The Festival of Saint Luke, Evangelist

October 19, 2003

The Rev. Dr. David M. Wendel

Saint Luke’s Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Lessons:  Isaiah 43: 8-13;  2 Timothy 4:5-11;  St. Luke 1:1-4, 24:44-53

     Names mean a lot.  I've always believed names can shape a person's life, either positively, or negatively.  That's why we took such great care, choosing names for our son and daughter, Christopher and Rebekah.  Christopher means literally, "Christ-bearer", and I tried, from the beginning to help Christopher understand that we, as Christians are called to do just that, to bear Christ Jesus, to carry him in our lives, and through our lives, to others.  Rebekah, in the Bible, becomes the wife of Isaac, who is the son of Abraham--chosen for Isaac, because she was a faithful Israelite woman, which Abraham wanted for his son, rather than a pagan, Canaanite woman from the land where they were living.  Most scholars believe the name means, literally, "of binding beauty" (although some few think it may have come from the word for cattle), but we chose the name Rebekah because she was faithful wife to Isaac, and was, reputed to be of great beauty.  Today, we will baptize little Joel Thompson, whose first name means "The Lord, Jahweh, is God"…and knowing Jon and Elisa, I expect they looked that up before they chose that name for their son. And if you know the history of Joel's birth, you know that the way it happened, you can affirm, "Yes, the Lord is, indeed, God!" 

     When I came to Saint Luke's in 1986,  one of the first questions I asked was, "Why is this congregation named for Saint Luke?"  To which I received the answer, "Well, as nearly as we know, the organizing pastor had been serving a congregation in New Jersey named Saint Luke, so we became Saint Luke's, West."  Since that time, it's been confirmed by the organizing pastor, that was indeed how the name for this congregation was chosen! 

     Well, that's probably not the way I would've chosen a name for a new congregation--but, it is the name for our parish, it has been the name of this parish for over 30 years, and it is an honorable, and faithful name for a Christian congregation.  So, right away, I went to work 17 years ago, asking how the name, Saint Luke's, and the ministry of Saint Luke might shape and renew our congregation.  I was surprised to find how many members, at that time, had no real idea who Saint Luke was, why he was a saint, and how the ministry of St. Luke might inform and guide what we do as Saint Luke's congregation.  At that time, one of the most helpful aspects of the life of St. Luke, for us as a congregation, was that he was a physician.  You may not know that our congregation had struggled with division and schism for pretty much it's entire fifteen years of existence, and was in need of healing.  So, the first thing that we did as Saint Luke's, was to emphasize St. Luke's concern for healing, and his concern for the Great Physician, Jesus Christ.  In our early years together, that did indeed, help to foster healing in this congregation, and helped us to think of ourselves, not as a place of pain and woundedness, but as a place of love, care, and restoration.  I think our congregation continues to be such a place, as that's been woven into the fabric of our community, named for St. Luke.  Visitors and new members often tell me that here, they've found healing, and wholeness, and transformation.  And that's good.  That's very good.  A ministry named for St. Luke ought to have that as an integral part of it's ministry. 

     But, we are a different congregation now, than we were then.  We are no longer dealing, internally with pain and division.  That's a long time gone, and that part of Saint Luke's ministry, while still valid for any congregation, doesn't continue to shape who we are, and who we want to be, as Saint Luke's church.  In the year 2003, what does it mean that we are named, Saint Luke's Lutheran Church?  What aspect of Luke's ministry can we claim today--so that it can challenge us, and guide us into the future? 

     The best place to look for something like that--is in the writings of Luke, himself, in general, and in particular, in our gospel lesson for today, which includes the beginning and ending of Luke's gospel.   And what do we find there?  Well, right off the bat, Luke tells us that his primary reason for writing his gospel, was so that "you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have been instructed."   Luke admits that many have undertaken to set down orderly accounts of the events of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, handed on by those who were eyewitnesses and SERVANTS OF THE WORD.  But Luke, also, is inspired to write--because he is concerned about the truth, and concerned that the truth be heard.  This might imply that in spite of all the writings, many were still not convinced of the truth, at least, Theophilus, for whom Luke was writing, may not have been convinced of the truth.  And who was this Theophilus?  We don't know, as he's not mentioned in Scripture by anyone other than Luke.  However, many think Theophilus, is actually, us.  Knowing how people in ancient times loved names and playing on names, it makes sense that Luke might have been writing his gospel for all who would be "Theophilus' "--which means, "Lover of God".  Theophilus means literally, "Lover of God"--and it would make sense that Luke would want to convince all lovers of God, about the truth regarding God's Son, Jesus.  We know Luke, an educated Gentile,  was writing for a predominantly Gentile readership, most of whom were pagans and worshiped other gods.  To help these lovers of god, become lovers of the one, true God, who had revealed himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, it would make sense that Luke would want to write a gospel--a Gentile writing for Gentiles, to bring them the truth--about Jesus, born as God's incarnate Son, to be the salvation, not just of Jews, but of all people everywhere.  Throughout Luke's gospel, we see repeatedly, how Jesus died not just for the Jews, but for all.  So, it just might be that WE are Theophilus--we and all Gentiles--we and all who need to hear the truth about the one true God, who has now made himself known fully, in and through Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Luke makes it clear that his gospel is about TRUTH--to communicate clearly and without equivocation, the Truth, about Jesus.  And that, it would seem, would be a fitting challenge, for us, as well, as we are a congregation named for Saint Luke.  That we have as our goal, the proclamation of the Truth, about Jesus.  In a world where few believe, anymore, in Truth;  in a time when truth is being kicked around, and adapted and adjusted to fit our wants and desires;  in a society where truth is usually seen as relative, in the sense that what's true for you, may not be true for me;  in an age when, even in the Church, what is true is being determined by what our surrounding culture considers true--it would seem a church of Saint Luke, that lifts up, and proclaims, and seeks to communicate TRUTH, would be needed, if not necessarily welcome.  And that, I would suggest, is what we ought to be about, now, as Saint Luke's Lutheran Church.  The Truth.

     And where do we find that truth?  How do know that the truth we are preaching and teaching, is THE Truth, and not just our version of what we think is true?  Again, we turn to our gospel reading, to the 24th chapter of Luke's gospel, where Jesus himself says, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you--that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled."  And then, he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem."

     For Jesus, for Luke, and for us, the truth comes, from the Scriptures.  The truth comes not from what I think, or what scholars think, or what society thinks.  The truth can not be determined by a church council voting on it, or from a judge, ruling on it, or from a group of bishops, debating it.  The Truth, comes from Holy Scripture, which Jesus, himself has opened our minds to understand.  And to all those who would say, "But can we really know what scripture says?  Doesn't it contradict itself, and need scholarly interpretation and explanation?"--to all those who claim scripture needs to be re-worked and re-adjusted and re-interpreted , hear what Martin Luther said in 1537:

     "No violence is to be done to the words of God, whether by man or angel;  but they are to be retained in their simplest meaning wherever possible, and to be understood in their grammatical and literal sense unless the context plainly forbids;  lest we give our adversaries occasion to make a mockery of all the Scriptures."

     In this time, in our day and age, as the Church, and our church faces challenges to the Truth of Holy Scripture;  as people within the Church as well as without seek to do violence to the Word of God, by attempting to twist and re-shape it, rather than take it's simplest, most literal meaning;  as many in our world have all but written Scripture off altogether, it would seem that the call to us, is to renew our commitment to St. Luke's mission and ministry, which is, to proclaim the Truth;  to help people to know the Truth;  to be ourselves, servants and witnesses to the Word of God;  to affirm that in Jesus, everything written about the Messiah in the law of Moses, the prophets and the psalms have been fulfilled;  and that--just as it is written, the Messiah has suffered and risen from the dead--and that now, repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name, to all nations.  That, is the truth contained in Holy Scripture,  that was the reason for Saint Luke's writings, and that, would serve us well, as our reason for existing, and ministering, as Saint Luke's Lutheran Church!

     In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.