St Luke

On Wednesday in the Church Calendar we celebrate the Feast of St Luke. Luke is of course well known as the Gentile, or non Jewish, Doctor, who wrote the gospel of Luke and also the Acts of the Apostles. If these two books are taken together then Luke actually wrote more of the New Testament than anyone else, even Paul.

It seems likely that he was brought up in Antioch, in an environment strongly influenced by Greeks and Romans – the fact that he was a doctor points to the fact that he would have mixed very much in the upper circles of society – yet his writing points us to a God of compassion for all people and a God offering salvation and hope to all.

Of the 4 gospels, Luke is my favourite, and this evening I just wanted to share some of the messages of that gospel, because perhaps more than in any other gospel we find there some of the guidelines of how our Churches should look today. In fact just before doing that I read a joke this week which is relevant tonight really because we’re thinking about the Church and about Luke, who was a doctor !

A little girl was in Church with her mother, and suddenly asked if they could leave urgently as she felt sick – the mother didn’t really believe her, but anyway the girl kept on and so the mother told her to go outside and if she was going to be sick to do it behind one of the bushes. The girl went out, and fairly quickly came back in – ‘Were you sick ?’ asked the mother, and the little girl nodded, ‘Well you were very quick’ she said, and the girl replied, ‘well I didn’t need to go outside – in the porch there’s a box which says “Collection for the sick”.’

Anyway moving back to Luke. The first point to note about him is that he takes care in his writing. He is concerned about details, and about making sure he has got those details right. He has obviously studied in some depth the life of Jesus and spoken to many of his followers. Perhaps this reminds us of the doctor’s intellect – but it also reminds us that we should always try and get the detail of our faith right.

That doesn’t mean we should all be theologians, but we must take time to make sure we know Jesus – that we know the Bible, that we are ready to ask and be asked questions of our faith. Time and time again I hear people say how much more Muslims seem to know about their faith than we do and how much more confident to share that faith they are because they know more about it, yet time and time again I am disappointed as Christians make no effort to discover Jesus more.

The second feature of the gospel of Luke is that it is very much a gospel for all people. I have already said that Luke was a Gentile and wrote to an audience much wider than just the Jewish people. He was concerned to emphasise the message of the gospel that Jesus has won salvation for all people through his death and resurrection.

And it wasn’t just that he spoke to the Gentiles through his gospel. He also emphasised the teaching of Jesus and the concern and compassion of Jesus for those who were considered outcasts in society. Luke spends a lot of time recounting the incidents in Jesus’ earthly life where he fights for the underdog.

It is he who stresses the importance that Jesus gave to the role of women, giving special place in his writings to Mary, the mother of Jesus, to Mary Magdalene, Anna, the widow at Nain, and Martha and Mary. This contradicted everything that was common in society at that time – Jewish Morning Prayer even contained a prayer giving thanks for the fact that a man had not been born a gentile, a slave or a woman.

And Luke also describes in some detail the time that Jesus gave to the other people who were considered outcasts in society. He gives us the account of the woman anointing Jesus – not only was she a woman but we are told she was a sinner, someone who would not have been welcome amongst any religious leaders. Luke gives us the account of the Prodigal Son being welcomed back and forgiven by a loving and merciful Father. He also writes about the Pharisee and the Tax collector and also about Jesus’ meeting with Zaccheus the chief tax collector.

Tax collectors were amongst the most hated people in society, and yet Jesus, we are reminded by Luke, gave them a place. And Luke also describes the teaching of Jesus about the Samaritans – it is he who writes of the Good Samaritan, and it is he who describes ten lepers being healed, and only one coming back to thank Jesus, and that one being a Samaritan. The Jews hated Samaritans almost as much as they hated the Romans.

So Luke reminds us that just as Jesus spent time amongst all members of society, and far more time amongst those who were on the edge of society, so we must as a Church seek to mirror that image. There is no place for a Church which is exclusive – which makes the poor feel isolated, or the young out of place, or the sick or the elderly marginalised. There is no true Church that does not seek actively to offer a welcome for all…

And Luke’s gospel is also known as the gospel of prayer and praise. More times than in the rest of the gospels put together we find in Luke the phrase, ‘Praising God’. And there are 3 particular songs of praise that are used widely in services today – the magnificat and nunc dimittis which we sang earlier – the songs of Mary and of Simeon, and also the benedictus, used at morning prayer, which is the song of praise used by Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, after his son had been born.

Over the next couple of weeks I’m going to look at the magnificat and the nunc dimittis in more detail at evensong, but this evening we recognise the need to praise God – and to look for things to praise him for. I think we take an awful lot in our lives for granted, things that we are fortunate to have – we must make time to praise God and to thank him for all the gifts we have.

And Luke also offers lessons to us about prayer – more than in any of the other gospels he talks of Jesus going off to pray – he talks of Jesus teaching his disciples and other followers to pray, and again that is a message for the Church today. Our Church services are not about prayer – prayer is a part of them, but prayer must also be a part of every day of our lives… Prayer changes things – we must pray…

And so, through the gospel of Luke, we are given many hints about the type of message we need to be proclaiming today – we are encouraged to ask ourselves if we are doing it ?? In the Acts of the Apostles Luke then goes on to describe some of the work of the early Church – the incredible love, fellowship and growth.

Luke through both of these books paints a picture of God winning – not a picture that describes an easy life for a Christian, not a picture that describes perfect fellowship in a simplistic way, but a picture that always contains light at the end of any tunnel, that contains peace amongst any chaos, and hope amidst any despair.

Luke, I think, writes in a way that encourages, and as a Church, in addition to being welcoming, inclusive, active and courageous in our proclamation of the gospel, praising God and offering prayers for ourselves and others, as well as prayers of thanksgiving, we must be a Church of encouragement – encouraging each other all of the time, and encouraging those outside the Church to believe that there is something more that they should have in their lives – the peace of knowing Jesus and his love for them and for all people. AMEN