Prayer.
Through this year we are focusing on Luke’s Gospel.
Our preachings will often not be in order, as some Sundays we will be hearing words from the gospel which reflect where we are in the church year.
We will spend these next three Sundays preaching through Luke 1.
Let’s work our way through this scripture before returning for some applications…
Introductions!
I enjoy the welcome evenings which Andrew and Marianne organise. One of the things normally talk about is what to call me! Various people in the church use titles. Me, just call me Grant, thanks.
Luke 1:1-4.
Now, Luke, well he doesn’t tell us his name at all! He is the man with no name.
He says ‘’I, myself.’’ V3.
It was around 150-200 years later that the church fathers almost all declared the writer to be Luke.
Luke was likely to be a Greek -Roman. A Gentile. And he had an excellent grasp of Greek. He was believed to be a travelling companion of Paul – for Luke writes Acts as well, and we note in various places he says ‘we did this or US’’ and then other times, Paul, they did etc.
He was believed to be a doctor.
So you could say he was a missionary doctor, Gentile, and not one of the first disciples – for he talks about those ‘’first who were eye-witnesses’’ – and he does not include himself in that group. This is very different to eg John in 1 John who shares what he and they saw …
Second person mentioned – Theophilus. Most excellent Theophilus. A person of status shown by the title – see how the centurion writes to Felix when he sends Paul to him. A significant person with influence. Again a Gentile. And from the number of times that Luke records OT ideas or images without saying the location, shows that Theophilus knew his OT…
Luke says – v1 – there are accounts. This word means written documents. And now Luke writes his own account – carefully investigated he says – for the purpose – ‘’so you may know the certainty of what you have been taught’’.
Why the certainty? We have to guess. Maybe people are saying ‘’well some people say this about Jesus, others say that etc’’ certainty about who Jesus is; certainity about the Spirit – he is prominent in these 4 chapters esp and of course in Acts; certainity how Jesus was fulfilling OT – part of God’s promised plan; and certainity how this message of Jesus was not just for the wealthy and powerful like Theophilus, but for the socially and economically poor and others on the edges of society., all those who were treated like second class and yet who find a new dignity and status in the sight of God.
1:5-25.
Mark in his gospel jumps write into the action – Prepare the Way of the Lord! And Jesus adult life. Luke goes further back to a pair of birth announcements and birth stories – John and Jesus.
When did you hear you were going to have a child?
Zechariah I can imagine remembered his moment. When – the days of Herod the Great.
Zechariah’s job – he is a priest – from the line of Aaron in Levi – as is Elisabeth. We learn they are old – v7 and v18 – and they have been unable to have children, something, thinking of how Elisabeth reacts with joy in v25, was a place of deep pain to them…
We also learn something about the faith of Z and E – Luke sometimes describes people in such beautiful ways, inspiring us, telling us about the cloud of witness…
Z – ‘’ They were both righteous, (or upright NIV may say), in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. Luke 1:6…
V8-10. Location – well the birth announcement doesn’t happen in the home village like for Mary, here is happens in the temple, in Jerusalem. In fact you would probably say – that make’s sense, here the news of the Lord’s Coming will be shared – and so it is even more striking that when Mary is told, it is in ‘’the village of nothing special’’.
He was chosen by lot – it appeared random – and perhaps the only time in his life he may be able to burn the incense and pray in the Holy Place…
V11-17
The angel appears – to declare a birth – and already we hear the stories from the OT rattling in our heads. Angel to Sarah – for Isaac, Angel to Manoah about Samson; elderly couple who could not have a child and now they will recalling eg Abraham and Sarah…. The OT is continuing…
His Son
Zechariah is told about his son’s name and he is described.
And what a description – many of us as parents would love to have that prophecy when we heard our child would be born: a joy, a delight to you, many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord…
His Assignment
His assignment – to turn people to the Lord their God – to bring renewal and revival.
In the spirit and power of Elijah – a man who did all God asked, in power and total commitment. Elijah who went to the ravine to be fed by the birds, who went to a Gentile widow to be fed. God said and he went. John would be the same. These words, Elijah, and ‘turn the hearts’, all echoes Malachi – the time of God’s promised king is coming. And make a people ready prepared – echoing Isaiah. And we see the ideas – turn to the Lord and turn fathers to children, the disobedient to the wise – people will be reconciled to God and reconciled to each other…
V18- 25. Noise and Joy!
Zechariah struggles – in fact while Mary appears to ask, how can this happen, from an interest, learning point of view, the angel sees Zechariah’s question as unbelief.
And silence descends. He has a 9 month quiet time.
And Elisabeth – she is full of noise and joy. ‘’the Lord has done this for me.’’
Application.
The first point to think about:
‘’so you may know the certainty of what you have been taught.’’
A commitment to growth of others.
Luke takes steps to help Theophilus grow. He carefully investigates ‘’everything’’. He sought not to leave anything out. And he then wrote an orderly account.
He gathered the info, and he sought to communicate well.
The aim is that he would be certain.
His aim – the growth of Theophilus.
My belief as a church – ASA should be committed to your growth as disciples of Jesus.
That may take our time, energy, resources, but the reason – your growth as a disciple. That was one of the strong messages I came back from my sabbatical with, as I encountered and had time with an Egyptian Arab Evangelical church which made – intentional discipleship, the growth of its members – at its heart …
YETI is one of those aspects of growth we are committed to. And the name reminds us of our aims and the breadth of growth – youth equipping transforming instructing. We want to pass on knowledge – instruction – but also to equip our youth for their day to day lives and for when they leave our homes to work or go to uni; and we want them to be introduced into the transforming relationship with Jesus Christ. We do not want our young people to have lots of head knowledge but no relationship; or be in a relationship with Jesus but have no tools or knowledge how to move forward or be a disciple etc…
Godparents.
Parents and godparents, the Church receives these children with joy. Today we are trusting God for their growth in faith.
Will you pray for them, draw them by your example into the community of faith
and walk with them in the way of Christ?
With the help of God, we will.
In baptism these children begin their journey in faith.
You speak for them today.
Will you care for them, and help them to take their place
within the life and worship of Christ’s Church?
With the help of God we will.
So you are committed to the growth of your godchild.
Where your godchild is now at school or maybe coming to the end of primary, what are your next steps about helping them grow further – we trust God for their growth – yet we pray, yes, but we also draw them and walk with them, and help them take their place in the life and worship of Christ’s Church…
So for the rest of this year, what does that look like for you?
Have you asked recently the parents – how can you help their child / young person grow?
Or shared your ideas?…
Luke was committed to the growth of another. He took steps. What are yours next?
How do you want to be known – Your growth.
Think to Z and E. How are they described.
‘’ They were both righteous, in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.
I am a vocations advisor in our Diocese. It means that each year, I am invited to journey alongside someone outside of our country, as they discern if God is calling them towards being ordained. I enjoy it. I have a series of zoom meetings read documents, listen, ask questions. I get a lot out of it. I like to help people grow.
Now. A task they need to do – and you may think this is weird but I will explain – is write their obituary. Yes, they write the words about how they would like to be described when they die. 2000 words in fact is the limit.
Now. They do not write the obituary about the future – like when they are 90 or 100.
They write it about if they would die tomorrow.
It is a reflection on how they believe they would be seen tomorrow if they died.
It gives insight into their own self-perception, as well as reflecting on their life to that point, self awareness and so on.
If you were doing that exercise, what would you write about your life to this point if it ended tomorrow?
And what would you would write about your spiritual life?
Luke wrote the obit for Zechariah and Elisabeth – ‘’ They were both righteous, (or upright NIV may say), in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.
I cannot make you do this or anything in fact – if you’d didn’t know that now you do! But could you try that – that exercise – to write, how things were now, up to now, and if today was the last day…
Would you be happy with how things are?
And, if not, think about where would you like to be instead of where you are?
And for that – what do you need to do or change?
To put it another way – put your name into the obit of Z and E ‘’ Grant was righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.’’ What needs to happen for that to be true?
If that sounds like a good place to get to, what is the next step – baby step – you need to take?
Maybe it is to commit your life to Christ for the first time?
Is it to surrender, recognizing walking with the Lord means life will change?
Is there a commandment you need to learn or to start to put into practice…
Where do you want to get to? That is what the obit does.
What is your first step? Or your next baby step …
Two thoughts – the growth of others,
your own growth…
So. What I am going to do – these three Sundays – is to finish not with a prayer but with the reading gospel again, followed by a short time of silence – around 90 second again – and think:
What is God drawing to your attention in those bible words?
What step of yes could Jesus be asking you to take?
Or what was he pointing to, in the sermon?
What action will you take into the week ahead?
After the silence we will sing a short song that fits our theme…