Sermon – St Andrew’s Day 2025
Sermon Preached by Reverend Tracey Gracey on Sunday, 30 November, 2025
Our patron saint is not remembered for his boldness, for grand speeches or performing miracles. He isn’t remembered for being a dramatic leader of the early church, or for writing letters like Paul or preaching sermons like Peter.
Andrew is remembered for small, simple acts that quietly have an impact.
He brings his brother to Jesus, who becomes the rock upon which the church will be built.
He notices a boy with a few loaves.
He makes room for outsiders who want to see Christ.
He drops his nets the moment he hears, “Follow me.”
Nothing complicated.
Nothing theatrical.
Just small actions of welcome, trust, and faithfulness.
And this morning, through the four gospel readings we have listened to those very moments — the actual places where Andrew speaks, notices, invites and responds. These readings give us a window into the quiet, steady discipleship of Andrew and how his life and actions are the foundation upon which our church community has been built over generations.
In the opening chapter of John, after his first encounter, Andrew doesn’t keep Jesus to himself.
He goes straight to his brother and says,
“We have found the Messiah,”
and he brings Peter to Jesus.
This is one of Andrew’s particular gifts, for he is:
The inviter.
The connector.
The one who brings others to Jesus.
He doesn’t try to explain everything;
he simply brings someone he loves into Christ’s presence.
And that same spirit has shaped St. Andrew’s for generations.
Faith has been passed on here not through big events,
but through relationships and gentle invitations:
“Come to church with me.”
“Join us for a cuppa.”
“We are here for you in this time of grief.”
“We welcome your family for baptism.”
“Come along to youth group.”
“Come to Chatty Café – the food and company is great”
Like Andrew, this parish has grown through personal encounters, being invitational, making connections and quietly sharing our experiences of Jesus.
On the hillside with a crowd of thousands,
most people only see a problem: there is not enough.
But not Andrew. Andrew sees a child.
A boy with five barley loaves and two fish —
a tiny offering — barely worth mentioning.
Yet Andrew notices it, names it, and brings it to Jesus.
That is how a miracle begins.
This is one of Andrew’s other gifts:
he sees small things that matter.
I have seen those same gifts in action here:
- in volunteers who set up and clean up,
- in homemade cakes and slices for morning teas, bake sales and chatty café
- in the care of others and making sure updates are shared so that we can be there for each other,
- in our prayer group that upholds people and families in prayer.
- in those who tend the garden and keep the grounds
- in the generous donations that miraculously appear when asked to support Anglicare and the Hebron Centre.
Small actions that God then multiplies.
Andrew actions.
In John 12, a group of Greeks — outsiders, foreigners, people on the margins — come wanting to see Jesus.
They don’t know how to approach him.
They don’t know the customs.
They don’t quite fit.
They come to Philip,
and Philip comes to Andrew,
because Andrew is the one who knows how to make room.
Together they lead these seekers to Jesus.
Andrew becomes a bridge, a welcome, a doorway.
This year, our parish has opened that doorway again and again:
- through the installation of the Purple Bench a visual sign against domestic violence;
- through Chatty Café, where anyone is welcomed;
- through funerals and memorial services where we come alongside people grieving and offer pastoral care.
- through welcoming baptism families;
- through building relationships with the Walkerville Council
- through Bolton Clarke nursing home visiting and worship services;
- through actively seeking small ways to continue connecting and building relationships with St Andrew’s School.
Like Andrew, this community continues to make room for those who come seeking and wanting community.
Across all these stories
Andrew is never the hero of the scene.
And he doesn’t seem to want to be.
He is steady, faithful, relational.
He stands beside others rather than ahead of them.
His discipleship is often in the background,
But there is a sense of his earnestness and commitment to Jesus.
And I think of the generations who have built this parish in the same way:
- those who gave their time,
- those who raised children in the faith,
- those who kept things going in the tough and challenging times,
- those who maintained buildings, served on parish council, held liturgical roles
- those who prayed for others without being noticed,
- those whose names we see on plaques,
- and those whose names were never written down but whose love quietly shaped this place.
They lived Andrew’s way,
and their faith continues in us.
When we look at Andrew’s story in the Gospels, a simple pattern emerges:
He follows.
He invites.
He notices.
He welcomes.
He serves.
He comes alongside and stands beside others.
And when we look at the life of St Andrew’s today —
and the things that we have implemented and put in place this year, we see the same pattern alive in this community.
The spirit of our patron saint continues here and now.
May we keep living Andrew’s way:
with open hearts, open hands, open eyes, and open doors —
bringing people to Jesus with the same gentle courage and steady faith that Andrew brought to the very first disciples.
Amen.