Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023
The Rev. Anne Williamson
Matthew 4:18-22
As Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea — for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.
Today is the Feast of St. Andrew, patron Saint of Scotland and the brother of Simon Peter. Although today’s Gospel reading speaks of Jesus’ call to the two brothers at the same time, in the Gospel of John, Andrew is depicted as one of the first disciples of Jesus, who brought others to Jesus – beginning with his brother Simon Peter (Jn 1:36-42). Andrew was declared to be the ‘Peter before Peter’ by Byzantine Archbishop John Chrysostom and he has been called the first Apostle. It is Andrew who brings the boy with the loaves and fishes to Jesus (Jn 6:8), as well as some unnamed Greeks (Jn 12:20-22). Andrew does not appear with the ‘top three’ disciples, Peter, James and John, in the big moments like the Transfiguration, nor does he argue about his future place in Jesus’ kingdom, but he does something that we all can do, even if our names never make the headlines: we can bring others with us on the journey of faith, we can introduce others to Jesus.
During my time in the UK, the church I attended and then latterly served ran a number of ALPHA courses. The Rev. Nicky Gumbel, one of the founders of the ALPHA movement, tells the story of someone whose name is likely to be unfamiliar, but who is ‘Andrew’ to someone else, in Gumbel’s book Questions of Life:
"Albert McMakin was a 24 year old farmer who had recently come to faith in Jesus. He was so full of enthusiasm that he filled a truck with people and took them to a meeting to hear about Jesus. There was a good looking farmer’s son whom he was especially keen to get to a meeting, but this young man was hard to persuade – he was busy falling in and out of love with different girls and did not seem to be attracted to Christianity. Eventually Albert McMakin managed to persuade him to come by asking him to drive the truck. When they arrived, Albert’s guest decided to go in and was ‘spellbound’ and began to have thoughts he had never known before. He went back again and again until one night he went forward and gave his life to Jesus Christ.
The year was 1934. That young man’s name was Billy Graham."
There were a number of people at the church I served in London who came to faith during Billy Graham’s UK tours. When Billy Graham died in 2018, our Presiding Bishop, Michael Curry offered his gratitude for the ministry of Dr. Graham and noted that he had insisted that the tours be interracial (a very big deal in the UK when the tours started in the 1950’s!). I remember a British friend, Jumoke, telling our bible study group about the impact of Billy Graham on her faith journey.
There is no Gospel attributed to St. Andrew and yet Andrew, the first Apostle, lived into the call we confirm in our baptismal covenant: to proclaim, with God’s help, by word and example the Good News of God in Christ.
Not all of us are called to be evangelists, but we are all called to be witnesses and play our part, by prayer and invitation, in bringing people to Jesus.
Blessings on your day,
Anne
Collect for The Feast of St. Andrew
Almighty God, who gave such grace to your apostle Andrew that he readily obeyed the call of your Son Jesus Christ, and brought his brother with him: Give us, who are called by your Holy Word, grace to follow him without delay, and to bring those near to us into his gracious presence; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.