St Luke, Ascension, Pentecost, and more …
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What wonderful gifts St Luke has given us. His Gospel is perhaps the fullest account of the Lord’s life and ministry, and in the Acts of the Apostles he tells us of the beginnings of the life of the Christian Church. St Luke’s Gospel leads into the Acts of the Apostles, and the ‘hinge’ between the two is Ascension and Pentecost. The Gospel concludes with the promise of ‘the power from above’ and the account of the Ascension; Acts begins with the Ascension, and then the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in Chapter 2. Why does St Luke tell his story like this? It is because these are the decisive events in our faith: the risen Lord ascends to take our human nature to heaven, and the Spirit descend in His place to enable the life of the Church. The ‘pairing’ of episodes such as the raising of Jairus’ daughter (St Luke Chapter 8) and Peter raising Tabitha (Acts Chapter 9) makes the point clear: by the power of the Spirit, the Lord’s disciples will do the Lord’s own work in His place. The Acts of the Apostles: St Luke ends his account with Paul teaching in Rome, but the story continues in our own day. Let us pray with all our strength that the Holy Spirit will enable us to do the work of Christ, in His name.
