30th. November. 2020. Daily Devotion.
13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. Acts 1 :13-14
The final mention of the Apostle Andrew in the Bible.
Andrew was the first apostle to follow Jesus and was also the oldest — a year older than Jesus himself. He was a follower of John the Baptist. When Christ was baptized by John, Andrew followed Him and brought his younger brother, Peter, who apparently was a gifted and charismatic speaker. Andrew was reputedly the first to record the teachings of Jesus in writing, but we have no idea whether or to what degree any of his writings still exist as part of the Gospels in our Bible, or elsewhere. The originals were reported to have been collected in the Great Library of Alexandria (in Egypt), which was subsequently destroyed by fire and political purges over the course of several centuries.
There are many traditions about Andrew. Most agree that he travelled north to the Ukraine (then called Scythia) and Georgia. He became the patron saint of Russia, the Ukraine, and Romania; many Russian flags contained a Cross of St. Andrew similar to the flag of Scotland. Most accounts agree that he ended his travels in Patras, Greece (a city about 130 miles west of Athens), where he was crucified on a cross laid in the shape of an “X.”
The stories about the disposition of his remains are even more colourful than the accounts of his travels. Many churches claim to have received and enshrined parts of his body. Most notably, when the Emperor Constantine (son of Constantine the Great) ordered that Andrew’s body be exhumed and brought to Constantinople, a monk named Regulus reportedly was visited by an angel, who instructed him to take Andrew’s remains and flee to the farthest ends of the world. Regulus took such remains as he could manage and fled, only to be shipwrecked in Scotland, where the remains were enshrined.
Thus, Andrew became the patron saint of Scotland, and the Scottish flag represented the cross he died upon: a white “X” shape on a blue field. The purported remains were destroyed or stolen during the Scottish Reformation, but we see his influence even today in the British flag (the “Union Jack”) and the flag of the Scottish Parliament. (From various sources).
To Proclaim the Gospel
Almighty God, who called your Church to bear witness that you were in Christ reconciling the world to yourself: help us to proclaim the good news of your love, that all who hear it may be drawn to you; through him who was lifted up on the cross, and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
The Love of Christ
O holy Christ, I thank you and love you for seeing who I really am. You know things about me that I don’t even know myself, for you see with the clear eye of God, and not through the psychological tangle of human emotion and self-deception as others see me and I see myself. I most especially thank you, I that you love me despite all of the sin and ugliness you see in me. You can see my beauty and heart, also, though, and love me as nobody else possibly could.
Like a father, you love me. Like a perfect brother, you love me and this is almost beyond my understanding.
I give myself to you wholly, freely; every part of me blesses you. Take me to your heart, holy Christ; let me live your love and reflect your light, that others may see a reflection of your magnificence in my lowly life, and that despite my many faults, I may please you by doing better today, and every day. And this I vow: I will try to take a step closer to you, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
A Prayer for the bereaved
God our creator, your Holy Spirit prays for us even when we do not know how to pray. Send your Spirit to comfort us in our need and loss and help us to commend N. to your merciful care, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. — Book of Common Worship.
