Now remember, this is prior to Pentecost. These disciples were given a foretaste of the Holy Spirit Who would come and remain in them permanently after Jesus returned to the Father.

You remember how He sought to prepare them for His death. He told them that He was going back to the Father, and what did He promise He would do when He went to the Father? He said He would send the Holy Spirit. And what would the Holy Spirit do? He would give us power — "for you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit is come upon you."

In Luke's account — after Emmaus — Jesus says, "I am going to send you what my Father promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high" (vs. 49).

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That's our problem — isn't it? We have not been "clothed with power from on high." We disregard this most spectacular promise of power through the Holy Spirit and try to go it alone. We trust Jesus with some things some of the time, when we need to trust Him with all things all the time.

We need the presence of the Holy Spirit creating the kind of fellowship where "one loving heart sets another on fire." The presence of the Holy Spirit, which gives the congregation the boldness to attempt the impossible for the sake of the Kingdom.

Let me ask you a question. When was the last time you made a sacrifice for the sake of Christ? When was the last time you took upon yourself a cross of love — a burden you couldn't bear in your own power, the burden of another:

• a parent, a brother or sister, still lost in sin
• a friend struggling with such low self-esteem that he hangs on to you and drains you of emotional energy
• a spouse who is resistant to your vocation
• a child who is in the far country
• a lifelong friend who has turned her back on you because you have chosen the road less traveled

Are you willing to take up a cause that is so heavy —

• the cause of loving and serving the poor
• the cause of racial reconciliation
• the cause of world peace
• the cause of saving our culture from rampant pornography
• the cause of world mission to an unsaved people group
• the cause of authentic/passionate evangelism to secular people . . .

. . . a cause so heavy that only the power of the Holy Spirit will keep your knees from buckling as you stumble along under that cross of love and sacrifice.

The walk from Emmaus calls us to take up our cross — to kiss the crosses in our lives — but also — hallelujah! — to stay in the city until we are clothed with power from on high.

I remember the World Methodist Conference that met in Rio de Janeiro in 1994. Rio de Janeiro is a study in contrasts. In one direction from my hotel, I could look and see the spectacular beaches that stretch from Ipanema to Copa Cabana. I love the beach — the beauty of it — the waves crashing on the rocks. Along the beach the sidewalks were tiled with mosaics and crowded with beautiful people. Trendy as well as tacky hotels lined one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. But when you look in another direction, you see the largest favela in Brazil — a shantytown or slum. Some estimate that as many as 250,000 people are crowded into the tiny concrete block huts stacked upon one another on the mountainside like a beehive. In fact, "beehive" is the literal translation of the word favela.

In the middle of that favela, the Methodists of Brazil have established an amazing ministry called "The Hope Factory." What imagination, commitment, and passion for the poor!

High above all of that, dominating the entire landscape of that beautiful city, is the magnificent statue of Christ the Redeemer. You've seen a picture of that statue if you've seen a picture of Rio de Janeiro. It dominates everything — the Christ standing there on top of Corcovado. Jesus faces the ocean — and that means that His back is toward the favela. While at the conference, I heard this story. On a particularly difficult day, a worker in "The Hope Factory" said that she looked up, saw the back of the statue, and felt that Christ had turned his back on the people of the favela. It was a dark moment — a dismal moment that began to breed hopelessness in her heart. Then one of the people reminded her, "He has not turned His back on us; He's leading us out."

We began by saying that the Christian faith is not a destination — not an arrival at some point — but a journeying. It's a walk from Emmaus. And again remember — that walk calls us to take up our cross — to kiss the crosses in our lives — but also to stay in the city until we're clothed with power from on high — knowing that the Christ never turns His back on us — but leads us on — on to life and to sharing life with others.

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Maxie D. Dunnam is President of Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, KY. He is a Senior Consulting Editor of Preaching.