This Sunday's gospel introduces John the Baptist, the man who "prepared the way for the Lord." Click HERE for discussion/reflection questions to the above video.
The evangelist penned the two part work scholars call "Luke-Act." His gospel combined the majority of Mark's, passages he shared with Matthew (called the "Q" source) and original traditions in a highly stylized Greek prose.
Luke-Acts focused on the work of the Spirit in word and deed. Kerygma was the Spirit-driven message proclaimed. Charism was the act of the believer that manifest the power of the Spirit. Both demanded a reaction from those who witnessed the Spirit acting in and through Christians.
Charisms came in different forms: speaking in tongues, prophecy, healing, prayers and visions. Some of these spiritual gifts fortified the community. Others evangelized outsiders. For Luke and the Pauline churches, charisms were a sign of God acting in their midst.