A Touch of Love

  The main reason for the Walk to Emmaus is to develop church leaders. This is done several different ways, but a couple of ways that really stand out are talks and agape. Of course, prayer plays a huge part in the weekend; local, community and world wide.  Everything that happens on an Emmaus weekend points to love. Candidates are touched by love in so many ways. We all respond to love; that’s the way God created us. The greatest expression of love is Jesus Christ. We can’t top His sacrifice, but we can love as He taught us.  Agape love may be a new expression to some but it becomes an ongoing experience once we’ve been on a Walk to Emmaus weekend. We know that keeping contact after an Emmaus weekend is very important and we do that through Gatherings, Reunion Groups, attending Candlelight and Closings.  During the weekend, agape letters are read throughout the three days. Many are amazed and astounded that so many people care enough to write to those experiencing the weekend. At the end of the weekend, candidates receive a bundle of letters that are very personal to them. Those letters are from family, close friends and sponsors. These letters are very important as they help the candidate to understand and realize how very much they are loved and how important they are to the Body of Christ and to the local church. The sponsor is responsible for getting these letters together, then putting them in a bundle with a rubber band so they may be given to the candidate at the end of the weekend. Letters from other friends and the community are also just as important. Candidates will receive their sack of letters when the weekend is over. All of these letters, along with prayers, music and much more are important and play a vital role in the weekend. Everything is a touch of love during the weekend. Over the years we have lost the gift of sacrificial agape. Whether it’s our busyness or negligence, we must capture once again sacrificial agape. How can we not see the importance of sacrifice when Jesus Christ was our Ultimate Sacrifice? Through prayer, we all need to ask the Lord what we need to “give up” or “add” to our daily walk with Him so that we can be more like Him and add an extra dose of love to the candidates. It’s another way of giving to the weekend and giving to the candidates.

But more importantly, it’s another way to give back to our Lord.