16th-22nd September 2024
About 25 years ago I discovered Luke’s Gospel (probably there before that) when I studied for a ‘GCE A-level’ at an evening class in Belfast Bible College. It has become my favourite book in the Bible.
It was written by a Gentile who goes on to write Acts making him the writer of more than one quarter of the New Testament. He has a particular focus on the outcast with many references to foreigners, women, lepers, beggars, tax collectors, the poor, etc.
Luke has a world view beyond Judaism which endorses his Gentile background. There is a lot of joy in his Gospel. He includes songs. He is a doctor and therefore he uses some medical terms.
So, let’s go with Dr Luke this week.
Guest Contributor - John McIlvenna
MONDAY
Luke 1:13 An old lady (in first century terms), Elizabeth, is expecting a baby.
Luke 1:27 A young girl, Mary who is a virgin, is expecting a baby. An angel delivered the news to these ladies who did not expect to be pregnant. It’s an astounding story for both of them as they struggle to handle the news … and talk to the angel. We know the story so well.
As you read chapter 1, look out for joy. On five occasions we find joy or rejoicing in this chapter. We have songs here … Magnificat, verse 46, when Mary rejoices in God her Saviour. In verse 67 Benedictus is Zechariah praising God. We sing songs when we are happy and joyful and this is a key theme in Luke’s Gospel.
I walk our dog each morning along Scotch Quarter, Carrickfergus, and often sing hymns and choruses as I revel in my wealth as a forgiven sinner on my way to a party in Heaven with Jesus … and Satan can do nothing about it. Today is a good day to be joyful.
Yesterday we met with friends to worship Jesus Christ and, as we focused on our God, we rejoiced that he looks on us (24 hours a day) as his child. That must be a cause to be joyful. Yes, we all have struggles but please pause to rejoice. During the week we will read stories which have joy.
Please pray for those who find it hard to rejoice because of family issues, or health concerns (physical and mental), financial struggles, or fears.
Where did you sit on Sunday morning? Please pray for the person who sat beside you, or in front of you.
TUESDAY
Luke 4:14
This is one of my favourite stories, bursting with drama. Jesus was back in his home town of Nazareth, Galilee and was invited to preach in ‘church’ on the Sabbath. All his friends and family packed the place to hear the local boy who was now famous. They were so proud of him.
But … in his sermon he referred to God’s prophet Elijah helping a woman in Sidon! That stumped them. Sidon was not in Israel. How is it possible for God to look favourably on a foreigner? Surely not!
Then Jesus told another story about a Syrian whom God healed of his leprosy. Another foreigner. That was enough. They were furious. They jumped up and drove him out of the building and wanted to kill him!
It has echoes of Europe today when many oppose outsiders entering our country. And Luke has so many examples of God showing love to people on the edge of society, such as lepers, prostitutes, foreigners, etc. Remember Ruth in the Old Testament who gathered corn on the edge of the harvest field … grain deliberately left … for the poor and foreigners. That was a Jewish law.
God actually cares for our foreigners who have come here to escape war and famine.
Please pray for asylum seekers and refugees in Co Antrim who have been attacked and now live in fear.
As a church we have been helping some overseas people who live in Chimney Corner hotel.
WEDNESDAY
Luke 7:11
This is a tragic story of a widow attending her son’s funeral.
She had suffered the loss of her husband, the breadwinner. In the Jewish world of first century, every woman needed a man. A daughter had her father to look after her. On marriage her husband looked after her. If he died then his brother would care for her. So here is a widow woman from the town of Nain. She had one son and she depended on him to be the breadwinner.
He died!
She was absolutely destitute.
She was alone and felt alone.
Look at verse 13. Jesus’ heart went out to this woman. He understood her pain. He stopped the funeral. He touched the frame that carried the coffin. He spoke to the dead man and said, ‘Get up!’.
He came alive and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
Jesus dramatically transformed this woman’s life as she got her son back.
This is a story you may expect to find in this Gospel. The widow of Nain is one of the 13 women Luke mentions, who are not found in any other Gospel. Jesus talked to many women and treated them with respect but the other three Gospel writers include only a few women.
Luke wants us to see that … all lives matter … to God.
In our world today women often have a low profile. Many men, educated by the media, believe that women are here for their pleasure and are disposable! An OM book, ‘SOS Save our Sisters’ by D Meroff, states that every year 25,000 brides are deliberately set on fire in Asia. ‘Honour killings’ end the lives of 12,000 women annually. Christian women and girls are sometimes abducted in Africa, forced to marry and used to breed the next generation of terrorist fighters! 30% of women worldwide suffer abuse. Pray.
THURSDAY
Luke 15 Lost Sheep, lost coin, lost son
Do you want to hear the good news first or the bad news first?
Let me tell you the bad news first. Here are three stories about being lost. But the good news is that the lost ones are all found.
Here are three stories where you almost hear Luke telling the stories. Luke begins the chapter by explaining that Jesus is with ‘outsiders’. The average Jew would not be seen with tax collectors (upper class thieves) or sinners (lower class rogues). But Jesus is comfortable with these people.
Are there people we avoid because …?
Then we get 3 lost stories. People understood these stories very well.
For a farmer to lose his sheep was a serious financial loss.
It was terrible to lose a wedding ring or that one thing which had sentimental value. Irreplaceable.
To lose a son who had chosen the night life of some big city miles away… it tore the father’s heart out.
It’s terrible when we lose our mobile phone for 30 mins. Our world freezes for half an hour!
I remember Monday 8th December 1986 when I was lost at midnight somewhere in north London.
I was staying in the home of my new boss for 5 days to learn about the company I had joined. I went out for a quick walk at 10.45pm before bedtime … and failed to navigate my way back. It was a memorable experience, as I began to choose a shop doorway at midnight, where I could spend the night! Terrible. Then joy, absolute joy, as I recognised a man in a car looking for me. My boss found me. There was rejoicing and relief.
You need to know how bad the bad news is, before you understand how good the good news is.
That’s the Gospel which is bursting with good news for broken down sinners like us. Are you saved? Are you sure you are saved? Then it’s time to rejoice to know that God went searching for us when he sent Jesus to this earth to die for our sin. Now we embrace him, and dance for joy.
Once we were lost … now found … never, never, to be lost again. That’s cracker!
Luke loves to talk about joy and all three stories end with joy and celebration with friends and neighbours. I can understand the feelings of joy in these three stories which Luke tells.
Call some of your friends today and rejoice. Go for a walk with them at Loughshore Park, Jordanstown, before the coffee.
FRIDAY
Luke 17:11 Ten lepers
Jesus was going to Jerusalem and travelled between Galilee and Samaria. He met ten men with leprosy. This was a frightening disease with no cure and those with it were required to stay away from family and friends. They were alone and abandoned.
Jesus healed them but only one came back to thank God. He was a foreigner, a Samaritan.
This story is only found in Luke’s Gospel and is another example of Luke noticing the underdog who was both a leper and a Samaritan.
We clearly learn the value of being thankful to God. That’s hard for us today because we are encouraged to think so highly of ourselves that no one else gets credit and certainly not God.
What can you thank God for today? Take a few minutes to think. Ordinary, simple things you enjoy are worthy of thanking God for.
Pray for people who have been forced to leave home and live in another country. There are millions of refugees worldwide and millions more who have been internally displaced.
SATURDAY
Luke 19:1 Zacchaeus up a tree
We all know the Zacchaeus story of the little man who hid up in a sycamore tree.
But only Luke’s Gospel has this story. That is surprising because it is so well known.
It shows again that Luke notices Jesus’ concern for the ‘outsider’ … even a wealthy outsider.
Jesus was talking to a crowd as they left Jericho. Then he stopped under a tree … and talked to someone who was not there! People must have wondered. Then Zacchaeus awkwardly climbed down to earth. This story was told for generations to come (as remarkable as meeting Donald Trump in Tesco’s in Abbey Centre).
People loathed tax collectors who collected exorbitant taxes for a foreign government. They must have laughed at Zacchaeus’s humiliation. He was a big man in terms of vast sums he improperly collected from Jewish people. That day they delighted in his small stature.
But Jesus invited himself to his house. People were annoyed that Jesus was friendly with a sinner (verse 7).
Is it possible that a chief tax collector could be forgiven? Most people doubted.
Zacchaeus was converted that day. Remember, in verse 7 we learn that he wanted to see Jesus.
God is interested in all people, rich or poor, honest or crooked. No one is outside the realm of God’s salvation. I think of one infamous celebrity who now claims to be a Christian and has been baptised.
How do we view him? God is big enough to be able to draw the worst of sinners to himself.
SUNDAY
Luke 24:50 Ascension of Jesus
This is the finale. Jesus has come to earth. He has died for sinners. He rose from the dead.
Now he went up into Heaven. Yes literally. The disciples watched him go! Luke repeats this story in Acts 1:9-11. The apostles saw him leave earth and go back to Heaven.
Remember, this is God at work … so it’s bound to be different from people’s stories in the Daily Mail.
God intervened to rescue us from sin. He sent his Son, Jesus, to this earth born of a virgin. He lived a perfect sinless life for 33 years, including three years of public ministry. He was crucified in Jerusalem.
He died. He came alive and stayed on earth for 40 days. Then he went back to Heaven in full view of the disciples.
Please see the final verses here – verse 52, verse 53. The disciples responded with Worship. Great joy. Giving thanks to God. The disciples responded in this way because they saw Christ and believed in Christ. And they gossiped the Gospel to their neighbours.
In Luke’s next book (Acts) he tells us about the success of the early church as they talked to neighbours about Jesus. In the year 200AD there were 1.5 million Christians in the Roman world! Every time I read that I get excited. We want to see that happening in Co Antrim today. Can we capture some of the excitement and belief of those early Christians?
And Luke ends his Gospel with joy, just as he began it with joy. Sorry. Correction. It was ‘great joy’.
O God we thank you for Jesus and his story in Luke’s Gospel. We are glad we deal with a God who is loving and patient and understands. May we live more closely to you and enable us to live wisely in this mixed-up world where you have placed us. Please make us a little bit bolder to share good news with our neighbours. Help us to manage our struggles. Enable us to see the joy of being saved from sin and friends of Almighty God.
We thank you for ……………
We pray for …… ………
Amen.