The Festival of St. Andrew, Apostle
Posted on November 30, 2024 by under
Scripture: St. Matthew 25:31-46 (NKJV)
25:31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
44 “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Devotion
Our Lord’s kingdom is expressed in works of love. Again, to be clear, we do not earn our place in God’s kingdom by any work that we do, no matter how loving it may be. Our sinful hearts are unable to love and serve God unless His Holy Ghost makes us able. He alone gets all credit and glory for making us part of His faithful people. But once we are made His faithful people, His kingdom, power, and glory are declared to others through the works of humble service that we do in reverence and godly fear.
St. Andrew and the other Apostles were called and equipped to their special vocation in God’s kingdom. They were to take the message of God’s love and kingdom in Jesus Christ even beyond Israel, and Moses, and the Prophets of the Old Testament. Andrew was among the future Apostles who asked the Lord to show them the signs and times concerning the fulfillment of God’s kingdom (Mark 13:3). These men would later understand more fully that their work was to preach the Gospel of Christ crucified, to baptize and continue the Holy Supper of His Body and Blood, and to teach all nations to observe the commandments that show us how to truly love and serve in His kingdom. It is through the faithful service of St. Andrew, and the other Apostles, that we continue to hear and know these blessings so that we also may watch and wait in true faith.
Collect: O Lord, we humbly implore Thee that as Thine Apostle Saint Andrew didst heed the call of Thy Son Jesus Christ, Thou wouldst grant us Thy grace to serve Thee faithfully in our various vocations; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Collect for the Last Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Absolve, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy people from their offences, that from the bonds of our sins which, by reason of our frailty, we have brought upon us, we may be delivered by Thy bountiful goodness; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
