Hey kids, can I tell you a story? This is a true story that happened a long, long time ago. One day, there were some fishermen who were out fishing on their boats near the beach. That was their job, to catch fish and bring them to the market to sell so they could support their families. This was a hard job because it is not easy to catch fish. Have any of you ever tried to catch a fish? Did any of you ever catch one? I’ve caught a few, but not every time.

But this day would change them forever. And it changes us forever too. Let’s take a look. 

That day, these men were in two different boats. On the first boat, Simon and his brother Andrew were casting their net into the sea trying to catch some fish when a man walks by and stops. He calls out to them and says, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Now this is the crazy part. They didn’t know the man at all, but yet something inside of them made them like him instantly… and want to follow him. So, do you know what they did? They brought their boat to shore, dropped their nets and followed him.

The three of them then walked a little further down the beach and saw another boat with two brothers, James and John, who were cleaning their fishing nets. They were fishermen too. So, the man also called them to follow him…and you know what? They too felt something inside of themselves and liked him instantly, so they dropped their nets and followed him.

And do you know who the man was who called Simon, Andrew, James, and John? It was Jesus, and he promised them that they would become fishers of men. 

Being a fisher of men means that they were to tell people about Jesus, help people understand what Jesus taught, and by doing that, they would bring people closer to God. Now that is an important job! Just like catching fish, now they would, in a good way, “catch” people and bring them closer to God. And they wouldn’t catch them with nets, they would learn to catch them through their words and stories.

These four fishermen became the apostles we know about in the Bible and through their stories we also learn about Jesus and we too are, in a good way, caught and brought closer to God. So, I normally don’t like to be caught when I am playing a game but being caught and brought closer to God actually sounds pretty good to me! What do you think? That’s why we listen to the stories from the Bible so we can learn about Jesus and get closer to God.

And parents, do we allow ourselves to be caught? Or do we resist, squirm out of the net and swim away? Simon, Andrew, James and John didn’t know that they were in fact being caught the moment they stepped out of the boat. Jesus called them to follow him and they weren’t sure how to even start. What does it mean to follow Jesus and to become a disciple? Well, the important point is they just did it. What started with one step out of the boat changed their lives forever. And we too are called to follow Jesus. He calls us through these same scripture stories, God’s living message to all of us. 

But it takes that first step to get started. Some avoid that first step. Some would rather do something else, really anything else. Some are scared… does this mean I have to change? Well, you know what? It’s not that you have to, but by taking that first step and exploring this relationship with Jesus, your life will be simpler, priorities will be clearer, and you will have much more peace in your life. You are changed by the gifts that Jesus gives us. So, if that’s what he means by changing, sign me up! How about you?