Sermon: Luke 10:1-9 - St. Luke the Evangelist
These are only my rough outline. I did some extemporaneous preaching outside the manuscript. I had an morning to meditate and whip this up since my bishop came down ill. It was his gig. There it is - my apology. ------------------------------------ Vicar Christopher Gillespie Immanuel Lutheran Church of Frankentrost Preached at the Lutheran Home, Frankenmuth, Michigan St. Luke the Evangelist (October 19th, 2007) Luke 10:1-9 In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. October 18th is the yearly commemoration of St. Luke, the Evangelist. St. Luke weaves the Gospel of the Lord together around messages of community, healing, and new life. As we remember and recall the memory of this saint of old, we recall how like St. Luke, Christ, our Lord is the great Physician of both body and soul. All manners of ailments, sickness, and death befall us. Just look around you. Many suffer, are in pain, and are near death. Many have passed away before your eyes. This is the consequence of our sin. Even you who live lives of attended care and supervision transgress God’s Law. Your caregivers, nurses, and doctors can’t absolve you of your sins. For this reason God sent His son. He came to grant pardon from the penalty of the Law. This is true release from the curse that has a stranglehold on your life. He sends laborers among you these words of grace to you. These laborers are from all walks of life. I came from a farming family, worked in a retail store for five years in Chicago before entering seminary. Others were raised by a father who was a pastor. The stories of the workers vary but the message is the same. Jesus Christ was crucified, He died, He rose, and ascended on high to sit at the right hand of the father. All this he graciously did to release you from the snare of Satan into his loving arms in heaven. This is the Christian message. This is the message of St. Luke. Sin no longer holds dominion over you. Suffering is short-lived. Pain is fleeting. Old age does not last forever. These are the crosses Christ has us bear. Through them we know we cannot cure ourselves. Christ is our physician. He is the seelsorger, the curer of our souls. The seventy come to provide the balm of healing that is Christ. By no other means of medicine or world religions can true comfort come to you. This are idolatrous meanderings, placing comfort where there is none. No amount of rest and activities can provide you the comfort of the cross. Receive his seventy servants with willing and glad hearts. Receive the message they bring. The seventy come to you saying, “Peace be to this house.†Christ is the true peace that passes all understanding. Christ is the true healing of soul and body. Live in His baptismal grace, trusting in His promise. On the last day he will raise you and all the dead. He will give to you and all believers eternal life. This mortal life is fleeting. Your heavenly life is eternal. Amen.
