Faith Daily | 18 October 2022

PRAYER of the DAY - APBA p593

Almighty God,

your Son has opened for us

a new and living way into your presence:

give us pure hearts and steadfast wills

to worship you in spirit and truth;

through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

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 laborer 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: Rev’d Jan

I have just been to my GP, appropriate on the eve of St Luke’s Day – for a checkup and general health chat. How lucky we are to have such medical care in this city, in this country. As I have often said to Graham – wherever we live in Brisbane, it has to be near the Wesley Hospital!

Luke, commonly known as “Luke the Physician” – is most known to us as the author of the Gospel in his name, and the book of the Acts of the Apostles. We are currently hearing his Gospel regularly in this Year C, and I have recently been struck by how many unique (to his Gospel) narratives and parables are told in Luke’s Gospel. This includes the well known and loved – the Good Samaritan, the Prodigal Son, the Unjust Judge (last Sunday), and the Tax Collector (next Sunday).

The context for Luke is always of Jesus’ compassion and tenderness extended to all the needy. The priestly and sacrificial work of Jesus is emphasized – which is why the symbol of Luke in the church is a winged ox. The ox represents the sacrificial aspect of Jesus’ ministry, and the wings remind us that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is to travel the world.

It brings to my mind the image of Zacchaeus up the tree (this coming week’s Gospel) surveying the world to find Christ – and there Christ is! For all of us – calling us by name, asking to come into our homes and hearts. We just need to say yes! Go for it.

FINAL PRAYER Collect for Luke the Evangelist

Almighty God,

you called Luke the physician,

whose praise is 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,

Amen.