Slaving away in some laboratory in San Diego, scientists tried and tried and tried to perfect a product that I love: WD-40.

It’s great for hinges, to loosen bolts, even to get oil stains off the car.

But it took some time to perfect -

In fact, it’s called WD-40 because the final product was the 40th iteration of their idea.

They tried to make this thing 40 times.

What if they’d given up at 35? Or 36? or 39?

This Sunday you and I will hear the story of Jesus, who shortly after his resurrection, joined a couple of his disciples walking on a road to a nearby town called Emmaus.

These disciples had no idea who this stranger was who was walking with them, and they peppered him with questions and were intrigued by his answers.

So when it began to get dark and the disciples were headed inside to stay the night - and Jesus wanted to keep going - these disciples  strongly urged him to stay with them - to continue to talk with them - to continue to satisfy their spiritual curiosity.

Jesus did.

He stayed with them.

And shortly thereafter, they finally recognized him in the breaking of the bread.

But what if those disciples hadn’t invited Jesus in?

What if they’d said, ‘Hey, great conversation, see you around!

And never pursued their, spiritual quest?

Friends, as we bask in the glory of the Easter miracle - we are bidden to keep on keeping on in our pursuit of Jesus.

Don’t be satisfied with what we know or where we are - but to keep on keeping on in our pursuit of the spiritual life.

What does that look like to you?

In what ways are we too ’settled’ with God?

And how might we pursue the spiritual life even more deeply -

So many of the problems that plague us, the issues that roil us, the challenges that overwhelm us, can usually be handled much better when we are at higher levels of spiritual fitness.

Easter is a time to get in touch with our true self, our spiritual self, that self that recognizes Jesus all around us, all the time.