Sermons for the Month
Being Andrew
DATE: January 20th, 2008
SERVICE: Sunday after the Epiphany
TEXT: John 1:29-42“To all of you Saints here this morning, grace and peace to you from God our Father, from His Son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. AMEN
I have a cousin named Andrew, and he is in every way an Andrew, not an Andy. I'm guessing that the only person who ever got away with calling him by the shortened version was our farmer Grandpa who, according to Andrew, had a profound impact on him. Andrew is now an arboretum curator and horticulturist who has been interviewed by national magazines and television programs. If Grandpa wanted to call him Andy, not a word was said; but to everyone else he is Andrew. I have no idea if he - or the various Andrews in our congregation - were named with the disciple by that name in mind. If that's the case, the "Andrew parents" did not have much to go on, other than the fact that the name is listed among the 12 closest followers of Jesus. However, Andrew does show up in today's Gospel lesson. He is introduced as a disciple of John the Baptist who hears John proclaim Jesus as the Lamb of God. He and another un-named devotee of John - without any other explanation in the text for why they would do so - begin to follow Jesus. Perhaps you noticed that when Andrew is first mentioned by name it is in association with his brother, "One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother." (John 1:40) The way the verse is phrased makes it clear that the author expects the reader to know who Simon Peter is and that Andrew is less well known. It's almost as if the writer is saying, "I'm sure you have heard of Peter, well, this is his brother, Andrew." So, Andrew is not famous, which is exactly why I want to focus on him today. He is not mentioned often in the Gospels. In Matthew he is named with Peter as the fishermen who left everything and followed Jesus after he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fish for people." In Mark, he is one of four disciples who ask Jesus when God's kingdom will come. But in the Gospel of John he does the same important thing three times; he brings others to Jesus. We just read how he found his brother Simon - later named Peter - told him, "We have found the Messiah," and brought him to Jesus. In chapter six of John he brings the boy with five loaves and two fish to Jesus when food is needed for the crowd that has gathered. Although Andrew expresses doubt that so little can feed so many, when the meal is blessed by Jesus that is exactly what happens. Then, in John 12, Andrew and Phillip tell Jesus of the request of some Gentiles to see him. In all three cases, Andrew is bringing Jesus and people together. It's what all of us are called to do. And, making that connection between us, Jesus and people we know happens in direct and indirect ways. The direct ways include parents presenting a child for baptism or one believer nurturing the faith of another or inviting people to worship and sharing one's own faith story. The indirect ways are many, they include any way that we live out our faith in what we say and what we do. It's like this poem that I read this week: "You are writing a Gospel, a chapter each day, by the deeds that you do, and the words that you say. Others read what you write, if it's false or it's true. Now what is the Gospel, according to you?" (1) Andrew is direct when he takes Peter and the boy with his lunch to Jesus, and when he tells Jesus that the Gentiles wish to meet him. Often, that's how people find Jesus, through direct actions or invitation. Jack Fortin wrote a book that I'm considering using during Lent titled The Centered Life in which he tells a story about Dan who met Jesus through direct words and actions of others. Dan was Jack's barber, primarily because Jack was a youth worker at the time and most of the male adolescents with whom he work went to Dan and liked him. It was the late 60's and Dan wore jeans to work, drove a late model Corvette and loved young people, which made him "cool" in their eyes. During the many "haircut conversations" that Dan and Jack had it became apparent that Dan was restless. In spite of the fact that he had a loving wife, two delightful young boys, a dog, and all the toys any reasonable male adult of 35 could ask for, he questioned, "Is this all there is to life?" He often commented that Jack's life as a youth worker was "really meaningful", while his was not. When the conversation came around to faith, Dan said, "I'm not sure where I am with God," but mentioned that he "saw to it" that his wife and children went off to church each Sunday. It was a few weeks after that conversation that Dan called Jack and made the startling statement, "I think I've been converted." The Sunday before he had been lying on the couch, recuperating from the previous night's party, when an evangelist came on the TV and he did not have the energy to get up and change the channel. All of a sudden it sounded like the preacher was talking directly to him about feeling miserable, guilty, unfulfilled, restless and lonely. The next thing he knew Dan was on his knees, praying with that television preacher, and experiencing a sense of peace. But, now what should he do? Jack admitted that he was somewhat disappointed that it was a TV evangelist who had reached out to Dan. So, he took on the role of supporting and encouraging him, which points out another direct way to connect people and Jesus, to nurture the gift of faith within them. That's not the end of the story, though. No, Dan did not become a preacher or youth worker, but it dawned on him that while cutting hair he had about 15 minutes to talk to young people about their life and dreams, hopes and fears. He could be a listener and provide a safe place for each person to feel accepted and valued. He began to see his work as a calling to do what he did best in the service of God's kingdom. So, his indirect witness also connected people to the love of Jesus. (2) With Dan and Jack's story in mind, let's go back to Andrew. He may not have been well-known; he's not often referred to in scripture. But, what he does is vital. Remember how, after he and the other disciple began to walk behind Jesus they had a brief conversation with him. It ended with them asking a Jesus question that is translated, "Where are you staying?" Actually, their question is not really about Jesus' lodging arrangements; the sense of the question in the Greek is, "Where do you stand? What are you about?" The response that Jesus gives them is, "Come and see." As they did, their transformation began. Then, Andrew imitated Jesus by issuing the same invitation to his brother. "Come and see." And Peter, imperfect though he was, became the rock on which the church of Christ was built - a bold proclaimer of the name of Jesus. The message today is that being named Andrew is not a prerequisite for issuing that invitation to encounter Jesus. With our words, our actions, our lives, we say to others, "Come and see." (1) John 1:29-42, January 20, 2008, 2nd Sunday after the Epiphany, www.sermonwriter.com
(2) The Centered Life by Jack Fortin, Augsburg Fortress, Minneapolis, MN., 2006, pgs. 49-52
AMEN