"Andrew, Simon Peter's Brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him "We have found the Messiah" and brought him to Jesus." John 1:40-41.
This past Sunday, Ellie—my daughter—brought her Baby doll in the car as we headed to church. When we arrived, Ellie asked to bring her doll with her. I used my normal threat that if Baby were to come to Sunday School, Ellie would have to be prepared to share her. As an only child (for the time being), this strategy has worked remarkably well in the past. Yet this Sunday Ellie looked at me and said, "But Baby needs to go to church." How could I deny such a request?
It reminded me of one of my favorites stories from the new Testament. When Andrew meets Jesus Christ for the first time, instead of questioning Jesus or passively observing, Andrew immediately seeks out his brother to tell him about this man named Jesus. He desires to share this experience and encounter with his closest friend.
While I do not know what Ellie's motivation for bringing baby to church was, it made me wonder what holds me back from extending an invitation to a friend? Why do we not approach church with a similar sense of its importance? What keeps us from having Andrews passion for sharing the Christian journey of faith with those around us?
Neither Ellie nor Andrew fully understood who Jesus Christ is when they extended the invitation, they just wanted to share this experience with the people around them.
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