Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning and ministers of the word have handed them down to us, I too have decided, after investigating everything accurately anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received.
How does one write a compelling and plausible account of Good News which includes stories of inspiration, tidings of great joy, songs of angels, dancing old men, and ecstatic women with a sprinkling of ominous prophecies? Oh, and it has to record a ghastly crucifixion in some detail.
Can you make it fascinating so that the whole world will want to read it? And more than interesting; these events must have happened in our world in our time! Finally, when your readers have heard the Gospel, their life must be altered forever. This message must be as real as sin. In fact it must convict people of their sins and persuade them to turn to the Lord for salvation.
In other words, it has to be more than legends, symbols, and myths, although it can use all three. If salvation is only virtual, we're doomed.
To counter any suspicions of an artificial hope, Saint Luke begins his gospel with very precise historical, "real world" landmarks. Anyone reading its first draft and the copies that were distributed throughout churches of the Mediterranean Basin might have recalled when Herod was King of Judea, when "a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled;" and the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene." If these readers and hearers of the Gospel were living in Palestine they might even remember "the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas."
Twenty centuries later the Christian must also believe the basic historicity of the Gospel. If this didn't really happen, if Jesus of Nazareth was not actually crucified and raised up on the third day, then we can shut the book and go on about the business of surviving in a godless world. But we will have lost all hope in the meanwhile.
The Gospel of Saint Luke is a prophetic text of hope, spirit, and joy. Although it is ostensibly addressed to a patron named "Theophilus" (whose name means "lover of God") it is intended for the poor, hungry, sorrowful and despised. They will feel its impact and welcome its promise. Their "betters" may also welcome the gospel but they will have to accept its prophetic demands: woe to the rich, the sated, and the well-respected. Following the Lord to Jerusalem and Calvary is more than admiring a distant hero or appreciating a clever aphorism.
The journey begins when the Holy Spirit's of Jesus meets us where we are, whether in a temple in Jerusalem, a home in Nazareth, or the Jordan valley. We need not go to a mountain top or sea bottom for the Lord meets us where we live and then shows us where we must go, what we must do next, and what we shall say.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.