Preacher: The Rev. Aaron E. Yaeger
Ezekiel 3:16–21 / Gospel for Vigil: John 1:35–51*
St. Andrew, Apostle
The old church year ends with the watchman’s cry (Matt. 25:6), and the new one begins with it (Ezek. 3:17): John the Baptist’s call of warning and repentance, which St. Andrew heard and heeded. But John’s forerunning task was chiefly to point his disciples to Jesus, “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29;36). Thus, Andrew became the first of Christ’s disciples. He in turn pointed his brother Simon Peter to the Messiah (John 1:41), and “immediately they left their nets and followed” the Christ (Matt. 4:20). “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news” (Rom. 10:15). Andrew’s eagerness to follow Christ and bring others to Him made “no distinction between Jew and Greek” (Rom. 10:12; John 12:20–22), and he may be counted as the first missionary. His zeal in following Christ led him, according to tradition, to face a martyr’s death on an “X” shaped cross. So we are directed at the beginning of Advent to focus our eyes on Christ’s cross, where God’s Lamb was offered for our salvation.
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