Across the Pastor’s Desk by Mark Boorsma

 

Today is the feast day of Saint Luke the Evangelist (evangelist here being a title for the four Gospel writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). Early Christians were intrigued by the four-faced creatures described in Ezekiel 1:5-11, and they assigned those four faces (human, lion, ox, and eagle) as emblems of the four Gospel writers. Luke’s symbol is the ox.

Luke is credited as the author of a two-volume narrative of the Christian movement. The Gospel that bears his name tells the story of Jesus’ life, and its sequel – the Acts of the Apostles – tells how the Holy Spirit propelled forward Jesus’ story through his followers. Scholars have pointed to some sections of Acts where the author uses the word “we” as indicating that Luke was actually there during the events described with this pronoun.

Luke is mentioned three times in letters of the apostle Paul. In Colossians 4:14 he is called “the beloved physician.” In 2 Timothy 4:11 and Philemon 24, Luke is named among the co-workers and traveling companions of Paul.

The day of Luke the beloved physician is a day to give thanks to God, especially for healing and the healing arts. It is a day to ask God to heal us and all who are in need of healing and wellness. It is a day to thank all whose vocation is to heal – doctors, surgeons, nurses, and all whose work it is to move us toward health and wellness.

Thank God for our healers!  May God anoint and bless their hearts, minds, and hands. And a blessed Saint Luke’s day to you!

Mark Boorsma is pastor at Ascension Lutheran Church in Albert Lea.