I took the kids fishing on Memorial Day. We got out to the pond at 5:30 in the morning and had absolutely beautiful weather for fishing. The sun was coming up, the air was still cool, and there wasn’t a drop of wind. We paddled the canoe out onto the pond and then I got out the fishing rods and got them all rigged up for panfish. One by one, I put worms on the hooks and handed them to the kids and they did the rest, with a little help from dad (a little less help every year).
Each of the kids caught several little yellow perch and I had a great time watching and helping them do it. I brought a rod for myself to use because I love to fish too, but didn’t have much opportunity to use it. About the time I got my hook in the water, I needed to take a fish off someone’s hook, grab a piece of worm for someone else, pilot the canoe to another location, or untangle a snarled line. At the end of the morning, they could all say –for the first time! — that they out-fished their daddy. But that’s what I want. I want to see my kids catch fish and have a great time as we all fish together.
It is the same thing for our church to fish for men in this little pond we call Hulett. We should all go out together. We should all learn and become better fishermen (witnesses), event by event and year by year. The pastor should not do the fishing (evangelism) all by himself. He should be along on the journey to encourage, teach, demonstrate, and help bring the catch into the boat we call the church. And don’t worry, the pastor is there to help in those times when we come across a life that is really in a snarl and don’t know what to do.
I want to see our church out fishing for men and I want to have a great time doing together what Jesus called us to do. Is that what you want too? Great, then LET’S GO FISHING!
“Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19
(6/7/2017)