November 17, 2024
St. Andrew Day
Our church is named for the apostle Andrew so every year we honor him and our heritage with St. Andrew Day. Andrew was the first disciple that Jesus chose and the one to bring his brother Simon Peter to Jesus, convinced that Jesus was the Messiah. Our focus on kilts and tartans recalls that Andrew’s journeys led him to the Black Sea and the Volga River in Russia. It is believed that ancestors of the Scots and Anglo-Saxons migrated from this area. Modern Scottish tradition believes that Andrew preached to their ancestors. Hence the St. Andrew’s cross is connected to Scotland. Legend holds that Andrew hung on his cross two days, continuing to preach the gospel until he died. Many of you know this history, yet I was surprised to hear a new name for Andrew: A Confidential Disciple. We all know the three favorite disciples: Peter, James and John. But the very next one, who is often on the inside track, is Andrew. As we just heard, Philip goes to Andrew before approaching Jesus with the Gentiles. It is interesting to note that Philip and Andrew are the two Greek names among the twelve disciples. Andrew’s name means “manly” or “courageous.”
After Jesus predicted the destruction of the temple, the center of religious life, the four confidential disciples ask for a timeline, they want to know when. READ Mark 13:1-8
This part of Mark’s gospel is the beginning of what is called the “Little Apocalypse” (1-37), with Revelation being the Big Apocalypse. Apocalypse deals with the “end of times,” while it also describes the revealing of hidden things, which Jesus does by interpreting the signs for his disciples. Jesus called wars, earthquakes and famine birth pangs. Now understandably this conversation is not for the masses. Talking about the end of times was hard in Jesus’ day, and it is still hard today. So, Jesus talks with the confidential disciples about it. I like to think that Andrew was included because he was grounded, humble and steady. He never gets into arguments about who is the greatest, (Lk. 22:24-30) or sitting on the right hand of the Lord, (Mt. 20:23), like James and John. He also does not have the pressure of having the church built on his shoulders like Simon Peter (Mt. 16:18). Andrew does not need the limelight. He is deeply focused on bringing people to Christ and devoting himself to Christ. One commentator writes, “Andrew possessed a keen perception of spiritual truth and pursued the knowledge of God until he had a deep understanding. Andrew was a man of strong conviction, enabling him not only to accept Jesus as the Messiah, but also to encourage Peter to become a disciple. Christ probably chose Andrew knowing that He could develop genuine humility in him, making him a useful instrument in God’s church” (Before Honor Is Humility: The Story of Andrew, Martin G. Collins).
From John, we heard Andrew was useful in bringing some Greeks to Jesus. They were answering Jesus’ call to “come and see.” Andrew and Philip make this happen. Then Jesus states, “the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” and a grain of wheat dying and “bearing much fruit.” Jesus is speaking of his death and resurrection. Andrew is present when Jesus speaks of the destruction of the Temple and his bodily resurrection. As you recall, sometimes these two events are woven together. Jesus said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (Jn. 2:19).
Some of us might feel like we have our own “Little Apocalypse” given what happened last week. The end of time is near, at least when it comes to this experiment we call democracy. We worry and fret, we tune out because the news makes us anxious, we hope and pray it will not be as bad as we think. I get it, I am scared too. During our Little Apocalypse we are facing telos, the end of time. It feels like COVID was one moment of telos, and now we have this new existential political landscape. These crises inspire big questions of who and how we are in the world; they likewise inspire big questions of in whom we believe and the shape that belief takes in practice. But what did Jesus say about being led astray by those who claim to be our savior/protector? Those who say, “I am he!” Sound familiar? Such a claim to be I AM harkens back to God’s name for Godself, suggesting he has designs on powers that belong to God alone. It makes sense that Jesus would warn the disciples, and us, not to be led astray by those who would claim to come in his name. “It is tempting to cling to anything that promises a foothold at times when we feel everything is out of control…. (Yet) the telos, which could mean the end, goal, outcome, or culmination, is (actually) the Messiah… (Jesus is the Good News. Through) the Gospel, God is always about the business of making new futures possible” (Working Preacher, Amanda Brobst-Renaud). We cannot see it right now. But the disciples could not see it in their time. But God can see the way forward. You see, “Our faith is teleological–oriented toward fulfillment. Though our mundane lives are organized around various concentric and overlapping daily, weekly, and yearly cycles, the Christian faith is essentially a linear faith. God has a mission, God is fulfilling and perfecting, God is shaping the future toward an end” (Working Preacher, Henry Langknecht).
In in the face of apocalypse God is in charge. We will get through this time of despair. But let us heed Jesus’ prophetic cry, and not be led astray. Yes, our world feels chaotic, but we have an answer for crisis and that is our faith in Jesus Christ. And with that faith we can stay engaged. I know we want to retreat, put our heads in the sand and just disengage. But that is how they win. We are called to be the hands and feet of Christ and Christ needs us right now. So, find the way you want to respond in faith. I am planning to go to an event in Santa Cruz today seeking to organize around our democracy. Or maybe sharing Christ’s love through mission in El Salvador like Karla and Julie is something you would like to do next time. Your praying for your prayer child or filling CASA stockings are ways to be engaged. Democracy, prayer, mission, they all matter.
We, like the four confidential disciples, want to know when the end of time is near. But fortunately, Jesus does not give that answer, even though later he does say neither angels, nor the Son know, only the Father (13:32). “It is understandable that some Christians have grown impatient over the centuries and have tried to speed things up a bit. I love what someone once said about the return of the Lord. “God did not put me on the Time & Place Committee; God put me on the Preparation Committee” (A good Presbyterian). Our job is not to speculate about times and seasons, but to make sure that we are living as God wants us to live – sisters and brothers to one another – here and now” (Sermons.com, Donald B. Strobe).
Andrew was one of the four disciples Jesus talked about the end of times with. Jesus assured them not about the time, but about the coming chaos as birth pangs. Remember that we worship the Creator God, the one who birthed the world and our very being. God has got this.
“Martin Luther was once asked what he would do if he knew that the world was coming to an end tomorrow, and he said: “I would plant an apple tree.” In other words, Luther, trusting in God’s gracious, unmerited mercy would live life just as he had been living it. When John Wesley was asked the same thing, being an obsessive-compulsive type, he said that he would arise at 4:00 AM, preach at 5:00 visit the sick at 7:00, go to communion at 8:00…etc., until the questioner realized that that was exactly what Wesley had planned to do tomorrow anyway! Because we believe that God is like Christ, we can dare to live in faith and hope and love now; trusting God for whatever the future holds, because we believe that God holds the future, and that God’s Name and God’s Nature are love” (Sermons.com, Donald B. Strobe). Amen.
