During the season of Epiphany we are exploring baptism. There are eight steps in the baptismal liturgy. The first is to present yourself to God, as the Magi did to the Christ child. The second is to profess faith in God, as St. Peter did. The third we learn today from St. Andrew, it is to Give Thanks for Baptism by noticing God’s abundance.
Under Appreciated
St. Andrew is under appreciated in the New Testament. His name is rarely mentioned in the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). He was Simon Peter’s brother. Some say Andrew followed Simon Peter around like a shadow. But that didn’t mean Andrew was a “shady figure”! Andrew was an introvert. He goes unnoticed by others because he is busy doing the noticing. Perhaps in your life you have felt overlooked or unnoticed too. If so, you are in good company with St. Andrew.
Jesus Notices
Andrew was noticed by Jesus. In our reading this morning from the gospel according to John we hear a variation on the baptism of Jesus and the call of the first disciples. Jesus walks past John who professes, “Behold the Lamb of God!” At this two of John’s disciples begin to follow Jesus.
When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.”
John 1:38-39
Andrew was one of those two disciples. He went and told his brother Simon to come and meet Jesus too.
It’s interesting that when Jesus asks them what they are looking for, they say, “Rabbi.” They were looking for a teacher. Speaking of Rabbis. Did you hear the joke about the Rabbi that walked into a bar? He was a Rabbi that looked very Jewish: yarmulke, long beard, the works. But he was carrying a frog under his arm. The bartender looks at him and says, “where’d you find him?” The frog says, “In Brooklyn” there’s lots of them there!
What are you noticing in the world around you? Do you feel that you go unnoticed? Well the good news is that Jesus notices you and invites you to be with him, just like he invited Andrew. Jesus can be your rabbi! Even though Andrew didn’t make a big splash in the pages of the New Testament, he went on to have an outsized impact in Christian history.
Constantinople, the Eastern seat of the Roman Empire claims Andrew as the Apostolic head of their patriarchy. Legend has it that Andrew traveled as far north and east as Kiev in Ukraine preaching the gospel. He is respected still throughout Russia and Ukraine. Even the modern Scottish flag is based off of St. Andrew’s cross. The white “X” shape on a blue background. Did you know that there are three sizes in Scotland? “Wee, not so wee, and freaking huge!” It would appear that Andrew’s impact on the church went from, “wee to … freaking huge!”
Notice Abundance
Andrew was a genius at noticing abundance. He noticed that Jesus was special and was perhaps the first disciple because of it. He noticed Greek speaking Jews near the end of Jesus’ life who wanted to meet him. This foreshadowed his missionary journey. But not everyone remembers that Andrew noticed the abundant lunch of a young boy: five loaves of bread and two fish. Because of this observation Jesus was able to bless the abundance and feed the 5,000.
Giving thanks for baptism is about noticing abundance. In the Baptismal liturgy:
- Present yourselves like the Magi, diversity is affirmed
- Profess your Faith like Peter, selfhood is restored
- Give Thanks for Baptism like Andrew, notice abundance
I was recently visiting with one of our members. This person is in a lot of transition and we were talking about very material things, like paying bills, shelter, and food. When it was time to go we stepped outside and noticed where some water was overflowing from a swamp cooler. We turned the valve off. But before I left the member said, “Here pastor, and handed me handful of cherry tomatoes that had been growing where we were working. I hadn’t noticed them. Well I hadn’t had lunch that day. When I got in my vehicle I ate the cherry tomatoes, and they were delicious. The gave me the sustenance I needed to make it through the rest of the day. That’s the power of giving thanks for baptism, water, of noticing God’s abundance. Amen.
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