If you’ve ever built a fire, you know that the task requires more than just lighting a match. A flame must be fed to become a fire, capable of burning with its full force. The same is true for the passion and zeal that burns within us, but it’s important to remember that we’re not in the business of fire building alone – God ignites the flame of passion within us and entrusts us to cultivate it. We see this happen time and time again throughout scripture – everyday people encounter God, and that encounter leaves them filled with energy and enthusiasm, great passion and zeal.

Consider the story of the Road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-32). Just three days ago Jesus had hung on a cross, dying a slow and painful death. His body had been laid in the tomb while his followers, yourself included, had wept over the loss of this teacher, this friend, this promised king.

The news reached you earlier today, just before you set out for Emmaus – that a few women had gone to the tomb this morning, expecting to prepare Jesus’ body for a proper burial, only to find the tomb empty, the stone rolled away. The only explanation they could offer were the words that had been given to them from some ethereal bystanders, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!”

As you ponder these rumors aloud with a friend, a stranger joins you on the road and asks, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”

Surely he’s heard. You launch into an explanation, recounting the unjust trial, gruesome crucifixion, and hurried burial of this powerful prophet, ending with this morning’s miraculous discovery. This stranger surprises you, quoting scripture and retelling all that had been said about Jesus, the promised Messiah. For not having heard the news of his death, he seems to know even more of Jesus’ life than yourself! His words, spoken with authority and conviction, stir something within you. You can’t quite place it, but you feel something welling up within you, growing stronger with every word, threatening to tumble out of you with every step.

Having reached your destination, you see that this man intends to keep going, so you implore him to stay longer. After all, the sun is quickly sinking and he must be exhausted. You want to hear more of what he has to say, to spend more time with him in hopes that this feeling within you would continue to grow. He complies and joins you inside.

Now, seated at the table, this strang guest picks up the bread set before you, breaks it, and blesses it as he turns to offer it to you. In a flash, you realize who it is that sits before you – it’s Jesus himself! And just as suddenly as he appeared, he disappears.

The words of your friend reach your ears before your mind can comprehend what just happened, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

Questions for reflection:

• Do you tend to lean more heavily to one side of the spiritual-emotional spectrum?

  • If so, which side do you naturally gravitate towards – the logical or the emotional?
  • Why do you think that is? (Personal experience, family background, religious culture, etc)
• Can you remember a time when you relied too heavily on wisdom and logic to produce spiritual maturity? What about a time when you relied too heavily on emotion to carry you to spiritual maturity?
  
• How does knowing that God has emotions effect your view of the role of emotions in our faith?
  
• How can you begin to intentionally nurture the zeal God has placed in you?
  
• Have you ever experienced a “road to Emmaus” moment, when passion somehow, almost suddenly, burst within you?