During Advent this year, we’re going to slowly work our way through Luke’s account of the Christmas story, many times stopping to dwell on just one verse or phrase and explore the meaning of it. We will let the verses speak to our hearts, and prepare us for the coming of the Savior.
Luke 1:1-3a
Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning…
One of my favorite television shows is House M.D. Though it is no longer on, I’ve recently been watching it on Amazon Prime. In almost every episode, when the team gets a case, House instructs them to redo all the tests that were once done. House doesn’t want them to rely on what someone else says, he wants them to make a careful investigation of the problem themselves. Without seeing things through fresh eyes, they may miss something crucial.
Luke would fit well on House’s team, or as a crime scene investigator because he shares many traits with those professions. At the outset of his Gospel, Luke tells readers that he spent time investigating the story of Jesus Christ. He didn’t take someone else’s word at face value, he did the work for himself. He didn’t pick up somewhere in the middle, he began at the beginning of the story.
We can’t be sure of exactly what Luke did, or who he talked to as he compiled his Gospel account. But we can be sure that a lot of time and careful attention to detail were required. This is what is required of us if we are going to understand the Bible and the story of the coming of Jesus Christ. We can’t come at this season of Advent with a desire to rush, we must be patient and take our time through the story that is recorded for us. We can’t casually read the account, we must dive into the details, exploring and understanding the small nuances that contain great truth.
Yes, this advent, we need to be like Luke, willing to take a fresh look at an old story, one that has been handed down through the generations, and investigate the truth of Christmas for ourselves, if we hope to find meaning, and develop a love for God within our own hearts. If we investigate the story, we will find what Luke concluded, that we can be certain of what we know and believe!
Father God, we come to You with open hearts. We long for You to speak to us and transform us through this season of Advent. Help us read through Your Word slowly and purposefully. Let the Spirit speak to us through Your Word, reminding us first of our sin, then of Your grace and forgiveness. May we be changed into Your likeness through this season, that we might celebrate and worship You again in Spirit and in truth. In Jesus’ Name, AMEN.
Drawing Closer 