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Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church, Linglestown, Pennsylvania, USA |
"Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the
deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of
the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the
thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp,
the grass shall become reeds and rushes. A highway shall be there, and
it shall be called the Holy Way; the unclean shall not travel on it, but
it shall be for God's people; no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray."
Isaiah 35.5-8
St. Luke was a Gentile, probably a Greek, and is believed to have come
from Antioch in Syria. Not much is known of his life except that he was
a physician and was a disciple of St. Paul and a worker with him. He has
traditionally been regarded as one of the seventy disciples commissioned
by Jesus, although in his Gospel (1.2) he says that he was not an eyewitness
of what he writes. St. Luke accompanied St. Paul on some of his journeys
and is generally believed to have been with St. Paul during his two imprisonments.
According to early traditions he wrote his gospel in Greece and preached
the faith there and in Bithynia (hence his title as an Evangelist). St.
Luke is said to have died at the age of 84, never having married. The
observance of the feast of St. Luke appeared for the first time in the
eighth century.
St. Luke's day is a traditional time to emphasize the church's ministry
of healing by showing concern for hospitals and nursing homes; for doctors,
nurses and medical technicians; and, by conducting healing services.
from Festivals and Commemorations
by Phillip Pfatteicher
Almighty God, you inspired your servant Luke the physician to reveal in his Gospel the love and healing power of your Son. Give your Church the same love and power to heal, to the glory of your name; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. AMEN
-- Pastor Stickley