Physician, Evangelist, Investigative Reporter – October 18

Today’s Readings: St. Luke:
AM: Psalm 103; Ezekiel 47:1-12; Luke 1:1-4
PM: Psalm 67, 96; Isaiah 52:7-10; Acts 1:1-8

I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, 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. (Luke 1:3-4)

Today in the Church, we remember Saint Luke. You may think of Luke as a physician (about which the apostle Paul writes in Colossians). You may refer to Luke as an evangelist (as he penned a gospel about the life, ministry, and mystery of Jesus – and the book of Acts). The scripture appointed for today from the first chapter of Luke’s version of the gospel gives us a more robust view of this pillar in the church…he was an investigative reporter, collecting the stories of people’s interactions with Jesus. He listened to those telling of the ways Jesus spoke truth, healed the struggling, and fed the masses.

Luke was not one of the disciples of Jesus; he came later and was a contemporary of Paul. Luke had a keen eye and ear for what details the wider audience might yearn to know about Jesus, the Son of God – the long-awaited Messiah. He compiled those stories and crafted this beautiful work so that we “may know the truth” about the details of what it means to follow Jesus. Luke offered a testament to make the embodied grace of Jesus feel real and approachable, for the salvation of God is visceral and palpable.

God’s hope and promise propel us forward, and the stories of grace and truth that we explore in the Good News of Luke’s gospel continue to teach us about healing and repentance, nurture and rejoicing. I encourage you to delve into this gospel, so that the words of Luke – physician, evangelist, and reporter – can equip and draw you closer to the Good News of God in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

Faithfully,

Katherine+

Going Deeper

Spend a few minutes reading more about Luke, the evangelist, physician, and reporter. How does his life's work resonate with you? Make plans to talk with someone over a cup of tea or coffee about how Luke’s testimony moves you and deepens your faith in God.