So what’s your guess as to what the song Holy Holy, Michael Buffer, five expensive words, John the Baptist, the song Hells Bells, and a disciple named Andrew all have in common? Check out the sermon today and find out! And when that mystery is solved you’ll also find out how important you are in building the Kingdom of God. If you’d like to help out our ministry, hit like and subscribe and check out our website at livingfaithlutheran.org. Now, on to the mystery…. In the movie ” Here comes the Boom”. Kevin James plays a not very committed teacher. The school administration is planning on cutting the music program that is led by his nerdy best friend that is played by Henry “the Fonz” Winkler. In elementary school I would have been permanently shunned for using the Fonz and nerd in the same sentence. James’ character decides to make up the money shortage by MMA fighting. He needs his big intro or entrance song to be Here comes the Boom, but his opponent uses it. Winkler says he’ll take care of it and runs off. He starts his walk and the really chill Neil Diamond song Holly Holy starts playing. He and the crowd are sort of stunned and perplexed. Your intro to the crowd and to the competition is a big deal. There are 5 words that are worth 400 million dollars and they belong to Michael Buffer. Let’s get ready to rumble. It’s his famous and trademarked introduction and it riles up the crowd. Ever been to a sporting event and heard the bell toll and eerie heavy guitar music? The song was written about the true story feeling of the impending doom of watching a hurricane roll in toward the writer while on an island. It’s got the ominous title of Hells Bells and playing it intends to convey a sense of doom to the competition. It’s played on third downs in football stadiums everywhere and basketball games and hockey games. The San Diego Padres were honoring Trevor Hoffman for his record setting baseball career as a relief pitcher, that is the one who has to close the deal or bring home the win. He had 601 career saves and the mc said, there is only one way to welcome him today and the bell tolled and the music blared to his entrance with the fans going nuts. They had always introduced him with that song for a psychological edge. The band, AC/DC gets paid every time it’s used. Now there’s some introducers. The thing is, not all fantastic introductions or introducer’s value is or should be measured monetarily. Did you know that John the Baptist also had disciples? I have an impression of John that’s pretty rough around the edges. Camel hair, wilderness and all. I feel like he was loud and didn’t give a thought to social decorum. He upset all the movers and shakers, but there was an incredible genuineness there. All of these people are flocking to him. Can you imagine what an incredible ego boost that had to be. People coming out to the wilderness, listening to what you have to say. Having disciples? Yeah, the authorities were upset with you, but you mattered and they feared you. Today he would have had theme music! John has all of that going for him and people think that he is the chosen one but John the Baptist points away from himself to Jesus. This week we see John talking to one of his disciples, a fisherman named Andrew and someone else. Jesus walks by and I can see John notice him, stop what he is saying and direct Andrew and his other disciple’s attention. “See that guy? No the one behind him. He’s the real deal, he’s God’s Son, the Lamb of God.” To be the noticeable guy that John must have been, this is some really cool humility. He had said that one was coming that he wouldn’t be worthy to untie his sandals, but when Jesus is there we see him direct his disciples to him. I think that’s a cool aspect to this story. The part that sort of got me though was the title, “Lamb of God”. It sets up a struggle. At this point, the cross and paschal lamb theology may have been on Jesus’ radar but it was not yet on the public’s radar. So what’s with the term? I think there are 2 possibilities. John, the writer of the Gospel, wrote this account between 77 and 87 years after Jesus’ death, is by far the most theological and spiritual Gospel. This is the Gospel writer that makes many theological connections for us. Is John interjecting to foreshadow? Or is John the Baptist, not the same John, referencing the psalms and that Jesus is a truly obedient lamb that truly knows God, the shepherd. Foreshadowing has a really strong case here. The people of that time were expecting a different type of Messiah, one that was indeed anointed, but for rebellion and freeing them from Rome but instead receives the Messiah that is the conqueror in the ultimate battle of taking away the sin of the world. How that happens becomes apparent later on as Jesus discloses and fulfills the mission of the cross. So right now, in the story, John the Baptist is simply telling his two disciples to check out this guy as he is the real deal. He’s making an introduction. Unfortunately, what follows is subject to sort of a language barrier for us. Andrew approached Jesus and Jesus asked him a question: “What are you looking for?” We read that a little too simply. The question is more, “Andrew, what are you really looking for in life?” That’s a big difference and we get that meaning from Jesus’ question because of Andrew’s response. This interaction is not as simple as, “Bruh, What’s up?” “Not much,Hey, where ya gonna be later?” There’s an important double meaning to a word here. We need to look at the Greek word which is “menei” for “staying.” According to a Greek scholar the question is more like: “Where are you living, Jesus? What lives inside of you? What is it that gives you such life inside of you?” Jesus’ response also has a tricky word. “Come and see.” doesn’t use the word normally used for physical sight which is the Greek word “blepo” which means come and physically see. But the word used is “orapo” which is not physical sight but spiritual insight. Jesus was saying, “Come and see what you are really looking for.” The scripture indicates that they talked through the night and the first thing in the morning Andrew found his older brother and introduced him to Jesus and they both became disciples of Jesus. That older brother’s name was Simon, who Jesus nicknamed “Rocky” or Peter. One pastor pointed out that, “Andrew did not try to convert his brother. Andrew did not try to change his brother or convince his brother. Andrew knew that if he brought his brother into the presence of Jesus, that his brother could be transformed just the way that he, Andrew, had been transformed by Christ.” As it turns out, Andrew had a pretty cool gift. Maybe he had 5 words. I’d say that ultimately they were worth more than 400 million. They weren’t yelled into a mic in a trademarked style, they were simple and personal. “Could you come meet Jesus?” There were two Greek people traveling along the road. They happened to be listening to Jesus preach. They came up after the sermon and approached Phillip and said, “We would like to meet Jesus.” He took them over to Andrew, and he said, “Would you introduce them to Jesus?” Andrew introduced them to Jesus and they became disciples of Christ.So they say, “ One time is an incident, twice is a coincidence, but three times is a pattern.” Remember the wilderness, over 5000 people and nothing to eat? Pretty hopeless, but Andrew looks in the crowd, finds a kid with 5 loaves and 2 fish, so Andrew makes an introduction. The whole thing hinges on that introduction, not Andrew’s brilliance, strength or courage. Last week we talked about infinite possibility and this week is a continuation of that Gospel story. This week features a reaction to the grace that has opened the door to those possibilities.You know that poster “See something, Say something”? Andrew is living it, seeking to share it like John the Baptist did with him. I saw this in some of my notes, I’m not sure if I came up with it, but it‘s the corny sort of thing I would say. This disciple had experienced something AND DREW others in to share it. You don’t have to have a 400 million dollar catch phrase or a multi platinum album or even a name that fits a pun. As the hymn says, you don’t have to be able to speak like angels, preach like Paul, cross oceans, explore lands or give thousands. The key is pointing beyond ourselves like Andrew and John the Baptist. See God’s grace in your life and say something. As St. Francis of Assisi would say, “and Use words if necessary.” because as Luther would point out, we can point to Christ through the love, grace and mercy we exhibit in our day to day living or vocations. Andrew gets overlooked, but I don’t think he cared. He just introduced people to Jesus and amazing things happened. We used to cook breakfast at Christmas and special occasions on a wood burning cookstove in a cinderblock building behind our house. We would do it when it was cold, but one time, is was about 10 degrees. I went out before five in the morning, gathered some kindling and paper, set my dampers and one small flame. It took a little time, and I was sitting there in pain from the cold, but when it was time to cook, the door was open, a window was open and a fan was on. Super cold outside, but frying bacon, baking biscuits, perking coffee, short sleeves, sweating, rejoicing, celebration and good times and memories in that uninsulated building. There’s a song that says that’s how it is with God’s love. One spark, one introduction, one merciful act at a time and God will take care of the rest. That’s how Andrew rolled, how we can live our faith and how the Spirit can use everyone to build the kingdom of God. Amen