This message takes us on a profound journey with two disciples walking the road to Emmaus in Luke 24, exploring what happens when our faith feels more like dying embers than a roaring fire. We discover that disappointment doesn't disqualify us from God's presence—in fact, Jesus meets us right in the middle of our confusion and hurt. The passage reveals a beautiful truth: we don't have to have everything figured out for Jesus to walk with us.

These two followers had heard resurrection rumors but hadn't experienced resurrection personally, reminding us that secondhand faith only carries us so far. We need our own encounter. What's particularly striking is how Jesus doesn't reveal himself during the Bible study or sermon, but in the ordinary moment of breaking bread at the table.

This speaks to where real transformation happens—not always in corporate settings, but in the quiet times, the conversations, the everyday moments when we invite Him to stay. The disciples' hearts burned within them, and that fire was rekindled not through having all their questions answered, but through encountering the living Christ. For those of us carrying 'we had hoped' statements in our lives—disappointments about marriages, diagnoses, losses, or prayers that seemed unanswered—this message offers hope that Jesus specializes in turning us around on the road of disappointment and setting us back on the road of hope.