Sermon for the 21st Sunday after Trinity/Feast of St Luke: ‘St Luke the Evangelist’; preached at the Eucharist, Sherborne Abbey on Sunday, 20 October 2024 by Tom, Tilly and Henry (Isaiah Ch. 35 v. 3 – 6; Luke Ch 10: v 1 – 9)
Today we are celebrating the feast of St Luke, a doctor and evangelist, the writer of one of the four Gospels. Luke stood for inclusion, of a voice for the voiceless, and the good news of Jesus for all.
One of Tom’s passion’s is sign language, and teaching others about the importance of this in communicating with others. If you are unable to understand the words Tom is signing, we feel this highlights the imbalance in our society that some are heard more than others. Some have higher authority and have more power, and this was something Luke wanted to address when he wrote the Gospel.
Luke’s life and faith values were built on love, forgiveness, humbleness, and humility, all values our world is so desperately in need of now. In his writing he shows us God’s love for the poor and outcast, those marginalised and trampled underfoot. It’s also possible he was a gentile, or a Greek Jew, so he himself was coming from the point of view of being an outsider. His writing speaks to us of giving voice to others.
This is also links us to our reading in Isaiah, that with God all are healed, restored, and loved by Him, especially those who are the weakest in society. It is written when the Israelite’s found themselves in exile and were feeling defeated and weak. The restoration promised through God in this passage tells us that the blind will see, and the deaf will hear. But we do not have this power to work miracles, however there are small everyday miracles we perform in the form of kindness and compassion. Like learning to communicate in a language that those who cannot hear can understand, and we’ve seen the important representation of blind comedian Chris McCausland learning how to dance on Saturday nights on Strictly. And when we feel weak in life, we know that God will strengthen us in spirit.
The restoration God promised is not just for humans, but also for all creation, as God will make springs of water gush forth in the wilderness. Formally hostile places will be transformed into places that will give life.
Luke was a doctor, and we would like to reflect on our National Health System in our thinking about his life and faith. It was set up in 1948, and its two main aims are to improve health and also to improve communities. They say their core values are ‘care, respect and communication.’ Our health system and all that work in it offer hospitality and welcome to all regardless of background or social ranking, those who are the most vulnerable; all are equal.
In our Gospel reading today Jesus sends out seventy-two of his followers, equipped and strengthened by our Lord and by the Holy Spirit, sent out on a great journey ‘2 by 2’ much like the animals who began a new life on the ark. They were sent out in pairs, for in the mission of God we are in it together. And they were to be sent out to be reliant on the welcome, care and hospitality of strangers. Those being appointed were sent out with nothing and relied on the welcome of others, no purse, bag or sandals; they were just sent out with faith.
As George Michael sang, you’ve got to have faith.
We must be grateful for all that we have in our lives, but not focus on our Earthly possessions as we step out in faith, we must rely on Gods goodness. The world can feel like a hostile place, but if we pray for water, for the transforming gift of the spirit, maybe it can be a place that gives life.
As they were sent out, they were commissioned to spread the peace of God to those who were willing to receive it. Often, we think that God has expectations, and each day comes with a strict checklist that we need to fulfil in order for our faith to grow. However, once again God reminds us in this verse that no matter what point you may be at in your faith – doubtful, confused, or simply lost – he will meet us where we are.
They met those they were sent to at the start of their faith journey, to help them understand the Good New Jesus was offering. If they didn’t want to hear the news they had to move on. We can only sow the seeds of faith, water it, and pray the spirit grows it in their hearts.
In our present-day society, we see so often desperate people, people being exploited, migrants dying trying to cross the channel in desperation, people under forced labour in awful conditions, and even in mainstream employment disagreements about wages and working practises. In our reading it says, ‘the worker deserves his wages.’ Luke is reinforcing that all are equal and loved in God’s eyes, and we are called to continue the fight for greater freedoms and dignity for all.
Jesus said, ‘for the harvest is plentiful and workers are few.’ We are all called into God’s harvest, there are many who do not the love of Christ Jesus. We can show this with our lives, the nature of hospitality and welcome is that we extend to all, whether that be in our own homes or in our country. We may be as ‘lambs amongst wolves,’ carrying a counter-cultural message of carrying for the weakest and most vulnerable, but we are called with the message that everyone deserves equality and dignity, as Luke teaches us in his Gospel. We can only rely on God’s goodness, not our own strength.
This also applies on a localised level, that you must greet everyone you meet with peace and meet them where they are, because you don’t know what know what they’re going through. Give them the grace of understanding, of hospitality and welcome, and water their soul by prayer.
We will probably meet resistance, or even rejection, as the seventy- two that Jesus sent out did, and this is particularly true of our generation. But Jesus encouraged them, and us, and doesn’t set any goals for success, if they don’t listen, shake the dust off your feet and move on. The ministry of the seventy-two reflects Jesus’ ministry, and is the blueprint for our own; heal others (as much in spirit as in body) and tell them the Kingdom of God has come near. God’s hospitality and love is greater that we can imagine, as we reflect on St Luke and his giving voice to the voiceless, we have a commission to go out into the world with healing.
We’d like to finish with these words from St Teresa of Avila, whose feast day was also last week:
Christ has no body on earth but yours; no hands but yours; no feet but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ looks out to the world.
Yours are the feet with which he is to go about doing good.
Yours are the hands with which he is to bless others now.