Polarized lenses are used in sunglasses to reduce glare from reflective surfaces such as the surface of a lake or the hood of a car or a concrete highway. They fulfill this function much like vertical blinds control sunlight through a window. Sunlight itself is not polarized - light from the sun will either be absorbed or polarized by the horizontal, diagonal or vertical surfaces it reflects off of. The problem this causes for activities like fishing and driving lies in the horizontal reflections off the water or car hood or road. Sunlight bounces off these horizontal surfaces, striking our eyes at a similar angle and creating strong glare. Polarized lenses have a laminated surface containing vertical stripes. These stripes only allow vertically-polarized light to enter the wearer's eyes. Glare is eliminated because the horizontally-polarized light waves cannot bypass the vertically-polarized filter.

Fishermen wearing polarized sunglasses can see below the surface of the water to search for fish or hidden obstacles. Drivers are no longer blinded or fatigued by a constant reflection of light from their hoods or the road ahead. Polarized lenses do have their limitations. If the wearer tilts his/her head past 45 degrees then some of the horizontal light starts to enter. Polarized lenses can reduce some of the contrast necessary for snow skiing in variable terrain. You may have also noticed that polarized lenses can hinder the viewing of LCD displays on dashboards, PDA’s and cell phones. In general however, polarized lenses allow us to see the world around us with far more clarity and comfort.

Polarized lenses were figuratively donned on the road to Emmaus in our scripture passage from Luke 24. Two people who knew Jesus well, but who were outside the inner ring of the twelve apostles were walking from Jerusalem to the village of Emmaus about seven miles away. They were talking about the rollercoaster of events that had happened in recent days with Jesus’ betrayal, trial, execution, burial and rumored resurrection. Jesus secretly joined them for their walking and talking. Yet, the preoccupation of the two friends with all their experiences and feelings created such a glare in their minds that they didn’t even see it was Jesus himself who was walking with them. When their journey was over and they paused to rest and eat, we read in verse 30, that Jesus “took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him…”

For those two travelers on the Emmaus Road, the act of communion was like putting on polarized lenses. All the extraneous images that blinded their mind’s eye were filtered out. In that simple act of breaking bread they saw Jesus for who he was and they saw themselves for who they were because of their relationship with Jesus. So clear was this new “polarized perspective” that they no longer even needed Jesus’ physical presence to sustain them. In fact, we read that as soon as they recognized Jesus, he vanished from their sight. They came to embrace the burning awareness in their own hearts, a burning that motivated them to turn right around that very night and run back over the seven miles they’d traveled during the day to catch the other disciples and exclaim, “The Lord is risen indeed!” (v. 34) According to verse 35 they then told the disciples “what happened on the road, and how [Jesus] had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.”

A combination of vertically and horizontally polarized lenses, create the perception of depth and are used in viewing specially produced 3-D movies. The sacrament of communion serves just such a purpose; to make Christ’s presence 3-D, to give Christ a visible and tangible dimension in our worship. This understanding of communion distinguishes United Methodists from other Christian traditions. Some churches believe in transubstantiation, maintaining that the physical elements of bread and juice are literally changed in substance into the flesh and blood of Jesus. Some churches believe in consubstantiation, where the flesh and blood of Jesus is metaphysically present alongside the elements of bread and wine. Some churches observe communion solely as a memorial – a ritual of remembering Jesus’ Last Supper and death. But as United Methodists, we share an understanding of Holy Communion as the Real Presence of Christ. Mysteriously through the communal sharing of this bread and cup, Christ is not just represented, but re-presented to each and every one of us! For people called Methodist, Holy Communion is a necessary means of experiencing the grace of God and strengthening our ties as a family of faith.

For this reason, we’ve made a concerted effort during this program year to increase our frequency of communion serving here at Good Samaritan. Perhaps you’ve noticed. From July 1 of last year to June 30 of this year we will have celebrated communion nine times during Sunday morning worship and nine times during midweek services, not including Bible studies, camps, retreats and other small group gatherings. In fact, we’ve had communion so much this year that we actually broke the communion rails by leaning on them as we kneel and rise. That’s good news that we’re finally wearing them out! The sockets need to be re-welded before they are a stable source of support once again. But in the meantime, may this sacrament itself be a stable source of support; a set of polarized lenses granting clarity of vision to recognize Christ’s presence in this moment of worship and in every step we take on our own Emmaus Roads!