Faith Daily | 18 October 2021

PRAYER of the DAY - PENTECOST For St Luke

Almighty God,

you called Luke the physician,

whose praise in in the gospel,

to be an evangelist and physician of the soul:

by the grace of the Spirit

and through the wholesome medicine of the gospel,

give your Church the same love and power to heal;

through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now for ever.

Amen.

GOSPEL for the Day: Luke 10: 1-9

After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. 2He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. 4Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. 5Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ 6And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. 7Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the labourer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. 8Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; 9cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’

GOSPEL Reflection: Contributed by: Debbie Pringle

October 18 is the day in the Church’s calendar that we remember the life and work of Saint Luke.

Luke wrote the gospel that bears his name and also the book of Acts. He was a Gentile, a doctor and a good friend of Paul. He spent much time travelling with Paul (from Acts 16:10 the word “we” is used) and was with him during his two year detention in Rome. Luke was called to tell others about the Good News of Jesus and so are we.

Today’s daily gospel reading “goes back” a couple of chapters in Luke’s gospel. It reminds us of the importance of mission, something that Luke was passionate about.

In chapter 9, Jesus sent out the Twelve to proclaim the Kingdom of God. Now He appoints and sends out 72 “others”, with almost the same instructions. They are to go ahead of Jesus and do the groundwork before Jesus passes through the towns and villages. Time was short. Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem (9:51). I love how they are not sent alone, but with a partner, so that they could encourage and support one another. Numbers were very important to the Jews and 72 was the number of nations listed in Genesis 10. The gospel message is to be sent into the whole world. (also Acts 1:8)

The passage warns that the gospel message will be unpopular with many people (they are like lambs among wolves) and there is urgency (travel light, don’t stop to greet people…..in Jesus’ day greeting people could be very time consuming… don’t move from house to house).

The passage tells us to pray that God will send workers into His harvest field and challenges us to pray about what our roles should be in sharing the gospel. It reminds us to pray for missionaries, church leaders and for those suffering because of their faith.

FINAL PRAYER: Joe Rinehart

Lord, give me your heart for the nations. A heart of love and compassion for the lost. A renewed love of the gospel and a deep admiration and concern for those who are already giving their lives in service to you. Provide for them, encourage them, prosper their work and embolden their hearts. Raise up and equip more workers for Your harvest fields. Fill them with your spirit, deliver them from the evil one and empower them to boldly proclaim and represent You and Your Word to the world, until you return. Help me to be obedient to your voice and do my part in advancing your kingdom on earth. In Jesus name I pray,

Amen.