I think of the movie "The Goonies" made a few years back. It was the story of four boys who did everything together, and when one of their number got a daring dream to find a pirate treasure ship, they all went along together on the adventure - each one afraid in their own way, but working together, they overcame their fears.

I say this as background to understand what was behind our story today about Andrew. He had a best friend. His name was John, who later wrote a book we call the Gospel of John. In his book, John tells about his adventures with his best friend, Andrew. They were both fishermen, likely both were younger brothers dominated by the oldest boy in the family - for Andrew that was Peter, and for John it was James. All four were in the fishing business together, but sometimes I imagine the two younger ones got tired of taking orders and slipped off by themselves to see the world. Let the bosses fend for themselves, they probably said.

One day startling news came flooding across the Sea of Galilee where they worked catching, cleaning, and selling their fish. Forty miles south of their home a young man had emerged from the wilderness, clothed only in a camel’s hair outfit, and eating whatever the desert provided for food. His message was pure hellfire and damnation. He took no flack from anyone, and did his best to challenge the religious elite to live up to their faith. He demanded everyone, Jew and Greek alike, male and female, repent and as a sign of repentance to humble themselves and be baptized like Greeks seeking to become Jews.

More than that he called himself a "Voice crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way for the Lord.’" Now everyone who had ever attended synagogue knew that that was the title of the Elijah like figure who was coming before the Messiah. He was the marching band and Secret Service all rolled into one preparing the way for the President. And my friends, just as we have people every turn of the New Year, of the New Century and of the New Millennium ask: "Is this the time when Christ shall return and the world come to an end?" So the people of Andrew and John’s day asked: "Is this the year that the Messiah finally comes?"

We don’t know which of the two said to the other first: "why don’t we go see what this John the Baptist fellow is all about? Forget about James and Peter, they’re all caught up in fishing, and besides if they go with us they’ll tell us where to go, when to go and when we have to come home." But whomever it was, John tells us in his gospel they went, the two of them and as they listened to the Baptist preach, their hearts were convicted of sin and they renewed their allegiance to Yahweh God. John simply says that they were "disciples of John the Baptist". We don’t know how long they remained there in the wilderness by the Jordan River listening to him preach and teach. But one day as they were there listening, a young man came whom they probably recognized as a carpenter from Nazareth and to whom the Baptist shouted: "Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world."

I imagine they were as startled at that news as Mary was the day the angel came and told her she was going to bear the Son of God. They watched as John and Jesus spoke to each other, and then were awed as the carpenter humbly walked down into the water and was baptized. They saw the dove come down from heaven and rest upon Jesus’ shoulder, and heard the voice of God cry out: "Behold, this is my Son in whom I am very happy." Then, just as quickly as he came, Jesus disappeared through the crowd and was gone.

What would you have thought? What would you have done? We can only imagine John and Andrew getting as close to the Baptist as they could that night, asking him what it was all about. I believe that the Baptist must have said something to these two about Jesus, and reminded them that he was not worthy to untie the strings of Jesus’ shoes. One day the Baptist would retire and Jesus would take over the ministry of preparation. John’s disciples needed to remember that.

The next morning Jesus came by again. Listen again to what John the Gospel writer records of this experience he and Andrew shared:

As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and then declared, "Look! There is the Lamb of God!" Then John's two disciples turned and followed Jesus. Jesus looked around and saw them following. "What do you want?" he asked them.

They replied, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?"

"Come and see," he said. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon when they went with him to the place, and they stayed there the rest of the day. (John 1:36-39 NLT)

Now I have told you this long story for a reason. For you see Andrew and John had gone to see the Baptist out of curiosity. While they were there investigating, they had had the first stages of a religious experience. A hunger for truth and righteousness began to burn in their hearts. And while they were searching for the truth, Jesus came walking by. And the two were confronted with a choice - would they leave the familiar and follow this new fellow Jesus, or would they stay where it was safe with John.

My friends, that is a question all of us must one day face. Will we remain comfortable in our padded pew existence with what we know and have always done, or will we step out in faith and go and see what Jesus might have to offer us in a new life adventure with him. Just suppose that Andrew and John had decided not to go, think of what they would have missed.

In the mid-1970’s I remember how comfortable I was with my life. I had a seminary degree, four children, a lovely wife and a wonderful church in Grayling, Michigan. We were comfortable. Happy. Able to ski or play golf or canoe and fish the Au Sable River. Once or twice a year I took my well tested Evangelistic Sermons out on the road and pretended to be Billy Graham, with only marginal results. Then one day, someone gave me a little paperback book by a woman author. Her name was Frances Gardner Hunter. What would a woman know, and a woman who was just a layperson at that that I didn’t know? That’s the thought that ran through my mind as I took the book home. Her book was entitled: "Hang Loose with Jesus". Since I was kind of an uptight young man, I suppose the person who gave me the book thought I could use it!

After reading that book, I read another and then another of her stories, each one talking about her faith journey. One day, the Holy Spirit spoke into my heart. "Paul", he said, "invite her to come and speak to the City of Grayling for an evangelistic ministry. She has good name recognition, and it will put the Methodist Church on the Grayling Map." So with the help of a young man who was vice president of a growing grocery store chain, we put together a crusade, and got Mrs. Hunter to agree to come.

Two weeks before she was scheduled to speak, she phoned me. "Pastor," she said, "I’m not sure that you want me to come any more."

"Why?" I asked.

"Just recently my husband and I have been filled with the Holy Spirit and we now speak in tongues."

I felt my throat go dry. Grayling is a small community of 4,000 persons or so when tourists aren’t clogging the place up. It already had a Pentecostal church. "Let me pray about it,"I said, trying to contain my panic, "and I’ll get back to you tomorrow."

What was I going to do? I was serving a nice, middle class Methodist congregation. I doubt that any tongue other than Biblical Greek or Hebrew had ever been spoken in the place, and now I was poised to assault everyone’s religious senses with tongues speaking? But our plans were all made. Hundreds of people outside of our church were planning to come. The advertising was already running. You know the story.

So all I could say to her the next day was: "Okay, Frances, why don’t you and Charles come, but what we’ll do is let you preach on Friday and Saturday nights at the High School as we planned, but on Friday night we’ll let everyone know that following the crusade there will be a special meeting at the Methodist Church for those who would like to hear about your charismatic experience." Thus with one timid toe in the water I took the first step in inviting the Third Person of the Trinity to enter my life, which he did in power the next morning following a men’s breakfast meeting with Charles Hunter. And it happened of all places, outside in the parking lot of a Holiday Inn while I sat alone in my green Ford people mover van.

My friends, the Apostle Andrew is the saint of all of those of us who are never content. Who are always seeking more. Who are willing to take a risk and leave the comfortable path of the past and seek God’s presence in the now and in the future. It is a risk to do so, but I can tell you that no more glorious adventure awaits you than to get out of the place where you are now in your spiritual life and take the next step with Jesus. As you do so, you will join the great band of Saints that walk with the Disciple Andrew.

But Andrew’s story doesn’t just end with his moving from one comfort zone to another. For not only was he one of the first two to follow Jesus, but he was also the very first that we know who didn’t stop there. Let’s hear the next chapter of his story.

Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of these men who had heard what John said and then followed Jesus.

The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother, Simon, and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (which means the Christ). Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. (John 1:41-43 NLT)

Now today you and I make nothing of this little verse. The first thing he did was to go find his brother, Simon, and tell him: "I have found the Messiah." But would you tell your big brother? Just suppose that tonight while you were sleeping, Jesus woke you up and said to you: "I have come to warn you that on November 9th of this year I am coming with Judgment to end the world. All who believe in me will live. Those who don’t will be subject to the Judgment."

What would you do? I believe that most people would clam up. They would not say a thing. They would be more afraid of their family’s ridicule than they would be for their future safety. But Andrew didn’t care about other people’s opinions. All of his life he lived willing to risk his reputation in order to be of help to others and to bring them to Jesus. It was far more important that his brother, Simon Peter, be saved, than that Andrew’s reputation go untouched.

When Jesus was looking for food to feed a crowd of 5,000 it was Andrew who brought a boy with just a few loaves and fishes and said: "It’s not much Lord, but it’s all we have."

And when Philip came bringing non-believers to Jesus, it was to Andrew he turned for help because he knew that this Saint of the curious and risk takers was less afraid of what someone might say about bringing unbelievers to Jesus, than he was in the unbelievers going to hell.

What about you? Does your comfort zone allow you to tell others what you have found in Jesus? When was the last time you said anything to anyone about something good that has happened to you because of Jesus, or the ministry of our church, or anything that deals with religion and faith? Are you more caught up with busy work and safety consciousness, than you are with going forth and making disciples of all the nations?

Do you suppose when Jesus said: "Anyone who would come after me must take up his cross daily and follow me," that he was really challenging us to be like his friend, Andrew? Oh, we all know how difficult in our culture it is to talk about our faith. Some of our friends believe that they have grown beyond the need for God or faith. Others of us know folks who have had disastrous experiences with some church or pastor before. They tell us that they are turned off by church. And that is true. There are many congregations and Christians who are lousy advertisements for Christ. But because you have one bad experience in a restaurant doesn’t stop you from eating out. You search for another restaurant that meets your needs.

Because you have problems with one auto dealer or repair shop that doesn’t stop you from finding another dealer or bump shop. Why? Because we need what they have.

Just so, your friends, your family, your spouse, your children need what the Church and most of all what Jesus has to offer. For he and he alone has the ticket that takes us from this planet to the next life. He alone is the way, the truth and the life! No one comes unto the Father, except through the Son, Jesus Christ, son of God and son of Mary. Period.

Somehow I think that when Jesus said to his disciples at the close of his life: "Go into all the world and make disciples", that he probably turned to Andrew and said: "Show them how its done, my friend. Show them how it’s done."

In the late 1800's and early 1900's, Alexander Whyte pastored a large church in Edinburgh. During that time, a salesman by the name of Rigby would travel to Edinburgh regularly just to hear him preach. He would often invite other businessmen to accompany him to the services. One Sunday morning he asked a fellow traveler to go to church with him. Reluctantly, the man said yes. When he heard Whyte's message, he was so impressed that he returned with Rigby to the evening meeting. As the preacher spoke, the man trusted Christ as his Savior. The next morning, as Rigby walked by the home of Pastor Whyte, he felt impressed to stop and tell him how his message had affected the other man's life. When Whyte learned that his caller's name was Rigby, he exclaimed, "You're the man I've wanted to see for years!" He went to his study and returned with a bundle of letters. Alexander Whyte read Rigby some excerpts -- all telling of changed lives. They were men Rigby had brought to hear the gospel. Like the Samaritans who had been led to Jesus by the woman at the well, these men "believed in Him because of the word" of Rigby. (Found in QuickVerse for Windows Bible Illustrator, entitled: Rigby)

Wouldn’t it be great if when you arrived in Heaven, Andrew met you there and said: "Wow, am glad to meet you. Come and see all the people who are in Heaven today because of you and your witness of word and deed."

My friends, we have a story to tell to the nations of what God has done for us in Christ Jesus. Let us tell that story just as much as the story of the our local sports teams or the royal family escapades.

Rev Paul Frederick
Whitton Methodist Church Home Page