Today we remember St Luke, not one of the twelve apostles but he was a disciple of Jesus (as we are).
Luke wrote both the gospel which bears his name and the book of Acts. He was an evangelist; in fact he was a companion of Paul.
When you read Acts, look for how the story is told. Luke writes about Paul and his companions how ‘they’ went here or there but in Acts 16 verse 10 we suddenly hear ‘we went’. I don’t know what happened between verse 9 and 10, but to say that Luke arrived with Paul!
We don’t know very much about Luke except he was a Doctor (it tells us in Colossians 4:14) he was methodical and he wrote both the Gospel and the book of Acts for someone called Theophilus.
I suppose it is this act of writing which is one of the many ways in which Luke spreads the good news about Jesus that earned him the historic title ‘Evangelist’, and so the Gospel reading for today is deeply appropriate as we consider also the mission that God gives to each of us – not just to Luke.
Our Gospel reading tells of Jesus sending people out in pairs on ‘Mission’. Luke tells us there are 70 sent out (although some manuscripts say 72) it’s a clear link with the story of Moses; for Moses chooses 70 to help him (Numbers 11:16 and 25) that’s not a surprise in some ways as the number is symbolic.
70 was believed to be the number of Gentile nations listed in Genesis chapter 10 – so you might wonder why some say 72. It’s said that maybe it depends on whether you are reading Genesis in its original Hebrew where the number is 70 or in the translated Greek where they have 72. We have no idea really but that is a possible explanation.
Truth is, it doesn’t matter whether it is 70 or 72 Luke is telling us that Jesus is sending out people with the good news and that Jesus is sending them to the Gentiles!
In Luke 9, the 12 were sent out (12 the number symbolising Israel) and now 70 (the number symbolising the Gentiles) so that’s everyone covered!
As we think about our own mission it seems important to pay attention to what Jesus tells them to do. What does Jesus think is important when we think about mission?
Firstly: Prayer is important.
Jesus tells his friends to pray for God’s workers, they are being sent but the job of bringing people to faith and helping them know God is primarily God’s business.
Second: Protection
Jesus says it won’t be easy. Lambs among Wolves is not a cheery picture really.
Thirdly: Peace
Jesus tells them when they enter a house say ‘peace to this house’ and peace will rest on them but if there is no person of peace it will return.
Once more we see a clear picture. God’s gifts are relational, God does not ‘force’ blessings on us, we need to have open hands to receive them. We cannot be responsible for anyone else’s response, we cannot make them respond, and God doesn’t want us to. Each of us has our own free choice.
At the end of the reading we hear the words of Jesus “cure the sick..and say to them ‘The Kingdom of God has come near to you” I wonder what was in Luke’s mind as he wrote those words? I wonder if as a Doctor he made a connection between his faith in a loving God and the healing God gives which is connected with God’s Kingdom.
What though happens when our own health is failing, or even when we are towards the end of life?
Our first reading from 2 Timothy has Paul saying ‘I am already being poured out as a libation and the time of my departure has come’ he is in that very place.
Paul says “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge will give to me on that day and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing”
What a thing to say at the end of your life. How amazing that what Paul says of himself is true for us, the crown of righteousness because we are also those who long for Jesus’ appearing!
So today, St Luke’s Patronal festival, as we think about Luke (the only one who stays with Paul). Who wrote two incredible books in the Bible that teach us so much about how we should be – what should we hold onto?
I think we should be thinking about what is it that we as God’s family together are called to be. What are we called to do?
Our purpose like those 70 sent out is to bring blessing and peace to our communities, to say to them – and I think to demonstrate to them – the Kingdom of God which has come near!
It is so easy though to forget the very reason we are here. I want to finish with the story of an American lifesaving station…
On a dangerous part of the American coast where shipwrecks occur often there was a small building, no more than a hut. One boat and a few faithful members who kept watch over the sea.
They worked tirelessly searching for the lost and those in trouble. Some of those saved and others wanted to support, they gave time and money, new boats were bought and more people came.
Some thought the hut was too basic and began to enlarge the building and get better furniture, to make the place more comfortable. Many people wanted to gather there. Less people were interested in the lifesaving missions. The motif was kept but the lifesaving work was done by hired crew.
There was a shipwreck, wet, cold, half drowned people were brought in, some were foreigners. The beautiful new club was in chaos.
Someone rigged up a shower outside so the victims could be cleaned up before coming inside.
At the next meeting most members wanted to stop the lifesaving activity. A few said it was their primary purpose and pointed out they were called a Lifesaving Station.
The small group were outvoted. They were told to go down the coast and begin their own lifesaving station if they wanted. They did.
Over the years this happened time after time and if you were to visit that bit of the coast today there are a number of exclusive clubs.
Shipwrecks are frequent in those waters, but most of the passengers drown.
As a Church, individually and collectively, we are called like Luke to share the good news of God’s love. Whether it is in quiet ways – like Luke’s writing, in active ways – like Luke rolling up his sleeves and joining in with Paul’s missionary journey, or perhaps through our role in society – for Luke that meant Doctor.
For us it might mean Doctor, Physio, Nurse, wider hospital staff, teacher, office work, banking or politics, at school, with those we meet in retirement.
In whatever we do our purpose and call as children of God is to share the good news by love, service, and prayer so that together we are a community that know what our purpose is and recognising that we are only joining in with what is really God’s job – we can make a difference.
Amen.
Service: The Venerable Alison Booker, 16th October 2022, (St Luke’s Parish Church Peterborough UK)
Referenced Scriptures: Isaiah 35:3-6, 2 Timothy 4: 5-17, Luke 10: 1-9