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In the name of Jesus.

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Amen.

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This is the second time this semester

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that I have been assigned to preach on a day designated as the

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commemoration of a saint.

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In September, it was Hannah,

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Mother of the prophet Samuel.

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And today it is Saint Andrew Apostle and brother of Simon Peter.

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A pattern seems to be emerging.

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I suppose it is too late now to schedule me next week to commemorate

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Barbara patroness of artillery and fireworks.

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But I have already penciled myself in next April for St.

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Drogo, the protector, and Solace of unattractive, people.

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But contrary to my general, disinclination to commemorate Saints.

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I am delighted to remember Andrew today. In the church's history

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there has been a good deal too much foolishness about Saints, which we

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don't need to encourage or continue, but Andrew

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Is important.

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Of course, he is reputed to have been the first to preach the gospel

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in Georgia.

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That's Tbilisi, not Atlanta.

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And he is been adopted as the patron saint of Cyprus and Malta and

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Romania and Spain and of course Scotland, but none of that matters.

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There is a tradition that he was crucified

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on an x-shaped cross that was his instrument of martyrdom. And that may

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be why some rustic folks in England

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and Scotland will put crosses like that next to their fireplaces as

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defense against witches coming down the chimney.

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But who really knows about such Pious traditions and who takes any

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such silly superstitions

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seriously?

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Remembering Andrew well requires no such flights of fanciful

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creativity and no homiletical gymnastics.

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There's no need to track down dubious relics to venerate or concoct

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far-fetched

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moral lessons. The story of Andrew

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we really know and care about is pretty straightforward and even

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common place.

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When he met Jesus and learned who he is, he went right away to his

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brother Simon and told him about Jesus.

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And more than just telling Simon about Jesus, Andrew introduced his

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brother to the Messiah, the Christ, the Savior.

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He brought him to Jesus.

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Every one of us

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was brought to Jesus by someone else.

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We did not discover him on our own.

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That was true of Andrew as well.

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Andrew was raised a Jew expecting the Messiah of Israel.

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So you could say he had been introduced to the promise and the hope of

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Jesus from childhood before he ever knew messiah's name.

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He had become a disciple of John, the Baptist drawn to John's

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preaching of repentance to prepare for someone greater.

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And that's how Andrew happened to be standing within earshot

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when John spotted Jesus walking by and said, Behold the Lamb of God.

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When Andrew heard John say that he had to know more so he followed

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Jesus to find out what it meant.

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John the Baptist pointed Andrew to Jesus the Messiah and then Andrew

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went and got his brother Simon.

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He brought him

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to Jesus.

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Andrew didn't send Simon to go see Jesus for himself.

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He took him.

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He went with him.

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He made the introductions. Andrew needed to go to Jesus to stay with

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Jesus to learn from Jesus, as much as Simon did.

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That's the way it works.

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You've been introduced to Jesus and you need to stay with him to

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follow him to listen to what he teaches and watch what he does.

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Somebody somewhere introduced you to this Jesus, brought you to him.

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And thank God, they did because you need

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what Jesus alone gives life, salvation, forgiveness,

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hope.

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And when, you know Jesus you bring other people along so they can know

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him too.

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Your kids.

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Your family, your neighbors, your, your old drinking buddies, and your

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weird uncle.

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You bring them to Jesus.

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Like Andrew brought Simon to Jesus.

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He brought him to Jesus.

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So this commemoration of Saint, Andrew Apostle, isn't really a story

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about Andrew in the end.

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The focus isn't on Andrew soul

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winner and brother bringer, extraordinaire.

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The focus isn't even on Simon.

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The brother, he brought may be one of the most consequential and

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important converts in Christian history.

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This is a Jesus story.

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The focus is squarely on the one.

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We need to meet.

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We need to follow and listen to.

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And just as Andrews story is really part of the Jesus story.

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Your story isn't really about you either.

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Imagine hundreds of years from now.

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When somebody is commemorating, the feast day of Saint, whoever you

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are.

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Renewer of Lutheranism, Apostle to Sheboygan.

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None of the silly Pius fables, about your miraculous grasp of Greek

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and your flawless GPA in seminary, will be taken seriously.

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Nobody believes that stuff.

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And none of it matters, but this will still matter.

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He brought them to Jesus.

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There was a political slogan, a while, back, even sold t-shirts with

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this on it, believe it or not.

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If I'm remembering right

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it said, "We are the ones we've been waiting for."

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Oh, gosh, I hope that is not true.

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That sounds so depressing, look around you imagine

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that this

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motley assortment of generally unqualified, specimens is the best

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hope humanity has.

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Well, then we are all in deep deep trouble.

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But we're not.

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I mean, we're not in that kind of deep deep trouble because we are not

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the ones we've been waiting for.

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I prefer the Andrew alternative.

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He brought him to Jesus.

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This guy, this Jesus is the Christ, God's appointed and anointed only

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begotten.

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He's the one we've been waiting for the one, we need to meet the one

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you and I need to follow and watch, and listen to.

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He is the one Andrew was waiting for. The one John

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The Baptist was waiting for the, the one Simon was waiting for. This

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Jesus is the one the world is waiting for whether they know it or not.

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Thank God, somebody brought me to Jesus.

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Thank God

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somebody brought you, too.

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And thank God

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the Andrew story is still going on for a bunch of new folks when you

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and I

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bring them to Jesus. In the name of Jesus.

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Amen.