St. Luke
Lk
10:1-9
10/18/15
On Dec. 18 of this year, I know
where Timothy will be. That is the day
when the new Star Wars movie, “The Force Awakens” will be released. I can guarantee that Timothy will be at the
movie theater watching the movie on the first day it can be seen, because he
has told me is going to do it. I will
not be at all surprised if he and his Uncle Mike do whatever has to be done to
make sure they have a chance to see the movie on that day.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the
much anticipated continuation of the Star Wars movies that carries the story on
after the end of the last movie, “Return of the Jedi.” The Stars Wars franchise has a large
following, and the movie has generated tremendous excitement because it will
include members of the cast from the first three movies. Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamel
will reprise their roles as Han Solo, Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker.
Now you will note that I just
referred to the “first three movies.” Actually, how you talk about the Star
Wars movies is a source of contention in the Surburg house. Star Wars appeared in 1977, followed by the
Empire Strikes Back in 1980 and Return of the Jedi in 1983. I saw the movies
when I was the same age as my children.
However, this trilogy of movies
actually told a story that had already begun. They were technically episodes
IV, V and VI. Yet it wasn’t until 1999,
2002 and 2005 that the prequels, episodes I through III, were actually released. The timing has meant that my children have
never known the Star Wars movies as anything but a series of six movies that go
in order from I through VI. In fact, Amy
and I saw the 2005 movie Revenge of the Sith the day before the twins were
born.
At the same time, I have never been
able forget about how I experienced the movies when I was their age. I still
refer to the 1977 Star Wars as the “first movie” – something that is guaranteed
to prompt my children to correct me as they say that no, that is the fourth movie. Sometimes I do this without realizing it. And sometimes I do it just to prompt the
response, because, well … that’s what dads do.
Today is the Feast of St. Luke,
Evangelist. While that title focuses on St. Luke as the writer of the Gospel
that bears his name, Luke was also the author of the book of Acts. In fact,
Luke and Acts are really a two volume set.
George Lucas, the creator of the
Star Wars franchise apparently had difficulties when it came to doing things in
order. St. Luke was the exact
opposite. He begins the Gospel of Luke
by writing: “Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the
things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the
beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to
us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time
past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you
may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.”
And then, when Luke begins his
second volume he says in Acts, “In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt
with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up,
after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had
chosen.” From there, Luke then proceeds
to narrate the work of the Spirit as he leads and empowers the Church to share
the good news about Jesus from Jerusalem all the way to Rome.
In the Gospel lesson for the Feast
of St. Luke we hear about how Jesus sent forth seventy two disciples ahead of
him to prepare the way. Luke has just
told us near the end of chapter nine, “When the days drew near for him to be
taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.”
Jesus has begun the final stage of his ministry. And in the same chapter Jesus has just said
what the trip to Jerusalem will bring.
He told his disciples, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be
rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the
third day be raised.”
Our Lord sends the seventy two disciples
to prepare the way for him. He tells
them to travel light and hurry, not even pausing to greet travelers on the
road. He tells them in our text that
when they come to a town that receives them they are to, “Heal the sick in it
and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’”
The disciples were to proclaim that
God’s saving reign had come near to those who heard the message. They were to do this as they talked about
Jesus, because in Jesus the reign of God was present in the world. Jesus was the presence of God’s reign to turn
back the forces of Satan, sin and death.
That was why he was journeying to Jerusalem, for Luke tells us of how on
Good Friday Jesus died on the cross for your sins. He was numbered with the transgressors as he
took your place. But then God raised him
from the dead as he defeated death.
Now all of the Gospel writers do
this. But Luke then narrates something
that no one else does. He tells us about
the ascension of Jesus. And he also
helps us understand what it means. In
the first chapter of Acts Luke tells us that after the resurrection Jesus ordered
the disciples not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the
Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but
you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” And then he
went on to say, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon
you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and
to the end of the earth.”
Sometimes it is easy for us to
wonder about how much power the Gospel really has. We know that through faith in Jesus Christ we
receive forgiveness and salvation, and we want others to receive this too. We
want them to believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. And yet when we share the Good News, people
react like it is “Boring News” or “Pointless News” or even “Dumb News.” This hurts. It can shake our confidence. It can lead to doubt and uncertainty.
Luke knew that the Gospel does not
always meet with what we define as success. Immediately after our text Jesus
goes on to say, “But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go
into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet
we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has
come near.’” In the face of rejection
Jesus had the disciples say the exact same thing because the exact same thing
was true. The reign of God is present in the very speaking of the message about
Jesus. It can bring salvation when it is
believed or it can bring judgment when it is rejected, but either way in the
proclamation of Jesus, God is at work.
And make no mistake, this Good News
has power because it is the Holy Spirit who is the presence of Christ through
the Gospel. Only Luke tells us about the
events of Pentecost as the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Church in
fulfillment of God’s words through the prophet Joel. On that day Peter proclaimed to the crowd, “This
Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted
at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of
the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and
hearing.” The Spirit is the continuing
presence of Christ’s saving work.
Was Jesus rejected during his
ministry? Yes. In fact, it happened in his own home town of Nazareth as they
even tried to kill him by throwing him off a cliff. But that rejection did not mean he had no
power. In the same way the Spirit of
Christ was the continuing presence of Jesus with his Church as he enabled her
to preach the Gospel from Jerusalem to Rome.
In his mission work, Paul met with rejection of the Gospel. Yet it was always the Holy Spirit who led him
in his work and caused him to proclaim the word about Christ as churches were founded
in Asia Minor and Greece.
Luke teaches us that God works in
the midst of circumstances that often appear to be the opposite of what we want
them to be. Yet God is at work. And Luke also teaches us that the Holy Spirit does bring sinners to salvation. He does produce a harvest of believers who
have received the forgiveness of sins.
You want proof? Look around you! You are the harvest of the mission to the
Gentiles that the Spirit has produced. The Spirit who called Cornelius and the
first Gentiles to faith in Jesus Christ in Acts chapter 10 has called you as
well.
And the Holy Spirit will not be
finished in this work until our Lord returns on the Last Day and raises our
bodies from the dead through the work of the Spirit. As he carries out this work he draws us in
and uses us as well. He uses us to care
for our neighbor through acts of love that share the love of Jesus Christ with
others. He uses us to care for our
neighbor through words that address their most profound problem – words that
share the good news of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection for the
forgiveness of their sins.
What response will this receive and
why? Only God knows. What St. Luke teaches us is that like the
seventy two, when we speak the Gospel we can know that the kingdom of God – the
reign of God has come near. And we can
know that Spirit poured forth by the risen and exalted Lord is the One who
leads and enables us to do so.
