534. St. Andrew Hymn

The feast of St. Andrew the apostle is Nov. 30. Why write a hymn about it now? Well, it's a "backfill" for my cycle of Heroes of the Faith hymns for future book Profitable Hymns – actually the first (in church year order) of the saints' days that I plan to cover. The readings Lutheran Service Book appoints for it are Ezekiel 3:16-21, Romans 10:8-18 and John 1:35-42. It's often mentioned, if "often" is the word for whenever Andrew's feast is observed, that it's significant that he's the first apostle feted in the church year – in fact, the start of Advent is pegged to his feast – since he was the first apostle and missionary of Christ, the one who went to his brother, Simon Peter, to say, "We have found the Messiah," and brought him to Jesus. Eastern Orthodoxy calls him Prōtoklētos, First-Called.

There's a tradition that I like, hinting that the other disciple of John the Baptist, who joined Andrew in turning aside to follow Jesus, was John (the apostle and evangelist), since it would be just like him to omit his own name from the story. And so I like to imagine that a similar scene played out between John and his brother James; and with Philip and Nathanael joining the party later in John 1, by the time Jesus performs his water-into-wine miracle in John 2, the number of disciples who were traveling with him might have been at least six.

Andrew isn't one of the inner trio of disciples with Peter, James and John. However, he joins them as the fourth disciple in a couple stories, such as the calling of four fishermen at to follow Jesus (Matthew 4, Mark 1), the healing of Simon's mother-in-law (also in Mark 1) and their questions about the signs of the end (Mark 13). He has a line in the John 6 account of the feeding of the 5,000. In John 12, Philip (who, like Andrew, is from Bethsaida) involves him in a request from some Greeks who want to see Jesus. Other than that, Andrew's name only comes up in lists of the apostles. So we have to look outside of Scripture for any significant data about him. Tradition holds that he was crucified on an X-shaped cross, preaching the gospel throughout the two agonizing days he took to die. And there are some other medievally weird superstitions about him that I won't go into here. So, on to the hymn!

O Lord, how lovely are the feet
That run to bring us tidings sweet,
The feet of those who publish peace
And preach the captive's glad release!
Yea, when the Spirit's bowstring bends,
Their fletch'd words fly to all earth's ends.

Behold the Lamb, the baptist said
When he had bathed Messiah's head.
Then Andrew, on that saying's power,
To follow Jesus turned that hour:
First called to learn the gospel's sound,
First witness that the Christ was found.

Today, dear Lord, the faithful wish
For Andrews, who for souls will fish.
Such witnesses, such preachers send,
Who strangers seeking You befriend,
Who bring to You in prayer their need
And all Your hungry children feed.

For Andrew, since the first be last,
His wages were both sharp and vast—
To summon Simon to the Lord;
To die proclaiming Jesus' word.
With him we would the Savior see;
Come, Lamb of God, so let it be!