standrew-jpegMany churches and schools will do something special for St Andrew’s Day in celebrating the patron saint of Scotland. We include here some material used by Glasgow Churches Together at services in the past several years:

A prayer for our country
Some intercessions
And a children’s Cantata

 

A Prayer for St Andrew’s Day

God, our loving Father,
St Andrew introduced Peter, the Greek visitors, & the little boy with loaves & fishes,
to your Son, Jesus Christ
May we be like him in sharing friendship and hospitality,
and in faithfulness to Jesus and his Kingdom of justice love & peace.

May our country be a community in which everyone matters, everyone has an honoured place,
and the dignity of each is assured by our faith in you as Father of us all.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. AMEN

St Andrew Cantata

 standrew-jpeg

 

 

 

 

 

Solo or Choir

 Andrew was a fisherman and he asked so many questions:

life is good but what is it for? He just had to know.

Children

Andrew was a fisherman and he asked so many questions:

life is good but what is it for? He just had to know.

 

Solo or Choir

John the Baptist pointed out: “Jesus is the promised One.

He will lead the people forward, show them that his Father’s Kingdom is among them.

 

Children

Andrew was a fisherman and he asked so many questions:

life is good but what is it for? He just had to know.

 

Soloists or Choir

Andrew told Peter that he’d found the promised Saviour,

brought him to Jesus, spent his life that way.

Others, who realized there’s more to life than meets the eye

joined the two brothers in following the Lord.

 

Children

Andrew was a fisherman and he asked so many questions:

life is good but what is it for? He just had to know.

 

Soloists or Choir

Andrew brought some Greeks along, strangers to Jerusalem.

From the Temple where they prayed they came to meet

the Prophet, Preacher, Wonder-worker!

 

Children

When Jesus fed more than five thousand men and women,

Andrew found the little boy with five loaves and fish.

Andrew was a fisherman and he asked so many questions:

life is good but what is it for? He just had to know.

 

Soloists or Choir

So the Gospels indicate that Andrew was an “introducer”,

he made it easy for people to meet Christ.

That’s why so many countries chose him as their patron saint,

he followed Jesus, showed the way for us.

 

Children

Andrew was a fisherman and he asked so many questions:

life is good but what is it for? He just had to know.

Andrew was a fisherman and he asked so many questions:

life is good but what is it for? He just had to know.

He just had to know.

 

St Andrew’s Day Intercessions

 

Loving God, you called Andrew the fisherman

to be a follower and friend of Jesus.

We honour him and are glad to call him our national patron.

Today, with Andrew, we come before you in prayer.

 

We pray for our Scottish nation today

in its variety of history, culture, creed and race.

May we recognise your image and likeness more fully

in our sisters and brothers,

And rejoice in those things that make each of us ourselves.

 

We pray for all Christians in Scotland today,

And for all men and women of good will.

We are aware of our different traditions

and aware also of all that we have in common.

May we grow in respect and love for one another.

 

We pray for all who work in our country

To make our nation prosper..

May their work and conditions be just,

And may those who need work be able to get it.

 

We pray for our world in this time of crisis.

May we be more attentive to your message of love.

May we learn to reconcile and respect,

to labour for justice and peace,

and to attend to the needs of all of your children.

The Prayer and Intercessions are taken from a St Andrew’s Day Service organised by Glasgow Churches Together. The Cantata is © Gerry Fitzpatrick and is sung here by children of St Rose of Lima Primary School. Keyboard edition available
Graphic © Netta Ewing