The Feast of St. Luke (October 18, 2019)

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be alway acceptable in thy sight, O Lord our strength and our Redeemer. Amen.

“I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and salute no one on the road.”

Introduction

Today, we are gathered to remember the example of St. Luke, the physician and Evangelist. Tradition has made him that patron saint of Doctors, Surgeons, Artists, Students, Butchers, and Bachelors.

Church tradition also posits that he is the author of the Gospel which came to bear his name as well as the book of Acts, where we learn that he was most likely a Gentile convert to Christianity who became a disciple and companion of the Apostle Paul.

From the Gospel, we can gather that he was not an eye witness to the events of Jesus’ live but that he was fastidious and meticulous in researching the events behind the account which he penned and delivered to Theophilus.

2 Timothy 4:5

In our 2 Timothy reading this evening, St. Paul is describing his situation towards the end of his life while imprisoned in Rome.

In his situation Paul lives out the concept he wrote about earlier in his ministry in Romans 12:1-2: he is a a living sacrifice, as he nears his martyrdom where he lays down his life in the act of ultimate sacrifice.

“I have fought the good fight,” he reflects, “I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” His life was well-lived for the Gospel.

Following this reflection, Paul begins a series of personal messages to Timothy.

In verse 9, he mentions a figure named Demas. From what we can tell in Colossians 4:14 and Philemon 24, Demas was one of Paul’s “co-laborers” who probably travelled with him doing missionary work. By this point, however, Demas has deserted Paul because he was “in love with this present world,” most likely going back to his home in Thessalonica. The same Greek word that Paul uses for abandoning is the same word Jesus used in the cry of dereliction on the Cross: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Demas' desertion is reminiscent of Peter’s denial of Christ. Right at the moment of sacrifice, neither Peter or Demas remain faithful. Both are examples of refusing to “pick up one’s cross.” In fact, Demas is an example of the rocky soil in Luke’s parable of the sower from Luke 8. The sower casts seed on the ground and the seed that fell on rocky soil sprung up quickly but when the sun came out, it scorched the seed (which ends up being a picture for new Christians who are enthusiastic until persecution and testing come in which case they abandon the faith).

In 2 Timothy 4:10, Paul gives us a contrast to Demas: St. Luke. “Luke alone is with me.” Luke is the good seed in the parable. He is in the trenches with Paul, even in Paul’s imprisonment. Even when things get tough, Luke alone bears his cross alongside the Apostle.

Demas then is a picture of unfaithfulness to the call of the Gospel while Luke becomes a picture of faithfulness. Luke is imitating Paul just as Paul imitates Christ.

Luke 10:1

In our Gospel lesson, we read about the commissioning of the 70 disciples to evangelize.

There is an urgency in Jesus’ instruction.

The harvest is plentiful but the laborers few.

They weren’t even to bring their purse, or a bag, or sandals.

They also weren’t to stop and salute those on the road.

The point of these instructions is to highlight the fact that the Gospel should be their singular focus. The message is so urgent that they aren’t even to bring provisions.

This is embodied in the life of Sts. Paul and Luke in the 2 Timothy reading who were faithful to the end.

Conclusion/Application

In America, the cares and worries of our day-to-day lives makes it very easy for us to fall into a Demas-like life where we become driven by our quest for comfort. It is very easy for us to retreat into our Brave New World of smartphones and television instead of engaging the world with the Gospel like we are called to do.

But we must remember where we come from: while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Complacency then, is not endearing or neutral. It is a serial failure on our part to actively appreciate the healing we receive through Christ’s death on the Cross.

As those who receive this healing of our souls through Baptism, we are called to be a missional people — a people not seduced and lulled into complacency by the siren song of the world and its trappings.

As a missional people, we are called to be a royal priesthood, bringing the Gospel with us wherever we go and to whomever we encounter.

As a missional people, we are called to bring the healing power of the Son with us into a dark and hurting world.

As a missional people, we are beggars, gleefully pointing other beggars to the source where we are fed by the Bread of Heaven.

May we at St. Paul’s follow the example of St. Luke and remain faithful, bearing our crosses, that we might present ourselves as living sacrifices for the life of the world.

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