Two American tourists walking in the country happened upon Queen Elizabeth and her Royal protection officer, Richard Griffin. The tourists did not recognize her, and a conversation ensued. They asked where she lived, and she told them London but that she had had a holiday home just over the hills (in Balmoral) for over 80 years. The tourists were amazed and said, "Well, if you've been coming here for 80 years, you must have met the Queen." Queen Elizabeth told them that she had not but added, "Dickie here meets her regularly." Turning their attention to Griffin, they asked him what she was like. He said, "The Queen can be cantankerous at times but has a lovely sense of humor." The tourists then asked the Queen if she would use their camera to snap a picture of them with Griffin. Then Griffin swapped places to take one of the two tourists and the still-unrecognized Queen. They waved goodbye, and as they walked away, Queen Elizabeth told Griffin she'd love to be a fly on the wall when they show the photos back home.
2,000 years earlier, the highest royalty, the King of Kings, was not recognized as he walked along a country road. Jesus joined two discouraged men walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus. He asked them what they were discussing, and they were surprised that this man did not know about all the turmoil caused by Jesus' recent crucifixion and the empty tomb. Jesus shared Old Testament scripture and interpreted it so they could see that the things they were fretting about had long ago been predicted and were necessary; they would later acknowledge that their hearts were burning by hearing that. As Jesus broke bread with them, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. What a moment that must have been! Ressurection Day (Easter), fully realized! "Then Jesus suddenly vanished. Their hope had been restored, and they immediately set out to share the good news, stating, "He has risen indeed." It's worth taking 5-minutes to read the whole account in Luke 24:13-35 (you can find it with an online Bible if you don't have one handy).
When we don't expect to see royalty, it is easy to look right past it. Jesus tells us that he is with us now and that, as Christians, he lives in us. But if our hearts and eyes are closed to it, we miss out! We become discouraged. We'll sign off with three verses that remind us that God is with us so that we might have strength and hope and share it with others.
- "Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you." (James 4:8).
- "And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20)
- "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10)
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