Early in the morning, I was on the highway to give a Lenten sermon in a distant village. I had orientated myself on the Emmaus passage in the Gospel of Luke. The word "and it happened" appears relatively suddenly at two points in the newer translation. It was important to me to let the almost 200 predominantly older visitors to the service participate in the concreteness of a life with the words of Jesus. There was great and grateful attention in the church. At the end of the service, when I was able to give several people a personal blessing, an elderly woman came up to me and let me know: "I am so touched by this service and by all the experiences you have shared with us. Something has happened to me! I am so fulfilled and so happy. I'm going home different than when I arrived!" I gently tried to explain to her that it was the hidden Jesus who speaks to our hearts and gives deep peace and real joy! She looked at me for a long time without saying anything and I was able to experience: "And it happened!"
