Written by Dr Graham Leo. ©2019
Introduction
Thank you for joining me in this series of Lenten devotions on Luke. First, a couple of housekeeping comments.
I'm writing these primarily for my own church, Robina Anglican church, on the Gold Coast, Australia. Permission is freely given for anyone to share them electronically or by other means to anyone else in the world, on the conditions that each devotion is sent in its entirety, including the page header above, and that they do so freely, with no commercial benefit or costs. Freely we receive, freely we give. My copyright is asserted, however, for a probable future publication in print and digitally.
As in my other series, I am not intending to draw on other writings for these devotions, to keep footnotes to an absolute minimum. I will not be consulting commentaries, although I might occasionally consult a Bible atlas. This is a devotional exercise, not an academic one. I've probably got a half-dozen commentaries on Luke on my book-shelves, but I'm leaving them there. I want to write from the spirit, not from scholars for this exercise. Each type of writing has its place and season.
If I occasionally seem to be quoting someone without attribution, please accept that I am probably reflecting something that I read a long time ago and have not realised I’ve absorbed someone else’s words as my own. If any such thing occurs, please let me know, and I’ll gladly acknowledge it. My plan is to simply ask the Holy Spirit to guide my thoughts – that is, my mind and my heart – for each day, and trust that he will do so. That’s not to blame God for my mistakes, though! Any wrong doctrines, misinterpretations, missed treasures or errors are my responsibility!
Each devotion will be not more than two A4 pages in length, and should take no more than 15 minutes to read, thoughtfully. Luke is a long book, so there will be many events or comments we will just skip over, to fit into the 46 days allotted to us. I'll be writing a reflection for seven days of every week of Lent, finishing on Resurrection Sunday.
My suggestion for you is that you read the passage indicated for each day, praying for God’s guidance for your spirit and mind as you read. Then read my reflections, finishing with your own prayers. I’ve been asked by some to include a prayer to help people in their concluding reflections. I generally have not done that in the past, because I struggle to get everything that I want to say into two pages. However, in response to those requests, I will do so in these.
