Luke for Advent and Beyond

It’s the year of Luke beginning on November 28th. On the first Sunday of Advent, churches throughout the world begin a new cycle through the Christian calendar and the lectionary readings cycle every year through one of the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). 2021-2022 is called Year C and most Sundays we will hear a passage from Luke as the gospel reading.

Luke is many people’s favourite gospel. There is particular attention paid to the work of the Holy Spirit, women characters figure largely, Jesus tells lots of parables, and it even has a sequel – the Acts of the Apostles! Luke is also filled with stories of healing, people bursting into song, and resurrection stories such as the Road to Emmaus.

Below is a brief list of resources you might want to check out for your parish or small group to explore and delve into the gospel according to St. Luke. All except one are available online and free to use.

Journeying the Way of Love: Advent Curriculum
The Episcopal church offers this four week series that joins readings from Luke with developing a rule of life using the core practices from the “Way of Love”. The Way of Love is a discipleship resource to empower people with core spiritual practices to live a Jesus-centred life. The series also comes with a daily Advent calendar. Download it here: https://www.episcopalchurch.org/journeying-way-love/

Bible Book Club: Luke
The U.K. Bible society offers short, useable and accessible intros to all the books of the bible and offers discussion questions for one session or more. If you’re short on time, this might work well to allow people to dip their toes into Luke and get prepared for the year ahead with very little prep on the leader’s behalf. View the guide here: https://www.biblesociety.org.uk/explore-the-bible/bible-book-club/luke/

Conversations with Scripture: The Gospel of Luke
This is a book that takes a thematic approach to Luke and looks at it through the lens of five big issues that face the church today: Belonging, Tradition, Authority, Behaviour, and Hope. The author is an Anglican scholar, priest, and spiritual director. A free study guide comes with the book: https://www.churchpublishing.org/gospelofluke

The Gospel of Luke: Study Guide
An Ignatian approach to exploring Luke. This 8 session guide encourages the use of our imagination and all our senses to bring the gospel to life. Would work well with a youth or young adults group. It’s well-designed and includes space for reflection, notes, and journaling. Download it here: https://biblesociety.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Luke.pdf

Enter the Bible: Luke
For DIYers, Luther seminary has developed this resource for learning about any book of the Bible. It compiles free courses, podcasts, videos, maps, and articles. Mix and match sources for your own small group or offer these resources for people to learn in their own way on their own time. The layout of the site is clean and easy to use: https://enterthebible.org/book/luke