Saint Andrew

Clergy Questions - Advent 2003

Who was St. Andrew and how is his story still relevant today?
- Sue Alexander

Well, Cameron comes to be baptized this morning. Coming to follow Jesus, and having some connection with bonny Scotland, his father is a Scot; it seems quite reasonable that he should want to know about St. Andrew - a follower of Christ and the patron saint of Scotland. Also, the Church has kept St. Andrew's day on 30th November since 6th century.

Who was St. Andrew? Well, he was one of the 12 apostles, the brother of Simon Peter. St. Mark (Ch 1:16-20) tells us of the calling of Simon and Andrew. Fishermen on the Sea of Galilee, they were casting a net as Jesus approached them. You might say, then, translated into our terms, that they were respectable, middle class businessmen. "Follow me, and I will make you fish for people," Jesus says to them. And they did precisely that. They left security, comfort and responsibilities (possibly both to family and employees) and followed. We don't know whether Andrew was married, but certainly Simon was - Jesus healed his mother-in-law.

According to St. John, though, (chapter 1:35ff) Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist. Standing with him one day, with another disciple, John pointed out Jesus walking by, "Look here is the Lamb of God." Andrew and the other disciple approached Jesus, asked where he was staying and accepted his invitation to go and see. We are then told that Andrew went to his brother Simon and told him that they had found the messiah, encouraging him to come and see also. Which, of course, he did. Also, according to St. John, Andrew is the one who found the boy with the loaves and fish at the feeding of the 5,000; and it was to him that the Greeks came who wished to see Jesus (St. John 12:20-22).

Now, a number of legends surround Andrew. One links him with Patras in Greece, another with Constantinople. The one linking him with Scotland is that St. Rule, a native of Patras in the 4th century, was told by an angel to take the relics of St. Andrew to an unknown destination. The saint travelled until reaching Fife, where he built a church to house the relics. Needless to say, it came to be called St. Andrews.

Another legend also says that Andrew was crucified at Patras. Acknowledging that he was not worthy to die as Jesus had, Andrew asked for a cross in the shape of the Greek letter Chi. Thus the saltire cross on the Scottish flag: white (symbolising Andrew's purity) on blue (symbolising the sea).

So, perhaps that gives us some insight into who Andrew was, but what about his contemporary relevance? Well, St Andrew's-tide has come to be a time when the Church prays for its mission. Remember, Andrew brought his brother Simon to Jesus. This model of evangelism is as relevant today as it has ever been. The Church in our country, like never before, needs members who are committed enough and bold enough to encourage others to come to Church and meet Christ. This is what Cameron's parents are doing for him this morning.

And think about it, it was no good for Simon simply to be told about a good man who had some good ideas about how to lead a good life. That wasn't discipleship then, and it isn't now. Rather, a relationship with the living God through Christ necessitated encountering him within the community of believers. That resulted in total commitment that could so easily disturb tidy, well time-managed lives. Christ needs no less from members of his Church in our day. He needs us to go out of our way to encourage others to come along and get caught up in things. He needs us to help make them feel at home and equal members with us - not least the children. He needs us to make a point of being here for baptisms and parade services, for example, to help make our young people feel a part of the whole church, and perhaps to give support to parents struggling with young children.

So, that's the continued relevance of St Andrew: life-upsetting commitment, and going out of one's way to bring family and friends to Christ.

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