I Wonder...February 6th

 I Wonder for February 6, 2022

Luke 5:1-11

5 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret,[a] the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. 2 He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

Although there was not exactly a Time with Children this Sunday, the first part of Amy’s sermon could be. She told the story of a sock. It was made to keep the foot warm and comfortable and did a great job of that. But then its partner disappeared. It sat for a long time at the back of the sock drawer feeling lonely. Then one day it was pulled out and found a new purpose. It was filled with pieces from a game and did a great job of keeping all the pieces together for a long time. After a while the game pieces were lost and the game wasn’t used any more. So the sock was then filled with some good smelling things and was returned to the drawer as a sachet to keep the drawer smelling nice.

So the socks' purpose changed throughout its lifetime.

When Jesus called his first disciples their purpose changed. Instead of being fishermen they would work with Jesus to “catch” people and share the news of God’s kingdom with them. 

 It is important for each of us to have a purpose too. And, just like the sock and the disciples, our purpose changes as we grow and change. 

I wonder

• what your purpose is today

• what will your purpose be tomorrow

• how can you find your purpose

• who can you ask to help you find your purpose

• how will your purpose change next year, or in 5 years

• if God’s purpose for you is the same as what you think it is

Prayer

Dear God, thank you for giving each of us special jobs to do. Help us to remember that what you need us to do may be different from day to day. Open our eyes to see your purpose for us each and every day. 

Extensions

• Click on the following link to listen to a song about Jesus calling his first disciples.  Fishers of Men (Matthew 4:18-20)

• Tell this story to someone else.

• Think of some other items that are used in a new way instead of what they were made for originally.

• How can you recycle something for a new purpose?

Thoughts for Tots

video about Jesus calling Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John

Jokes for Joy

What did the hat say to the sock?

I’ll go on ahead, you go on foot.