Saint Luke the Evangelist

The Collect of the Day
Almighty God, who inspired your servant Luke the physician to set forth in the Gospel the love and healing power of your Son: Graciously continue in your Church this love and power to heal, to the praise and glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

The Psalm
147:1-7

The Readings
Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 38:1-4, 6-10, 12-14     +     II Timothy 4:5-13     +     Luke 4:14-21

He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
     because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
     and recovery of sight to the blind,
     to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
~Luke 4:17-21

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Luke the Evangelist (i.e. Gospel writer). According to tradition, he was the author of the third Gospel, “the beloved physician,” a Gentile friend and companion to St. Paul. Luke is a great story-teller, and several of the best known and most loved stories about Jesus come from this Gospel: the details of “the Christmas story,” the parables of “the prodigal son” and “the good Samaritan,” and “the good thief” on the cross.

We've started reading through Luke's Gospel with the youth on Wednesday nights. And as we as a parish focus on "learning" this month along the Way of Love, perhaps the brief advice I've provided the youth may be helpful to a broader audience.

First, a few tips for any Bible reading:

· Begin with a prayer to ask the Holy Spirit to guide you.

· Try to find a quiet place where you can read undisturbed.

· Don’t rush; take some time to listen and enter into the story

· Find a translation that you like; some Bibles also have notes and study helps.


Then, some things to look for in Luke’s Gospel:

· What does Luke say about who Jesus is?

· Story-telling: how does Luke draw the reader in with details? What do you see, hear, smell, taste, and feel as you read this Gospel?

· Luke’s story has been called ‘The Universal Gospel’: what are ways in which Jesus shows that he has come for everyone, even (and maybe even especially) the poor and outcast?

That last point may be another reason why Luke's Gospel has had such lasting appeal to so many. As Eugene Peterson puts it: 

"Most of us, most of the time, feel left out—misfits. We don’t belong. Others seem to be so confident, so sure of themselves, “insiders” who know the ropes, old hands in a club from which we are excluded. . . . As Luke tells the story of Jesus, all of us who have found ourselves on the outside looking in on life with no hope of gaining entrance (and who of us hasn’t felt it?) now find the doors wide open, found and welcomed by God in Jesus." 

Closing Prayer
Lord, we thank you for the gift of Holy Scripture, and especially on this day for the Gospel of your Son according to St. Luke. Send your Holy Spirit to inspire, guide, and teach us, that we may always be growing in our knowledge and love of him who is the Physician of our souls, even Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.