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In his Easter 3 sermon Clay looks at the character of Jesus as revealed in Luke's story of the Road to Emmaus. The essential quality to his character is empathy. Clay suggests that empathy is at the core of what it means to be a Christian and uses a story by Barach Obama in his speech "A More Perfect Union" to demonstrate that Emmaus is anywhere empathy can be found.\n\n"While the story is just that, a story, I believe it reflects the collective memory of Jesus\u2019 followers about Jesus himself. It reflects a core truth about the character of Jesus, even if the words he uses are not his but those of the early church. \n\nWhat is at his core based on this story? Jesus listens actively. Listening is a caring response. He is not defensive in his response to these disciples who still don\u2019t understand. Nor is he coercive by arguing for who he is, subtly or overtly. Instead he draws out of them what they already know, respecting their autonomy and capacity. And lastly, he does not pull rank. He is non-authoritarian. He does not make them sit down to eat with him; he patiently waits to be invited to join them at their meal. When they finally discover for themselves how to leave the hopeless road they have been travelling, he gets out of their way."\n\nFull text of his remarks at http://www.stmatthews.org.nz/nav.php?sid=448&id=826.