PONDERING Luke 1:1-4

Read Luke 2; was on a list that suggested "Simple Activities for a more Christ Centered Christmas" There are about 30 such suggestions, but this one is good if you love Christmas but are having a hard time preparing for it. Luke 2 is "The" Christmas story. 
It is from this chapter that Linus of Peanuts, does a wonderful soliloquy  on the true meaning of Christmas. I have read  this chapter a lot in my life, but it hasn't been until recently that I was able to understand the truth of it all,
Sometimes I like to read in chronological order, sometimes I skip around. I usually skip reading Luke 1, or I would wonder who " Theophilus" was.

Luke 1:1-4Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us,3 it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.

The voice sounded familiar: do you recognize it?
Book  of Mormon 1:1 And now I, Mormon, make a record of the things which I have both seen and heard and call it the Book of Mormon.

I recognize Luke, who obviously was a "real" person instead of a name on a chapter. He is found in the book of Acts as a "witness" to the Pentecost, the outpouring of God's spirit, after Christ had ascended to Heaven. He somehow befriends the Apostle Paul and is a sometime scribe and traveling companion. It is to Luke that Paul requests a warm cloak and the "parchments" via Timothy. What is on those parchments? 
What do we know about Luke? He may be a physician, or a Greek, possibly a freed Greek slave, who was converted to the Christian movement at that time. More than likely, he was a Hellenized or Greek speaking Jew. He was a member of Christ's church and maybe a missionary and traveling companion with Paul. He seemed to have the responsibility of an appointed messenger, a guardian of the records that detailed the life of Jesus Christ. He reminded me of Moroni. Maybe he too abridged the record. I have the impression that he sacrificed much and remained steadfast in the faith.
Who is Theophilus? He could be you or I. We want to know who Jesus Christ is, we want to know what the foundation of our faith is all about. I love how in Luke 2, 
Luke himself is speaking and narrating a story that is well known to him.

So I have pondered these verses and have been blessed with a better understanding of how important is was then and now that the Church of Jesus Christ is established on the earth. Even though many followers of Christ left the Church and others corrupted the true meaning, it was people like Paul or Luke who managed to literally keep hope alive through their writings and their testimony. There was no "official" book about Jesus at this time, only the testimonies of his most devout followers, who sacrificed much. Luke reminds me of Mormon and even his son Moroni. This is a bridge to the book of Mormon.

Merry Christmas y'all, new music Monday, Big Daddy Weave

Big Daddy Weave - "My Story" (Official Music Video)