembering.
For others, in the ordinary moments of life.
Different paths.
But the same destination.
And the invitation is simple.
To stop at the crossroads.
To notice.
To trust that even when we are not sure of the way…
the signposts are there.
And that Jesus our Christ is with us,
along the road,
in the conversation,
in the remembering,
in the breaking of the bread.
Amen.