He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away empty. —Luke 1:51-53

“It is on the lips of Mary that Luke lays out the theme of his Gospel…God looks with favor on those of low status.” – Rev. Adam Hamilton

Introduction

Luke traveled with

and wrote Luke/Acts between AD 75 and 90.

Most likely, the author had the Gospel of

, which was written five to ten years earlier.

Notice that these are not “

” by Mark or Luke, but the good news of Jesus.

The Gospel of Luke was written to “Theophilus,” which means “

or lover of God.”

So if you love God, want to be a friend of God, or want to know God, this is for

!

Too Old or Too Young (Luke 1:5-7)

What is old? Younger adults in Jesus’ day were to stand when someone over

walked into the room.

Luke starts with the “

” Elizabeth and Zechariah to give birth to the prophet John the Baptist.

The prophet Anna was an

widow. (Luke 2:36-38)

Abraham and Sarah were

and

Reveal Answer

years old when God gave them a son, Isaac.

Moses was

when God called him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.

Grandma Moses began her painting career at age

and lived to 101.

Gladys Burrill began her marathon running career at the age of

and ran until she was

Reveal Answer

!

Harland Sanders franchised a business at 62 and sold it 12 years later for

at the age of 74.

“If you are an older adult, God is not finished with you yet.” – Adam Hamilton

God also chooses the

.

Mary, the “Theotokos” (bearer of God), was likely only

when the angel Gabriel appeared to her. (Luke 1:28-32)

King David was just a

when he fought and killed the giant Goliath. (1 Samuel 17:32-33, 37)

Pay attention and say “yes” to God’s

no matter your age or stage in life. (1 Timothy 4:12, 14)

There’s nothing “too” about you; you are “

” for whatever God calls you to do.

“God uses you to accomplish his purposes no matter how unlikely a candidate you might be.” – Adam Hamilton

God Lifts Up the Lowly

Jesus

the sick, touched the untouchables, and ate with sinners. (Luke 5:30-31)

Jesus also touched and healed the

who were spiritually sick. (Luke 5:27-30, 32)

“The people of the land” was a phrase describing the poor and the

.

Jesus was lowly from his birth to a peasant girl in a barn to the

of the cross. (Philippians 2:5-9)

If you’ve been poor, rich, rejected, dejected, sick or humiliated, God

to use you to lift up the lowly.

Action Step

Pray on Wednesdays through Lent from 11:00am to 1:00pm.

Pray, “Jesus, thank you for lifting up the lowly and loving the outsider. I want to follow you, to be your apprentice. When you want to use me, please do. I offer my life to you. Amen.”

Download the 40-Day Luke Bible Reading Plan:
https://acts2umc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/TheGospelofLuke40-DayReadingPlanChart.pdf