You'll never walk alone

As a Liverpool Football Club supporter, one of my favourite songs has to be ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone.’ I don’t think anybody can ever fail to be moved just before the teams come out at Anfield when this anthem begins, and echoes around the stadium. But, regardless of the football connection, the words have tremendous meaning I think for all of us as Christians.

This evening we have heard the account of Jesus on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). In many ways it’s a difficult account to understand – surely these followers of Jesus would recognise him walking alongside them. They may have had doubts about his resurrection but still they would see him there by the side of them, talking to them. But perhaps not… perhaps the appearance of Jesus had changed, or perhaps they simply didn’t have the faith to believe that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead.

Whatever the situation was, Jesus walked alongside these two followers as they told him of the events of the past few days, of how Jesus, who they had thought was the Messiah, had been condemned to death and crucified, but who, according to some of the women from their group of followers, had now risen from the dead and was alive.

These 2 followers were confused, they were seeking comfort, they were seeking answers… And whoever this stranger was, they seemed to like him – he was there for them, listening and offering wise words. When they reached their destination they asked him to stay with them, and there as they shared bread at the table, their eyes were opened and they recognised Jesus.

So what has this Road to Emmaus account got to do with the song, ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ ? Well, in fact it has everything to do with it, because in this Emmaus account Jesus is reminding these followers, and every one of us since, that he is with us at all times and in all situations.

Think of those words of the song,

When you walk through a storm, hold your head up high
And don't be afraid of the dark.
At the end of the Storm there's a golden sky
And the sweet, silver song of a lark.
Walk on through the wind, walk on through the rain,
Though your dreams be tossed and blown.
Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart,
And you'll never walk alone.
You'll never walk alone.

Life is a journey with many ups and downs. For the disciples of Jesus those days after the crucifixion were mixed with all kinds of emotion, disappointment, anger, grief, loneliness, maybe even abandonment, but Jesus was there for them. In our lives, we will go through the full range of emotions as well from time to time, but Jesus is there for us.

In the week I went to see the film ‘Amazing Grace’, the story of how William Wilberforce battled for the abolition of slavery – the film vividly portrays his God inspired vision of a better world for everyone, where people, who are created as equals, live as equals.

As he launched his first bill, he was defeated by people more concerned with self interest, but gradually the moral argument was won, and the votes moved closer, eventually leading to the abolition of slavery 200 years ago. Through the depression of his failures in the early stages, Wilberforce remained certain that God was with him.

Today throughout the world tragically there are still people caught up in types of slavery. People who earn practically nothing for long days of work, children who are exploited, people who through their social position have no rights, and then there are even the people in this country who are trapped in slavery to debt or addiction.

So many people are looking and waiting for someone to walk alongside them, to assure them that they can have hope, that they can be confident of a future, that they can know that someone cares for them. People need to know that there is no darkness of which they need to be afraid, that they can keep going through the storms, through the wind and the rain, confident that Christ is alongside them.

But so many people are, like those early followers, blind to his presence. The Easter season is the most joyful of all in the Christian calendar – the resurrection of Jesus is the reason that we can have hope, that we can be sure that, whatever situations we may find ourselves in, Jesus is there with us, and we must display that fact through the way we live our lives, both in our actions and in our words.

This week I was talking about an elderly man who had been a lay preacher in his Church, and who had done a tremendous amount of work both in the Church and in the wider community. But a lady who lived across the road from the man, who knew of his work, but who was not a Church goer, talked about his garden. The man had become unwell and unable to look after his garden which had become overgrown. She said how sad it was that nobody from the Church had come to do the garden for him, knowing how much he had given to the Church.

And as I heard this it struck me of how wide our witness as Christians can be – and it struck me again of how much we are required to be Jesus walking alongside people – sharing his love and his light all around us. This lady wanted to see Christian love in action, she wanted to know that people who go to Church on a Sunday are also living out their faith in the rest of the week.

Jesus walked that Emmaus road with his followers, but through lack of faith or sadness or depression or whatever else it was, they failed to see him. Jesus walks alongside each one of us today in good times, and in bad times. We have the hope to go in faith, assured of Christ’s victory over death, and his wonderful promises of eternal life, but he requires of us that we must be his visible presence walking alongside others.

A teacher once asked his students, ‘How can we determine the hour of dawn, when the night ends and the day begins ?’ One student suggested, ‘When, from a distance you can distinguish between a sheep and a dog.’

‘No’ replied the teacher. ‘Is it when you can distinguish between a fig tree and a grapevine ?’ asked a second student. ‘No’ said the teacher, ‘it is when you have enough light to look human beings in the face and recognise them as your brothers and sisters. Until then the darkness is still with us.’

Jesus has given us a world of brothers and sisters to love and care for, and to walk alongside… ‘Walk on, walk on, with hope in your hearts, and you’ll never walk alone for Jesus Christ is with you.’ AMEN