Sheringham: St Peter

When I first visited this Church, I was struck by the stained-glass windows depicting the patron saints of the four nations that make up our country. The presence of these windows reminds us of some important themes for today, as both St Andrew’s Day and the First Sunday of Advent. Firstly, they remind us how much of our identities are tied to modern ideas of the nation-state. However, for Christians, even Anglican Christians who have an uneasy relationship with the role of the saints, these four figures represent parts of our sense of identity and faith. Their stories inspire us, and we feel drawn to them as though their presence as the patrons of our homelands gives us a connection both to them and to God.

For St Andrew’s Day in Scotland, you can see this played out quite clearly. Although we live in a time of increasing secularisation and a rejection of Christian faith, the Saints are still intrinsically connected to celebrations of our shared identities and what we believe our countries stand for.

According to legend, Andrew, one of Christ's disciples, ventured forth through modern-day Georgia and Ukraine, preaching the Good News and converting the people to Christianity. In some accounts, it is Andrew who founds the episcopal see of Byzantium, later Constantinople and now Istanbul. Andrew would later be martyred, crucified like Christ, but insisting on an X-shaped cross, as he did not feel worthy to be put to death on a cross the same as his Lord’s. Yet, like many Saints, the story of Andrew doesn’t end with his death. A monk received a vision to take the relics of Andrew to the “ends of the world”; this he did, bringing Saint Andrew’s remains to Scotland, and founding the town of St Andrews.It seems that this connection to the land meant the Saint watched over the Kingdom of the Picts, later known as Scotland. Supposedly, King Oengus II saw in the sky two clouds forming a white X, which duly inspired the Pictish and Scottish army to defeat King Athelstan of the English. Thus, giving rise to Scotland’s national flag, the saltire.

But far more important are the values that Saint Andrew has inspired in Scotland’s culture and its people.

Scotland has a long history of charity and welcome, inspired by St Andrew’s encouragement for sharing what we have with those less fortunate than ourselves. His courage in the face of martyrdom helped to inspire the courage and resilience of Scotland in the face of a long history of oppression. It's exactly these kinds of values that the stories of the saints can inspire in all of us. And this is where we begin to examine the First Sunday of Advent. In our Gospel reading today, Christ reminds us that only God the Father knows when the second coming and the end of all things will be. When the author of Matthew’s Gospel wrote these words, they were likely responding to the increasing doubt people had about the anticipated imminent return of Jesus at the time. Yet, despite our changed contexts, they retain a truth for all of us. We do not know when Christ will return, just as we do not know when our own lives will come to an earthly close. The Gospels remind us that daily life will continue, “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage”, until change comes suddenly upon us. Just as it did with Noah and the great flood, just as it did for Andrew when Christ called him to follow. Andrew was no more than a fisherman working with his family, striving to make ends meet. Again and again, Jesus subverts the expectations that society and religion put upon him and gathers to him those on the margins. The poor, the meek, the dispossessed and the humble.

Our readiness for the coming of Christ should be inspired by the stories of people like Saint Andrew. When Christ called his disciples to him, he didn’t choose the greatest. He didn’t choose the most powerful, the most holy, the experts in their fields, or those who spent the most time focused on religion.Christ chooses those on the margins. Christ chooses the most humble. Christ chooses those with love in their hearts for one another, without restriction or condition.

As we prepare for the coming of Christ, whenever that may be, prepare yourself with humility and love for one another. Those whom Christ chooses will be those who love, who seek to live their lives as he and his disciples and followers lived theirs. Look to the Saints for inspiration, and on this particular day, look to Saint Andrew too.

Beannachd Dia Dhut

Blessings of God be with you.

Amen. The Revd Iain Grant

Sheringham: St Peter

Message from the Minister: the First Sunday of Advent / St Andrew’s Day

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