Jan 3

Rev Gav

Role

Luke 1:4 Introduction. Did you know Luke’s gospel was written to Mr. God Lover?

Luke 1:4

Introduction

⁴so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught.

Reflect

Luke wrote his gospel or ‘good news’ to a guy called Theophilus. It’s a Greek name and ‘theo’ means God and ‘philo’ means love, so Theophilus means ‘someone who loves God’. You could say that Luke wrote his gospel to someone called ‘God lover’. Dear God Lover…

It’s clear that Theophilus was a believer and that Luke wanted Theophilus to know that God was acting in history through Jesus. The way Luke wrote his account means we know he intended it to be read by a wider audience. So, Luke’s account wasn’t just for Theophilus, it’s for us too. Luke wanted Theophilus to see how he fitted into the story of God’s plan for the world, and he wants us to see how we fit into God’s plan too. History – ‘His Story’ becomes ‘Our Story’.

Do

Have you ever read something that made you consider how you fit into the story? Today, commit to engaging with the story in this way.

Pray

Holy God
Show me what it means to be
someone who loves you,
and, as I engage with Luke’s gospel,
please help me to see how I fit
into your bigger story in the world.
This day and for ever.
Amen.

Think

What does it tell us about Luke’s audience that he wrote to an individual called ‘God Lover’?