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Well, maybe he wasn’t. But then maybe he was. There are a number of very unique qualities about this man God used to give us the Gospel of Luke and also the book of Acts (which is really part 2 of his Gospel). Luke was a physician … he told us about Jesus sweating great drops of blood in the Garden of Gethsemane. Luke was a highly educated man … his Greek is of a very high literary quality, both in grammar and in vocabulary. Luke was a careful researcher when it came to history … he interviewed eyewitnesses and accurately identified locations and the titles of government officials. Luke was a missionary … notice in Acts when the description of Paul’s journeys shifts from “they” to “we.”
But I can’t help but wonder if he wasn’t also a musician. He is the only one of the four Gospel writers who chose to record the four “nativity carols” sung to celebrate Jesus’ birth. These Scriptural texts have been set to music many times by some of the greatest composers in the history of sacred music. They bear the titles of the opening line in the Latin translation.
There is young Mary’s “Magnificat” (Luke 1:46-55), when she rejoiced in spontaneous song when visiting with Elizabeth, the mother-to-be of John the Baptist. There is Zechariah’s “Benedictus” (Luke 1:68-79), when he was finally able to speak again at the circumcision of his and Elizabeth’s “miracle baby” after nine months of his tongue being silenced for his unbelief. There is the angels’ “Gloria in Excelsis Deo” (Luke 2: 14), when the sky over the Bethlehem shepherds exploded in heavenly celebration. And there is aged Simeon’s “Nunc Dimittis” (Luke 2:29-32), when this godly, praying saint was privileged to see the infant Messiah in the temple and gave thanks that he was now ready to die in peace since he could never see anything more wonderful than what he was gazing on at that moment!
Perhaps this is one reason the church has always had a wonderful treasury of Advent and Christmas carols and hymns. In the Trinity Hymnal, the editor ( J ! ) has included forty one of the best! They come from countries all around the world, and from all ages of hymnody. Here are just a few examples, some going back as far as the 4th century!
Spain – Of the Father’s Love Begotten
Latin empire – O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
England – What Child Is This?
Austria – Silent Night! Holy Night!
America – O Little Town of Bethlehem
France – Angels We Have Heard on High
Poland – Infant Holy, Infant Lowly
Germany – From Heaven High I Come to You
The church has always loved to sing about the Savior’s birth. Maybe we learned it from Luke!
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