john, anne’s brother

So it’s really odd but I’ve been addressed lately with this line by those in certain circles:

“Oh your John, Anne’s brother.”

By title I’m always seen as the lesser of siblings which has never bothered me as I really respect my older sis’ career, heart for family, and desire to use her gifts to bless the church.

Sort of been thinking about Jn. 1 in somewhat of a parallel way. Andrew is usually referred to as Simon Peter’s brother in the Gospels. You don’t here much from Andrew. He’s not the vocal one. In fact, Andrew’s always behind the scenes. He’s not the disciple that everyone remembers. They of course remember  his brother, Peter–the Rock. Andrew though? Not so much. He’s the lesser of siblings.

Peter is more the face of the Church.
Andrew is the Church.

Yet that’s the inspiring truth: That what makes Peter special is Andrew. He’s that guy that gets stuff done. Delivers messages. Get’s the word out. Gathers people to see Jesus. Mobilizes resources. He’s the person that doesn’t need to be upfront but is a total maniac when it comes to supporting the overall mission of Jesus. His success is Peter’s success in building the Church. Andrew’s joy is Jesus’ fame.

That’s pretty awesome.

I know tons of Andrews. I have them supporting me each week at my church. They coordinate events. They pray for the youth and myself when weeks are hard. They make special cards and announcements when I just can’t get to it. They remind me to call folks. They set up on Sunday morning. They break down the same stuff an hour later. They host dinners. They share the load; give money. Provide rides for those without transportation. They coordinate prayer meetings. They make phone calls…

The church’s success is their own.

We need more Andrews in the kingdom. We need more men and women to stop staring at upfront leaders and start using their passions and gifting. I was recently reminded by a good friend that it’s probably the Andrews that receive the greater reward in the kingdom because the quiet but diligent always serve without any complaint. Like Jesus, they do what the Father says to do.

That is what encountering Jesus will do; it redefines how we see our worth. He takes whatever we are and uses it to accomplish the more we didn’t realize was special. And he values the little person in so many ways. Perhaps even more than the articulate upfront servant who seemingly has it all… I mean even Jesus says to be the greatest in the kingdom we must first become the least of our community.

So as I sit here and type out a quick post on identity, I’m totally reminded of three truths. That we really need to encourage the Andrews to serve and always thank them for their hard work. That we need to embrace Jesus’ fame as our own. And personally, while I might be Anne’s little brother, John… I’m much more:

I’m John, God’s kid.