Worship March 25, 2012 The St. Andrews Cross

Morning Prayers
Call to Reconciliation
We close our heart's eye, and wonder why we cannot
see Jesus. We wander down the same old paths, and
are amazed that Jesus is not ahead of us. We speak
and live in ways which keep us from being God's children.
Let us come to the One who offers us grace and mercy,
as we pray together, saying,
Unison Prayer of Confession
Love that knows no boundaries: we crowd our lives
with so much activity, that it is hard to find time for you.
We become so focused on ourselves, we can overlook
those around us who are searching for hope. We fill
our spiritual emptiness with junk, rather than feasting on
your Word.
Abundant Mercy, forgive us. Open our eyes, that
we may see your new covenant written in plain sight
on our hearts. Open our hearts, that we may join you
in serving the broken of the world. Open our love, so
we may pour it out as abundantly and graciously as
your love is given to us in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
Like a parent tenderly washing her child, God bathes
us in the warm waters of forgiveness, cleansing us, and
restoring us to new life.
Through Christ, we are made whole; through Christ,
we are loved; through Christ, we become new people.
Thanks be to God. Amen.

The Pastoral Prayer
O Lord - when we contemplate the sacrifice of Jesus - your Son - we are
overwhelmed. Your mercy and your love know no human limitations. Your
grace and your forgiveness are greater than all we can tell. Help us,
O Lord, to declare your compassion and to give all praise and honor to
your most holy name. Put in us the willingness to follow where-ever you
may lead us.

Lord we pray for all those who do not understand you this day -
especially we pray for those who would blame you for the suffering that
they or others must endure. Show them, O Lord, your will is entirely
good -- that you take upon yourself our pain, our guilt, our death, so
that we may live in wholeness and in eternal peace. Show them O God, and
relieve their distress.

We pray, O Lord, for those who bear the cross of Christ this day, for
those who give of themselves without regard to the cost.... We pray for
parents who care so deeply that they forget themselves for the sake of
their children; for brothers and sisters who give up what is theirs so
that their siblings may prosper, for those of faith who sacrifice their
time, their energy, and often their very lives, so that those around them
who are in need may be satisfied.

Father, we pray for those whom have been lifted up before you today in
our updates - and we ask your blessing upon them.

Lord, we pray today for things we dare not speak aloud. Hear us in our silence.

O Lord, accept all our prayers this day. We ask it in the name of Christ
Jesus, he who died that we might live, and who lives that we may never
die. Amen

John 12.20-26
20 ¶ Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."
22 Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.
23 Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
24 Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
25 Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
26 Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.

“Why We Use the Saint Andrew’s Cross”
The denominational symbol of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a red chalice with a St. Andrew’s Cross.
It was drawn on a placemat by my late friend Ronald Osborn, and officially adopted as our church’s symbol in 1971. Since then it has become a recognizable representation of belonging. Anywhere you travel in the U.S. or Canada--and in many other parts of the world-- this chalice with the cross serves to let you know that this is your church.
But why is this “X” shaped cross called St. Andrew’s? And what does it have to do with our scripture for today?
Today, we examine the life of Andrew--at least what we know of it. Some of which is more reliable than others, but all of it germane to our point. In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Andrew is simply a name on a list. Where we learn a little something about Andrew is in the Gospel of John, which is our text for today.
In the first chapter of John, Andrew is the first to be a disciple of Jesus, after apparently being a disciple of John the Baptist. Andrew and another disciple were with John when Jesus walked by and John shouted out, “behold, the Lamb of God!”
They asked Jesus where he was staying and Jesus said, “Come and see.”
They spent that day with Jesus, and while we don’t know where they went or what they did or even what was said, we know it had a profound impact on Andrew. Andrew went right away to his brother Simon, later to be known as Peter, and told him, “We have found the Messiah!” Andrew then introduced Peter to Jesus.
And this is evangelism at its very best and in its most basic form--introducing someone to Jesus.
And that is primarily what we know of Andrew--he introduces people to Jesus.
He does it again in the sixth chapter of John, at the event headlined in your bibles as the feeding of the five thousand.
A big crowd had followed Jesus out into the countryside. By the way, the number five thousand didn’t count the women and the children so this crowd was probably closer to 20,000! It was time to eat, and Jesus asked Philip how they might buy enough food to feed the people.
Philip answered, “two hundred denarii would not buy enough for each of them to get a little.”
What Philip was actually saying was that it was impossible--since a denarius was a day’s wage, and the idea that the disciples and Jesus would be carrying around two hundred of them was absurd. Feeding the crowd would simply not be possible.
But, then, something amazing happens. Andrew introduces a young boy to Jesus--a boy who was willing to share his lunch. Even Andrew is skeptical about the prospects, but Jesus blesses the food and the crowd is filled and there is food left over.
We don’t know exactly what happened there, but I do know this: miraculous things happen when we share what we have, and miraculous things happen when we introduce someone to Jesus Christ. Let me repeat those things: miraculous things happen when we share what we have, and miraculous things happen when we introduce someone to Jesus Christ.
The last appearance of Andrew takes place in our scripture for today. This occurs just after the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, during the last week of Jesus’ earthly life. Some Greeks came to Philip asking if they could see Jesus. Philip told Andrew, and together, they took them to Jesus. Once again, Andrew was the willing go between, introducing first his own brother, then a boy with a lunch basket, and a Gentile group to Jesus.
Remember, Jesus said he had come only for Israel, and he had told his disciples to go nowhere among the Gentiles. It must have taken some nerve for Andrew to bring these Greeks to Jesus.
Where the other disciples were willing to just go along to get along, Andrew stuck his neck out and took chances because he knew the power of bringing people to Jesus.
What do we know of Andrew outside the bible? Well, it’s pretty fanciful, but interesting.
Tradition has it that Andrew made his way to what are now known as Romania, Ukraine and Russia and preached the Gospel there. He was crucified in Patras, a city in Northern Greece. The legend has it that he deemed himself unworthy to die on a Roman cross as did Jesus, and requested that he be executed on and “X” shaped cross, now known as a Saint Andrew’s cross.
Some of Andrew’s remains, or relics, were taken to Scotland where Andrew became known as the patron Saint. The flag of Scotland bears an “X” shaped cross in his honor.
And here’s where the Disciples of Christ come in. Two of our church’s founders, Thomas Campbell and his son Alexander Campbell, were natives of Scotland who came to America by way of Ireland.
The Saint Andrew’s cross was chosen for the Disciples symbol because of those ties to Scotland, but also for our historic emphasis on evangelism.
And there lies the rub.
Our emphasis on evangelism is primarily historic and not contemporary--in other words, we used to introduce people to Jesus, but not so much, anymore.
And this is tragic--not only for the diminishing number of us, but for the whole church.
Who knows if the family member you could invite to First Christian might be the next Peter--the rock of the church?
Or what about your neighbor who doesn’t have a church home? Who knows what example of sharing she might set for us?
And what about the stranger you meet in the store, or the person who cuts your hair, or mows your lawn, or the guy on the next treadmill at the “Y?” Who knows what might come out of a simple invitation and an opportunity to meet Jesus?
Some in our church want to emphasize the Scottish connection to our church when they see the “X” shaped cross, but I hope that it takes us back to Andrew--the original evangelist.
Evangelism means Good News, but it can’t be Good News if it’s not shared.
Sharing Jesus is indeed Good News for us, Good News for Mansfield, and Good News for the world. Amen.


Offering
Invitation
A seed is completely useless unless it is planted. Then it can become the beginning of a great harvest—producing many seeds, which will produce more grain. This is a lot like our money here on earth. One dollar is not a large amount of money, but combined with other dollars it becomes a powerful tool. We must use our resources today to ensure that there is a strong ministry for tomorrow. As we present our offerings, please consider how much more powerful our gifts are when combined.
Prayer
Dear God, help us to be like the wheat seed that has been planted. Help us to use your resources to grow your ministry, so that the money, time, and talent we give today will make a difference for years to come in our church and our community. Amen.

Benediction
Go in peace - love and care for one another in the name of Christ and share his Good News;
And may the blessing of God fall upon you;
may the living presence of Jesus surround you;
and may the Spirit guide and support you
both now and evermore. Amen