A Year with Luke the Evangelist – Introduction

A YEAR WITH LUKE THE EVANGELIST

The Gospel of Luke, Chapter 1, verses 1-4
Read it here: [CEB] [NRSV]

Why read the work of Luke the Evangelist during the course of the year? Well, counting all the chapters of his 2-volume work, what we call The Gospel according to Luke and The Acts of the Apostles, there are 52, perfectly suitable for a weekly reading. Moreover, through this whole year in worship (it’s called Lectionary Year C) we will be hearing from Luke extensively: primarily during the Gospel reading all year, and from Acts a fair bit also, especially beginning with Easter (March 27th this year). Finally, there are some clear and potent connections between the world encountered in Luke’s narratives, and the world which we inhabit. More on that later, so let me know if you hear what I hear.

Rather than trying to race through the whole Bible, let’s slow down together in 2016. Let’s read Scripture intentionally, drinking deeply from the wellspring of faith. Our faith is shaped when we take up the task of reading, and doing so together: the communal reading of the Bible is markedly different than going it alone.

Luke even tells us the importance of reading in company, because his work was written to a patron or acquaintance named Theophilus. The whole purpose of these books as they were first written was to transmit the story of Jesus from one generation to the next, as Luke set out to “write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have been instructed” (1:3-4). We know nothing about this first recipient of Luke’s work (Acts is similarly inscribed), except for the play on words due to the name: Theophilus simply means Lover of God, and so anyone with an eager ear for God’s echoes in this world — even you and I — might also find themselves addressed by Luke the Evangelist.

Though we have four Gospels in Christian Scripture, and many additional imitators of these earliest examples are known to scholars of antiquity now, it’s important to read Luke’s ambitious tale on its own terms. As far as anyone can tell, none of the other Evangelists—Mark or Matthew or John—attempted the second half of Luke’s project in order to continue the story of Jesus in the Church. Furthermore, each of the Evangelists tells the story in their own idiom, and with differing emphases on the elements of the story in keeping with their own impressions and understandings. Luke narrates what to us is a familiar story but with elements arranged for his own purposes, told from a particular point of view. Some of these can be understood through the imagery often associated with his writing.

The Winged Ox has been the traditional symbol of Saint Luke from early Christianity. Its origin can be traced to no single creator, but the image combines clearly identifiable cultural elements that historically represented sacrifice, service, and strength. As with the symbols for Mathew, Mark, and John, the figure’s wings signify divine inspiration. Since an ox or a bull was a frequent sacrifice by many ancient religions including the Judaism of Jesus, the figure also symbolizes Jesus’ sacrifice in his passion and crucifixion and his standing as the Christ, our high priest before God. Because the ox is a faithful servant, the figure also signifies the obedience of Mary of Nazareth, whose consent to give birth to Jesus put into motion God’s plan for human salvation. The latter interpretation especially derives from Saint Luke, who puts the greatest emphasis on Mary of any of the Gospel writers.*

I’m looking forward to reading these chapters weekly with my MBUMC family in 2016. I’ll be writing a little each week, and some others will join in during the year, with posts published on Thursday each week. There will be questions for you to ask yourself or talk about with your family, and opportunity to offer your own thoughts and respond on each post. So we’ll start with an easy one: leave your response in the comments.

What do you want to learn more about God this year?
Read, reflect, and respond below!

*Cynthia Astle in The Book of Offices and Services of the Order of Saint Luke (viii)
Image source: sacred-texts.com (public domain)