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WELCOME BACK!

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Lord Jesus, you are one with the Father and, as God, have all power and knowledge. You are the light of the world that shines in the darkness. Send your Spirit of Truth upon us so that we can see by your light the way to everlasting life. Give us the grace to always follow the path you set before us. Amen

Opening Prayer

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The Gospel of Luke

Turn to page 58 in your workbook, Introduction to the Gospel of Luke

Listen closely & fill in the blanks

“Luke’s Gospel is perhaps the most complete of the four Gospels. In fact, at the very beginning of the Gospel, St Luke tells us this was his purpose for writing: ‘Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as those who were eye witnesses from the beginning and ministers of the word have handed them down to us, I too have decided, after investigating everything accurately anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received.’ Written specifically to a man named Theophilus. Luke set out to write an orderly and detailed account of Christ’s life based on his own extensive research and investigation of the events. Luke’s is also the only Gospel that claims to be written chronologically. The author of Luke’s Gospel is St Luke. Luke was a traveling companion of St Paul. He was also a physician and is mentioned multiple times in the New Testament epistles. Luke was a Syrian Greek convert to Christianity, which makes him the only Gospel writer who was not a Jew and not one of the first generation of Christians. Even though Luke did not meet Jesus, his Gospel draws from extensive knowledge of Jesus’ life from those who did know Him, especially from His mother, Mary. It is very likely that Luke knew Mary and used her as a source for writing his Gospel. Luke’s Gospel has the most complete version of the birth and infancy narratives of Jesus, including details that only Mary would have known. Luke was writing to an audience of Gentiles, non-Jewish converts to Christianity. As Luke wasn’t Jewish himself, he focused his Gospel on Jesus’ ministry to all nations, emphasizing that the Gentiles did not first have to become Jewish in order to believe in Christ. Luke’s Gospel is also known as the Gospel of Mercy and stresses the importance of prayer and the working of the Holy Spirit. Most scholars believe Luke’s Gospel was written after AD 70 because of the references to the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem. It is likely that the Gospel was written, then, around AD 85.”

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The Gospel of Luke - sections

Prologue and Infancy Narrative:

Explains why Luke wrote the Gospel
Tells the Annunciation of Jesus’ birth, the birth story, and the stories of Jesus’ childhood

Preparation for and Ministry in Galilee:

Focuses on Jesus’ preparation for His public ministry, including His baptism and temptation in the desert, and the beginning of His public ministry in Galilee, including some of Jesus’ basic teachings and stories of miracles
Highlights the difficulties & rejection Jesus experienced in Galilee

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The Gospel of Luke – sections (cont.)

Journey to & Teaching Ministry in Jerusalem:

Central portion of Luke’s Gospel
Focuses on Jesus’ journey toward Jerusalem and His Passion, including Jesus’ teaching on how to pray and the story of His triumphant entry into Jerusalem

Passion and Resurrection Narrative:

Focuses on the story of the Last Supper and Jesus’ Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Resurrection appearances

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The Gospel of Luke - Structure

Turn to page 59, The Structure of Luke’s Gospel

Complete in small group

Assign each pair of students a passage to determine which division of Luke’s Gospel it belongs to

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The Gospel of John

Turn to page 64 in your workbook, Introduction to the Gospel of Luke

Listen closely & fill in the blanks

“The author of John’s Gospel is John the Beloved Disciple, one of the Twelve Apostles, and the Apostle to whom Jesus was closest. It is St John alone among the Apostles who was present at the foot of the Cross, and it is to St John that Jesus entrusted the care of His mother after His Death. It is likely that John’s Gospel was the last Gospel written, sometime between AD 90 and 100. Therefore not only does the Gospel present the story of Jesus from the point of view of an eyewitness, but also reflects a much more developed theological understanding of who Christ is than the other 3 Gospels because of its later authorship. Unlike the synoptic Gospels, John did not set out to present a chronological or merely historical retelling of the story of Christ’s life. In fact, John states at the end of his Gospel (John 20:30-31) ‘Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.’ In this statement is revealed the true purpose of John’s Gospel: to reveal the deeper truths of Christ’s life so that his readers might believe that Jesus is the Messiah and Son of God and that through this belief we might have eternal life. This is not to say that John’s Gospel isn’t historical – it is – but in stark contrast to the other Gospels, it is very poetic, symbolic, and literary. It is not told in a chronological way, but rather in a way that reveals the theological and spiritual truths of Christ’s life, specifically that Jesus is the Incarnate Word of God who has always existed with God from the beginning. John’s audience was primarily a Jewish Christian audience. There were many false ideas being taught about who Jesus was, and John’s Gospel helped to combat those ideas to present Jesus’ full humanity and full divinity. In other words, John wrote to develop a more complete Christology, or theology of Christ. Certain stories such as the Wedding at Cana, the raising of Lazarus, and the Bread of Life discourse, appear only in John’s Gospel. Further, John denotes a large portion of his Gospel to Jesus’ teaching at the Last Supper, which interprets the meaning of Christ’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection. The narrative of John’s Gospel focuses on seven ‘signs’, or wondrous deeds, of Jesus. After each sign, Jesus teaches using dialogue to a monologue emphasizes that Christ’s teachings are now meant for the entire world.”

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Gospel Writers Game

Turn to page 63 in your workbook

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Homework

Jesus I Am statements on page 66
In The Beginning Was The Word on page 70

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Announcements

Trunk or Treat 6pm Oct 28^th
Christmas Shopping 5-9pm Nov 18^th

- Gift wrapping 10:30 Nov 19^th

Next class not till Nov 14^th (3 weeks)

Lord Jesus, your conception was announced to Mary, your mother, by an angel of the Lord. By the power of the Holy Spirit, the impossible was made possible, you were miraculously conceived. Give us the courage and faith to be obedient to God’s plan for our lives, just as Mary said “May it be done to me according to your word.” Amen

Closing Prayer