John 1:35-42

“Behold, the Lamb of God,” John the Baptist exclaimed.  Jesus turned, saw two of John’s disciples following and he asked what they were seeking.  They asked where he was staying.  Jesus said, “Come and you will see.”  In response, they came, they saw and they stayed.  One of them was Andrew.  Immediately, Andrew found his brother Simon Peter and informed him, “We have found the Messiah.”  He brought his brother to Jesus.

The “Treasury of Daily Prayer” mentions that when Andrew became the first home missionary.  He also became the first foreign missionary (John 12:20-22). Following Jesus entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, a group of Greeks, there for the Passover feast, asked to see Jesus.   Jesus took this as the sign that his hour had come.  Though Jesus was troubled over what lay ahead, nevertheless he proclaimed, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

St. Andrews Day comes near the beginning of Advent when we follow the Lamb of God not only to the manger, but to the cross where we receive the gift of eternal life.

Prayer: Almighty God, by your grace, grant us to follow Jesus Christ in heart and life as Andrew your Apostle did.  Give us courage to be among those of whom St. Paul says, “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.”  In Jesus name.