Sermon Archive

The Prophet Isaiah for the Feast of Saint Luke

Fr. Spurlock | Festal Evensong
Sunday, October 18, 2015 @ 4:00 pm
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The Twenty-First Sunday After Pentecost

The Twenty-First Sunday After Pentecost

Almighty and everlasting God, who in Christ hast revealed thy glory among the nations: Preserve the works of thy mercy, that thy Church throughout the world may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of thy Name; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Proper 24)


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Festal Evensong
4:00 pm
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Scripture citation(s): Isaiah 52:7-10; Luke (the whole Gospel)

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The second half of the book of the prophet Isaiah, from which our first lesson was taken, is written to the tribe of Judah that had been carried off to exile in Babylon. Prior to this, Israel had been a very large kingdom that was tragically divided in two early in its national life. The northern two thirds, geographically speaking, had been so completely assumed by the Assyrian empire that no trace of its religion, culture, or ethnic identity survived. Judah, to the south, persisted for a while, but was eventually conquered by the Babylonian empire.

The most remarkable thing about Israel is that it had been chosen by God to be a special repository for his presence. The glory of God resided in the Temple at Jerusalem, and the spirit of God lived in the hearts of faithful people throughout the nation. They lived lives of such freedom, and grace, protection and blessing that they should have been the envy of every other nation on earth. But, as time went on, the hearts of God’s chosen people turned to stone, the spirit could not live and thrive in such a wasteland. As people abandoned the worship of God, the glory of God departed from the temple, and that great house was tumbled down. Those who had been free were now slaves to a foreign power. To all appearances, there was no more king, no more kingdom, there was no temple, there was no God, Israel was altogether alone, and lost.

Then, in the midst of this desolation, one man sets pen to paper, so to speak, and writes this: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings… that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!”

The image is of a lonely watchman, eyes weak and dim from the strain of looking out, against all hope, for some hint of good news. And then he catches sight of a lonely figure, descended from some mountain height, haggard, tired, and dirty from head to foot. But then the cry from this lone messenger comes strong and true. God lives! He is still with us! The watchman takes up this cry with such infectious joy that it is heard throughout the city. The Lord is come, he is showing his strength in the face of all nations, and all the world will see him win our salvation.

The watchman falls to his knees and notes the beauty of those haggard, tired, and dirty feet that carry a message of such good news. God lives, and he will save us. In light of this reading from Isaiah, listen to this…

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things which have been accomplished among us, just as they were delivered to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the truth concerning the things of which you have been informed.

This is the opening of the gospel according to Saint Luke, whose feast we have been celebrating today. What we know about Luke is taken from his own account of Jesus’ life; his record of the acts of the Apostles; and from the letters of Paul in which Luke is mentioned. The picture that we piece together is that of a Greek physician from the city of Antioch. This is the city where the followers of Jesus were first called Christians, and it was providential that Luke was an Antiochian, for that was the city and church that Saint Paul used as a home base for his missionary journeys. Luke accompanied Paul on several of these missions, and he and Paul became close compatriots. When other companions fell away, Luke remained by Paul’s side through imprisonment, and many other trials. Luke accompanied Paul on his last missionary journey which was to Rome where Paul hoped to plead the case of Christ to the Emperor. It is Saint Luke, in his conclusion to the Acts of the Apostles that provides the account of Paul’s last two years in Rome before his martyrdom.

Luke’s intent in writing all that he did, beginning with the birth of John the Baptist, and concluding with the last days of Saint Paul’s life was to investigate, and then “to write an orderly account… of the things which have been accomplished among us… so that you may know the truth…”

But the truth that Luke was referring to was not the truth of John the Baptist, nor of Saint Paul, but rather the truth of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the object of Luke’s investigation, and Jesus is the truth that Luke would have us know.

Luke has published for us a record of good tidings, a record of salvation, and above all a record that God lives. Beginning with the forerunner, a messenger who prepares the way for the coming of the Lord, Luke gives us an account of John the Baptist, who will later point to Jesus and say, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” Jn 1.29

Luke goes on to give an account of the annunciation to Mary by the Angel Gabriel, which is that moment of conception in Mary’s womb when God takes on flesh and becomes a living human being in the person of Jesus. In other words, Luke is telling us that God lives! Lk 1.26-35

This is followed by the account of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem at which an angel greets shepherds in a field and declares to them the good news of salvation. “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy… For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” Lk 2.10-11 In other words God has prepared a salvation for all the world to see.

Luke gives us an account of Jesus growing up, and growing in favor with both God and men. Then there is the long record of Jesus’ teaching, his publishing good news that God has come, and that he brings mercy, and deliverance from bondage to sin and death. The signs of this authority are the miracles and teaching of Jesus, who acts and teaches, not as the scribes and Pharisees who pile words upon words, and burdens upon their people, but in the mighty acts foretold of old, most particularly in the book of the prophet Isaiah, that a messiah would come, and that he would make the lame to walk, the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the dumb would speak, the dead would rise again. Isa 26.19, 35.5-6

And the foremost sign of this is power and authority is the passion, crucifixion, and death of Jesus, recorded by Luke in his gospel, and foretold in the suffering servant passages of Isaiah, “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” Isa 53.5

Luke goes on to record Jesus’ ascension into heaven, most explicitly explained in his account of Saint Peter preaching on the day of Pentecost: Therefore [Jesus] being by the right hand of God exalted… let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Acts 2.33-36 In other words, God reigns!

What Luke has done, by his investigation into those things which have been accomplished among us, is to follow in the footsteps of the prophets of old such as Isaiah. Saint Luke has given us an orderly account of the good news of our salvation, and the mighty acts of God, through our lord and saviour Jesus Christ. In Luke’s work, we see in Jesus, that God lives, God acts, God saves, and God reigns. How beautiful are the feet of him that bringeth such good tidings.