This was presented at a Berowra Uniting Church family picnic on 19 Sep 2004
| Reader | Luke 5:1-11 (from The Message?) |
| [Jesus, Peter and narrator arrive in a rowing boat during the reading] | |
| [Narrator comes ashore] | |
| Narrator | In this Bible story we see Jesus teaching a crowd from a boat on the shore of Lake Galilee. The account by Luke says nothing about what Jesus taught and moves quickly on to the sign of a great catch of fish. But that makes me wonder what Jesus spoke about first. Was it something like this … |
| Jesus | [Standing in the boat] You’re all hypocrites and sinners going to hell. |
| Narrator | No – he reserved that message for the religious leaders. |
| What about this … | |
| Jesus | If you just follow your moral conscience and the universal spirit then everything will work out OK. |
| Narrator | No – he had a much more detailed view of right and wrong, and a much more personal view of God than that. |
| Jesus | Avoid the absolute idealism of truth because there is no privileged viewpoint. No-one can see past their own bias and it is incongruous to impose what one person believes onto anyone else. |
| Narrator | I don’t think so! That’s far too intellectual – what we know of Jesus’ teaching is much more earthy. Jesus presented a very definite view of truth. He believed that he did indeed see things from the privileged position of God, whom he consistently called his Father. |
| I think he probably said something about what he saw around him; something relevant to the people in the crowd on the beach. | |
| Jesus | Have you gathered here because you’ve heard that I was a good teacher? Well, what does it mean to be good? |
| Look around you and you can see goodness – the goodness of our Father displayed in the common things – the glory of a sunrise, the new life of spring, the quiet lapping of water against wood, the joy of a child playing in the sand. These all speak about our Father’s nature more eloquently than any person could put into words. | |
| Narrator | That’s more like it. |
| Or perhaps he made some comments on the life of a fisherman, or told a parable about how fishing epitomises the kingdom of God. | |
| Or maybe he spoke about how God provides generously for his people. That would certainly link nicely to his instructions to Peter to cast the net out once more. | |
| Jesus | Go on Ben, try it. |
| [Ben/Peter throws the net over the side of the boat] | |
| Narrator | Why did Jesus give those instructions? |
| | o To emphasise the point in his message? |
| | o To amaze the people as a sort of first century publicity stunt? |
| | o To show his authority? |
| [Interrupted by the surprise of Peter, who has just actually caught a fish – bought the day before and secreted in the net. He brings it on board and holds it up, amazed, for all to see. Jesus brings the fish ashore and takes it to a fire, out of site, to cook.] | |
| Narrator | Perhaps one of the reasons why Jesus did this trick with the fish was for Peter’s sake rather than for the listening crowd. It was certainly tested Peter’s level of trust. Would we have followed Jesus instructions in the circumstances? |
| If Peter had not had sufficient faith, or at least curiosity, and had not done what Jesus suggested, there would have been no caught fish and perhaps Peter would not have become a disciple. One of the results of this episode, if not Jesus’ main intention, was that Peter became convinced that Jesus’ word was trustworthy, and convinced to become a full-time follower. | |
| And so it was that Peter changed from being a fisherman to a fisher of men. | |
| This isn’t the only time that fish feature in the Gospels. Can you think of other places where fish are mentioned? | |
| [Gather responses and make some brief comments on them. These are likely to include: | |
| • The feeding of 4,000 and 5,000 with a few loaves and fish (Matt 14:17, 15:34, Mk 6:38, 8:7, Lk 9:13, Jn 6:8). Those miracles tell us a lot about the generosity of God, and challenges us as God’s people to share our resources with one another. | |
| • Jesus’ instruction to catch a fish and use the coin in its mouth to pay the temple tax (Mt 17:27) | |
| • The Kingdom of God compared to separating good and bad fish (Mt 13:47) | |
| • Jesus eating a fish after his resurrection (Lk 24:42) | |
| • Jesus instructing Peter to cast his net after the resurrection (Jn 21:1-13)] | |
| Reader | Jn 21:1-8 |
| Narrator | Here we have an account of one of the resurrection appearances of Jesus. It seems to me that Jesus used the instructions to let down the net as a reminder to Peter of his first call, and as another call to him to continue to trust and to follow. |
| [Peter gets out of the boat.] | |
| Let’s follow Peter as he follows Jesus’ call. | |
| [Peter walks through the crowd and goes to the fire, where Jesus is squatting over a frying fish. Every follows.] | |
| Reader | Jn 21:9-13 |
| Narrator | This episode, one of the last recorded in the Gospel of John, has a lovely warmth about it. We see Jesus, almost nonchalantly, shocking Peter out of his boots. It’s wonderfully earthy, emphasising the basics of life – food and vocation – and yet powerfully spiritual in the way that Jesus calls Peter into the resurrection life. |
| I don’t think it’s surprising that the fish became an early symbol of Christianity. | |
| Let’s prayer: Father, we thank you for the power of the Gospel to turn the everyday into the sacred, the mundane into the profound. Help us to see your glory in the things around us, and to continue to trust and to follow your call, just as Peter did. | |
| Narrator | We’re going to spend some time individually listening to God. There will be plenty of time after morning tea for more active games and adventure, but for while I would like everyone to find a spot in which they can stop and meditate on the marvels around us and the marvel of the Gospel. You could wander if you like, or find a place to sit quietly by yourself. Or you may go in pairs and quietly commune with God together. Parents will probably have to take a child with them, but let’s see if the children can also take some time to prayer. |
| In this meditative time, think about what God is saying to you through the beauty around us and the stories of fish we have recalled today. Take time to listen to what God says. How would God have use respond to his voice today? | |
| OK? I’ll blow this whistle in 10 minutes to call you all back here. | |
| [On return, ask people if they would like to share what they heard.] |