Who could have imagined on that first Galilee morning that Andrew's act of faithfulness and brotherly love would have led to the presence of Christian believers in nearly every country on Earth?
From that one act -- "He first found his brother Simon and said to him, 'We have seen the Messiah'" (John 1:41) -- is formed the nucleus of the apostles. In that one act, Andrew is superseded by his brother, whom we know as Peter, the Rock on whom Christ's Church will be built. Through that one act, Jesus' ministry starts to bear fruit that will last.
Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland, a country a long way from Galilee, and that spiritual connection is a testament to the worldwide spread of Christianity. Even the Episcopal Church in America, which didn't even exist until 1700 years after Andrew met Jesus, has Andrew (and Scotland) memorialized in our shield:
Though we trace our heritage back to the Church of England, the first bishop in the Episcopal Church, Samuel Seabury, was consecrated by Scottish bishops whose liturgy did not require from him an oath of allegiance to the English king. As a matter of fact, the Communion service in our Book of Common Prayer down to this day is based in part on the service used by the Scottish Episcopal Church.
All of this may sound a long way from Andrew's first encounter with Jesus and his introduction of his brother to the one he knew to be the Messiah, and it is -- but just think, what might come of your introducing one person to Jesus? What might grow and spread from that one introduction?
In one of the prayers for mission at Morning Prayer we ask God to "Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord" (BCP 100).
Who in your life might like to meet Jesus? Why not do like Andrew did, and introduce them today?
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