The story of Emmaus
While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and walked with them.
-Luke 24:15
The Gospel of St. Luke relates the story of the risen
Christ appearing to two who were going along the road
from Jerusalem to Emmaus. Two friends were walking together
sharing their hearts deepest concerns. The risen Christ
joined them and explained the scriptures as they walked,
how it was ordained that Christ should suffer and so
enter his glory. This experience on the road was a heart-warming
experience as the risen Christ walked and talked with
them. The illuminating climax of the experience was
when Christ took bread and said the blessing, then broke
it and gave it to them. The two had their eyes opened
and they recognized him as the risen Christ and they
rushed back to Jerusalem to tell the others (Luke 24: 13-35).
The above story provides the image of Emmaus, an
Upper Room program that calls forth and renews Christian
discipleship. Like its predecessor, Cursillo de Christiandad
(Spanish for "short course in Christianity"),
the Walk to Emmaus is a three-day experience, which
takes a New Testament look at Christianity as a lifestyle.
It is a highly structured experience designed to strengthen
and renew the faith of Christian people, and through
them their families, congregations, and the world in
which they live. Emmaus is a combined effort of laity
and clergy toward the renewal of the church.
What happens at Emmaus?
At Emmaus you will spend three busy but very enjoyable
days, usually at a retreat center. You will live and
study together in singing, prayer, worship, and discussion.
Discussion centers around fifteen talks given by laity
and clergy. These talks present the theme of God's grace,
and how that grace comes alive in the Christian community
and expresses itself in the world. You'll also discover
how grace is real in your life, and how you can live
in the life of grace, bringing grace to others. You
will have the opportunity to participate in the daily
celebration of Holy Communion and to begin to understand
more fully the presence of Christ in his body of believers.
You will experience God's grace personally through the
prayers and acts of service of a living support community.
What happens after Emmaus?
One of the primary strengths of Emmaus is in the
follow-up. Your walk lasts only three days, but you
are invited to build on it for the rest of your life.
Those who attend a "Walk to Emmaus" are encouraged to do two
things following their walk:
1. Expand their own spiritual lives through study and
congregational participation.
2. Become more active disciples of Christ in the world
through their churches.
History of Emmaus
Originating in Spain in the late 1940's, the Cursillo Movement
(short for "Cursillo de Cristianidad"
meaning "little course in Christianity")
moved to America in the late 1950's. It was primarily
a Roman Catholic movement until the 1970's. As Catholic
centers started accepting applications from Protestants,
efforts began among some groups to make the Cursillo
experience available to all Protestants. In the late
1970's, The Upper Room
(a unit of the Board of Discipleship
of the United Methodist Church) formed the Upper Room
Cursillo Community in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1981,
by mutual agreement between the National Secretariat
of the Roman Catholic Cursillo movement and The Upper
Room, the name of the Nashville Protestant community
was changed to Emmaus. The Emmaus movement is ecumenical.
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