Festival of St. Luke, Evangelist
Posted on October 18, 2023 by under
Scripture: Hosea 14:1-9 (NKJV)
14:1 O Israel, return to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity;
2 Take words with you, and return to the Lord. Say to Him, “Take away all iniquity; Receive us graciously, for we will offer the sacrifices of our lips.
3 “Assyria shall not save us, we will not ride on horses, nor will we say anymore to the work of our hands, ‘You are our gods.’ For in You the fatherless finds mercy.”
4 “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, for My anger has turned away from him.
5 “I will be like the dew to Israel; He shall grow like the lily, and lengthen his roots like Lebanon.
6 “His branches shall spread; His beauty shall be like an olive tree, and his fragrance like Lebanon.
7 “Those who dwell under his shadow shall return; They shall be revived like grain, and grow like a vine. Their scent shall be like the wine of Lebanon.
8 “Ephraim shall say, ‘What have I to do anymore with idols?’ I have heard and observed him. I am like a green cypress tree; Your fruit is found in Me.”
9 Who is wise? Let him understand these things. Who is prudent? Let him know them. For the ways of the Lord are right; The righteous walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.
Devotion
We as Christians are often annoyed with the bumper sticker morality of our modern society. The current American motto is “be kind.” One sees this saccharine sentiment printed everywhere. But the world has no basis for this sentiment. Without God there is no reason to be kind. There is no reason for anything. But the response to this silliness isn’t to become calloused toward humanity; it is to find mercy and forgiveness in God. This is the genuine perspective we should have, rather than shallow kindness.
Our God takes foreigners like St. Luke and makes them His own. He takes the filthy and sinful and forgives them. The fatherless find mercy and the backsliding find love. St. Luke came from a pagan background, living in darkness, but the Word of God came to him and made him alive. He found in Christ, the One who is Compassion, the One who ultimately restores and heals. St. Luke then devoted himself to sharing the Word of God. He writes for us the good news about Jesus so that we might walk in the way of the Lord and find mercy and forgiveness as he did. When you feel far from God, when you feel alone, embrace the Gospel. Christ is there with His mercy and forgiveness.
Prayer: O Almighty God, Who hast instructed Thy holy Church with the heavenly doctrine of Thy Evangelists: Give us grace, that being not like children carried away with every blast of vain doctrine, we may be established in the Truth of Thy holy Gospel; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Collect for the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity Sunday
O Almighty and most Merciful God, of Thy bountiful goodness keep us, we beseech Thee, from all things that may hurt us; that we, being ready, both in body and soul, may cheerfully accomplish those things that Thou wouldest have done; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
