Voice: Kae Chee
Today is Monday, 1st of December. We welcome you to the new Advent Season which starts the new Church Year. Today, we also celebrate the Feast of St Andrew.
Let us quieten our hearts.
We pray:
Almighty and everlasting Father,
we thank you that you have brought us safely to the beginning of this day and the start of another week.
Keep us from falling into sin or running into danger;
order us in all our doings;
and guide us to do always what is right in your eyes:
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Psalm 47
Clap your hands, all peoples!
Shout to God with loud songs of joy!
2 For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared,
a great king over all the earth.
3 He subdued peoples under us,
and nations under our feet.
4 He chose our heritage for us,
the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah
5 God has gone up with a shout,
the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises!
Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
7 For God is the King of all the earth;
sing praises with a psalm![a]
8 God reigns over the nations;
God sits on his holy throne.
9 The princes of the peoples gather
as the people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth belong to God;
he is highly exalted!
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as It was in the beginning, is
now, and shall be forever. Amen.
John 12:20-26
20 Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks.21 So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
St Andrew’s Cross
Do you want to live your life well? Do you want to be a blessing to others? Do you want to be fruitful for the Gospel, to live meaningfully, and to leave behind a good legacy? Do you long for your life to glorify the Lord?
For most Christians—yourself included—the answer is surely yes.
In today’s Gospel passage, some Greeks were looking for Jesus. But Jesus responded by speaking of His coming death. If they were seeking someone who was esteemed, politically influential, or socially prominent, they had come to the wrong person. This was an opportunity for Jesus to teach a hard but liberating truth: life comes through death; fruitfulness comes through sacrifice.
A seed must die before it can sprout and bear much fruit. If we cling to our lives, we lose them. But if we lay them down in service to others, they become fruitful in ways we cannot begin to imagine.
This reverses natural human wisdom. We are taught to push, fight, and compete to get ahead. But the way of Christ is different:
To gain, we must give.
To win, we must lose.
To live, we must die.
Today, on the Feast of St Andrew, the first-called Apostle, we remember one who embodied this path. St Andrew is significant to our Diocese—our Cathedral and many other institutions bear his name. He is often called “The Bringer”because he brought his brother Peter to Jesus.
Tradition tells us he was martyred at Patras in Greece, crucified on an X-shaped cross now known as St Andrew’s Cross. It is said that he preached Christ from that cross for two days before he died.
Like Jesus—and like many of the Apostles—Andrew sowed his life so that others might live. No calling is more noble, and no life more meaningful, than one given away in love.
As we remember him, may we also examine ourselves:
To our dying breath, will we follow the way of Christ—
the way of the cross that leads to life?
We end with this Collect :
Almighty God,
who gave such grace to your apostle Saint Andrew
that he readily obeyed the call of your Son Jesus Christ and brought his brother with him:
call us by your holy word,
and give us grace to follow you without delay and to tell the good news of your kingdom;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
In closing, be blessed by this song, Teresa’s Song (Dare I Go) by Ethel Yap
How does it feel to be completely alone
How does it feel to have no place to call home
To be a wanderer, forever to roam
Dare I go there with You?
What does it mean to walk in Your steps
What does it mean to give all that I have
Utterly stripped down, laid empty and bare
Dare I go there with You?
Dare I go there with You, Lord?
Dare I go there with You?
What does it look like to have nothing else but You
What does it mean to have all my delight be in You
To let Your joy become my clothes and my food
Fill my cup, Lord, to full
Dare I go there with You, Lord?
Dare I go there with You?
To You I plead, that You’ll supply all I need
Dare I go there with You?
Are You calling me to be hungry?
Are You calling me to be poor?
Am I learning each face is just You in disguise
Do I know that when I’m resting in Your love
Your grace is enough
Dare I go there with You, Lord?
Dare I go there with You?
To You I plead, that You’ll supply all I need
Dare I go there with You?
Help me be there with You
Link to today’s Morning Office
About This Daily Devotion
This weekday devotion is drawn from the Morning Office and is part of a project initiated by Revd Canon Terry Wong, with contributions from clergy and members across various parishes. Each entry includes selected readings from the appointed Psalm and another Scripture passage, accompanied by a reflection and prayer. An audio option is also available, often ending with a hymn or song. We encourage you to both read and listen.
Our aim is to help Anglicans engage more deeply with our rich liturgical tradition, while meeting the devotional needs of today’s believers. This project began on Ash Wednesday 2025 and is offered on weekdays only.
For feedback, please write to us at terrywong@anglican.org.sg
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