Reimagining Presence and Absence: Luke 24 as a Model for Christophanic Multipresent Church

Abstract

The blending phenomenon of offline-online religious practices is considered a solution for today’s churches strug­gling to reconsider their identity and expression in communicating the faith during the pandemic. However, this hybrid approach still cannot provide theological conviction for the churches to adopt it. Therefore, the contribution of biblical-historical studies in this discussion is required by observing the early church’s religious practices, which are rooted in the life and work of Jesus Christ. By investigating Luke 24 utilizing a cognitive linguistic approach, this research displays Luke’s ecclesiological motif and relevance in providing a biblical-historical foundation for today’s churches. Research Contribution: Luke 24 demonstrated a christophanic presence of Christ as a prototype for religious practices of the early church, which opening up space for contextual expression on the formation of today’s church identity, community, and authority during the blending offline-online world.