St. Andrew the Apostle: Being Open to Living Openly as LGBT Christians

Today's Scripture Readings

The Gospel for the Eucharistic Liturgy

Matthew 4:18-22 (NRSV)

As Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea-- for they were fishermen. And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fish for people." Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.

The Gospel for the Daily Office

John 1:35-42 (NRSV)

The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, 'Look, here is the Lamb of God!' The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, 'What are you looking for?' They said to him, 'Rabbi' (which translated means Teacher), 'where are you staying?' He said to them, 'Come and see.' They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, 'We have found the Messiah' (which is translated Anointed ). He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, 'You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas' (which is translated Peter ).

Blog Reflection

Forward Day by Day has a great meditation on St. Andrew.

Matthew and Mark seem to say that when Jesus saw Andrew and his brother Peter fishing and called them to follow him, they instantly dropped everything and did so, no questions asked. John’s Gospel (1:35-42) suggests there was more to the story than that. It appears that Andrew was first a follower of John the Baptist who heard John say of Jesus, “Behold! The Lamb of God!” Andrew didn’t follow Jesus just then, but asked if he might visit with Jesus and get to know him. Jesus agreed, and only after that did Andrew go to his brother Peter and say, “We have found the Messiah.” Peter then joined Andrew and the two became disciples of Jesus.

That Andrew was with John the Baptist suggests he had already been searching for something. People don’t usually listen to evangelists unless something is missing in their lives. That’s one of the first steps toward discipleship­—acknowledging an empty place, perhaps a painfully empty place, in your soul and being willing to take some risks to fill it. Andrew also shows an openness of mind, for though already familiar with John the Baptist and drawn to him, he was willing to leave John for something and someone new and unknown.

 As I think about St. Andrew dropping his nets and following Jesus from Matthew's Gospel, I also think about what it is like for a questioning young woman or man to leave all they have been taught about what it means to be lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender to discover the truth about themselves.   Even if the person coming to a realization about her or his sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression is not a teenager can feel like they are revisiting their puberty years.  Accepting yourself after years and days of resisting and rejecting who you really are, can feel like you have left your old life and embraced something new.

Whether we take our Gospel reading for the Feast of St. Andrew from Matthew or John, it is very apparent that after Andrew heard Jesus or was pointed out to Jesus by John the Baptist, that Andrew knew that there was something very new and wonderful before his eyes.  Andrew was in deed searching for something new. 

LGBTQ people stuck in closets of self rejection and suffocation are often longing to be open to God and those they love about who they really are.  Many who attend Christian churches with their families have heard that God loves all people and wants them to know the forgiveness of their sins and the conversion of their life.  But, no matter how much they pray and try, that feeling of being sexually attracted to someone of the same sex just does not go away.   They may hear the Scriptures interpreted as condemning homosexuality.  But their own human experience which for Episcopalians and Anglicans includes that great gift of Reason, tells them that there is something very natural about their sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression.

Maybe St. Andrew did give up his work as a fisherman and follow Jesus.   And it is clear that Andrew also found others to welcome into the company of the disciples who chose to follow Jesus.  But he still had his abilities as a fisherman that helped him know how to serve God and others in a way that only Andrew the fisherman could do.  

An LGBTQ person can only love and serve God and others as the women and men that we are.  We cannot serve God as straight people.  We have not been created that way.  

For the LGBTQ person the greatest moment of radical conversion comes when they stop thinking that God hates us for our sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression and decide to drop all the anti-LGBT rhetoric and just follow Jesus Christ as the women and men that we are.  We "leave the nets" of self destructive behavior and start living our lives openly with our friends, families, church communities and so forth and experience the Holy Spirit guiding us in the way of truth about who we are, who and how we love other people.

Being a disciple, an Apostle of Jesus Christ means being open to being shown new things by God the Holy Spirit.  It means accepting where we are at and giving our all to the service of God and all humankind for the glory of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  LGBTQ people can and do the work of evangelization and mission by simply surrendering ourselves to the Holy Spirit instead of stifling her from using us as we are, to influence others for the common good of all people.

A disciple and Apostle of Jesus Christ takes the example of how Jesus lived his life and seeks to do the work of helping to end the suffering of the poor, the sick and the marginalized in society and the Church.  Just as Jesus healed the paralysis of the physically challenged man (see Mark 2: 1-12) and fed the four and five thousand, Jesus called Andrew then and us today to be part of building a Church and a society of radical hospitality and reconciliation.  A welcome and healing that goes beyond our gender, age, ethnic background, race, language, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, employment status, wealth status, immigration status and sees Jesus Christ present in all people, asking us to serve Jesus as he comes to us.

How are we helping others find their way to Jesus?   How are we allowing God to change our lives as we are?   How are we allowing the Holy Spirit to challenge us in those places where we still harbor our prejudices and resentments towards others who are different from ourselves?   How can St. Andrew influence us to be better disciples and Apostles for Jesus Christ?

St. Andrew and all Saints, inspire us with your good works.   Amen.

Prayers

Almighty God, who gave such grace to your apostle Andrew that he readily obeyed the call of your Son Jesus Christ, and brought his brother with him: Give us, who are called by your holy Word, grace to follow him without delay, and to bring those near to us into his gracious presence; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for St. Andrew, Book of Common Prayer, page 237).

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.  (First Sunday of Advent, Book of Common Prayer, page 211).

Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, page 101).