Feast of St. Andrew/ Advent 1
Dear friends in Christ. Today is a two-fold celebration. First, today we can say “Happy New Year!” because today begins a brand new Church Year—a year in which we will again hear of Jesus’ work that rescued us from our sins, from death and the devil; and in this new Church Year we will again hear our Lord’s teaching for us for our edification and our comfort. The second celebratory note is that today is the day the Church remembers one of our Lord’s Apostles, St. Andrew. Today’s Gospel account tells us of when Andrew first began to follow Jesus. In fact, according to our text, Andrew—along probably with St. John—was the first of our Lord’s apostles; so, it is fitting that the new Church Year, begins on the Sunday closest to the day that remembers the first Apostle.
From Scripture we know that Andrew was born in Bethsaida, a village in Galilee. We also learn quite a bit about Andrew from our text—we learn that Andrew was at first a disciple of St. John the Baptizer. We also learn that he was the brother of Peter and that it was Andrew who brought Peter to Jesus. Elsewhere in Scripture we learn that it was St. Andrew who noticed [John 6.9] that there was a boy in the crowd with “five barley loaves and two small fish” which was the beginning of Jesus’ miracle of the feeding of the 5,000. Andrew’s name always appears toward the beginning in the listing of the apostles. After Pentecost, tradition says that Andrew preached in Palestine, in northern Greece and southern Russia. He was killed on account of his confession of faith at Patras in Greece on a special “X” shaped cross in 70 AD. Then in 357 AD his body, together with that St. Luke, was taken to the Church of the Apostles in Constantinople and then in 1251 removed to Amalfi, Italy. Very early some of his relics were taken to St. Andrew’s Church in Fife, Scotland and Andrew became the patron saint of Scotland. He is also the patron saint of Russia.
Our text, which describes the account of Jesus gaining His first disciples, is very fitting for us as we begin the new Church Year. As we examine our text, we will see that just as Jesus did that day to Andrew, so too will He come to us in this new Church Year. As Jesus told them that day, so too at the beginning of the new Church Year Jesus invites and promises us: Come and you will see.
1. We meet today in our text one of the main figures of Advent—St. John the Baptizer. The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. Here is John the Baptizer in his proper role, doing what had been foretold of him—preparing the way for Jesus; pointing the way to Him. John wasn’t there to gather and keep disciples around himself. Speaking by the Holy Spirit, John’s father, Zacharias, said of John at his birth [Lk. 1.76-77]: And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins. To do this John would first preach a strict message of Law [Lk. 3.7-9]: Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance….And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. But this preaching of strict Law was not the goal of John’s preaching. The goal of his preaching was to do as he did in our text, and before, and to point to Jesus and say [John 1.29]: Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! In other words, John prepared the way for the coming of the Savior by making people aware that they were sinners in need of a Savior from sin, death and damnation and that Jesus was that Savior!
That’s why we have the penitential and introspective season of Advent. Right away at the beginning of the Church Year, Advent serves us as a call to hear the voice of God’s holy Law so that we recognize that we are sinners in need of a Savior. If we use the season of Advent rightly as a time to prepare our hearts this way, how we will long for and rejoice when we hear the Christmas Gospel [Lk 2.11]: There is born for you this day a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Then Christmas will not be such a hectic season but one of pure joy. Don’t get sucked into the busy-ness of the so-called “holiday season.” Take time out especially these next few weeks and look at your heart and life in the light of God’s holy law; take a look at the glorious promises of our Lord in His word of a Savior from sin—that He is your Savior. How your heart will rejoice all the more to celebrate His birth for you!
That’s what St. John the Baptizer did. As much as he preached God’s holy law, showing the people their sins, all the more did he delight in and point people to Jesus, their Savior from their sins: Behold, the Lamb of God! How delighted St. Andrew was when he saw St. John the Baptizer point to Jesus and say Behold, the Lamb of God! that is: There! That is One sent by God, the One God provides, who will take away the sin of the world and reconcile the whole of lost, sinful humanity with the holy God! That’s also the cry/ proclamation of the Church Year, what we will hear throughout the Church Year: There is Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world—including your sin. Yes, in the new Church Year we will hear that we are sinners, worthy and deserving only death and damnation, but we will also hear that greatest of proclamations: Behold!—direct all your attention to Him! Christ comes to us! Your Savior comes to you!
Here may we follow the example of St. Andrew: The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. As we once again hear the proclamation this new Church Year Behold, the Lamb of God, may we follow Christ, that is, may we in faith receive the gifts and blessings He won for us by His life, suffering and death. The thing is—and this we especially remember in the Advent season—is that Jesus still comes to us. Not only did He come 2000 years ago to bring about our salvation, to offer Himself as that one perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world, the Lamb of God, but because He is risen and ascended, He, the God-man, still comes to us in His holy word and sacraments. That day, what do we read? The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by. Jesus was walking by. The glorious fact is that Jesus still comes “walking” to rescue sinners. He does so as He comes “walking by” in His holy word and sacrament. He will do so again this new Church Year. Each time we hear His saving word in church, it’s not just an account about Jesus; instead, in it, Jesus is offering us Himself; He is offering/giving us the gifts that He, the Lamb of God, won for us. In the Blessed Sacrament, He is actually coming to us and giving us His very body and blood that brought about our forgiveness and reconciliation. He is as much in our midst today as He was that day with St. Andrew and St. John the Baptizer. In fact, just as John pointed to Jesus and said, Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!, we do the same in the communion liturgy as we praise Jesus who is present with us there in a special/ glorious way.
The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by. The other thing about Jesus “walking by” is that it seems to be merely “coincidental.” That day, it seemed that it was “just by chance” and Jesus happened to be walking by there. But it wasn’t! He was there to draw the first disciples—St. Andrew and probably St. John the Evangelist, and soon after that St. Peter—to Himself. In the same way today, Jesus comes “walking by” us in His word: we happen to hear His word in Church; we go to His holy Supper; we read His word—it just seems to be coincidence but faith is strengthened, it is sparked anew, or maybe even created. Jesus comes “walking by” us for a purpose: to draw us to Him. He will be doing so again all throughout this new Church Year. May we, in joy, look for and expect His coming—for He is coming for us and our salvation.
2. Jesus turned and saw them following… This is why we look for and rejoice when Jesus comes walking by us in His holy word and sacrament this new Church Year: He doesn’t force Himself on us. He walked past Andrew and the two others. He turned around to speak to the ones following Him. Because Jesus doesn’t force Himself on anyone, He comes in the still small voice of His word and the preaching of His word. He comes under the bread and wine. All these things can be easily dismissed as nothing. But remember: Jesus is gentle; He doesn’t force Himself. Through these humble instruments He is coming to us calling to us and drawing us to Himself.
In grace Jesus comes to us in His holy word and sacraments and draws us so that we follow Him, so that like St. Andrew we can truly say from the bottom of our hearts: “We have found the Messiah”. In and of ourselves we are not worthy to be our Lord’s dear Christian. We are sinners—conceived in sin, born as sinners and we add to that sin continually; we do not/ cannot make ourselves worthy of our Lord. But He comes in His word and sacrament to us unworthy sinners, draws us to Him, working faith in our hearts to welcome Him, to receive Him and His gifts and graces. We, now as His dear Christians, who recognize Jesus as our Savior from sin, death, devil and hell, in this new Church Year say together with St. Andrew, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” That is, we want to be where Jesus is; we want to be where He is staying/ where He can be found! And where is that? In Church! Where His holy word is proclaimed and His sacrament administered. We will want to be in church hearing and studying His word and so growing in the faith. We will want to daily study our Scriptures and read sound devotional books.
And do you know what the best part is? Not only do we want, as Christians, to be Jesus’ disciples and follow Him, but as Jesus says to Andrew that day: “Come and you will see.” Jesus opens the door to them; He wants to talk with them. He wanted to show them that day that He is indeed the Messiah, the Savior of the world, their Savior from sin, death, devil and hell. In other words, Jesus is ready and happy to meet poor sinners. He wants to meet with you and me. He wants to strengthen you in your faith; He wants to draw you closer to Himself. That’s why He has shown us great grace by placing us in the midst of His holy word and sacraments. He has done this that He may come to you in them giving you forgiveness of sin and every spiritual blessing! This coming to Christ is a daily thing as we, burdened by our sins, daily go to Him in confession and He gives us the forgiveness of our sin. In fact, Jesus invites us/ wants us to come to Him as He says [Mt. 11.28-29]: Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Notice: St. Andrew did not turn down Jesus’ invite: So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.
By this inviting and drawing us sinners, Come and you will see, and as led by the Holy Spirit we do come around His holy word and sacrament and are eager to know Christ, His work and His word, Jesus is making us all the more certain that He is indeed the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. That’s the blessing of this new Church Year as we come and see. At the end of this Church Year, may we all the more boldly confess with St. Andrew: “We have found the Messiah” INJ Amen