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“When Simon Peter saw the catch, he fell at Jesus’ knees”
Wednesday, 23 August 2017
Luke 5:1 One day, as Yeshua was standing on the shore of Lake Kinneret, with the people pressing in around him in order to hear the word of God, 2 he noticed two boats pulled up on the beach, left there by the fishermen, who were cleaning their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Shim‘on, and asked him to put out a little way from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Shim‘on, “Put out into deep water, and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 Shim‘on answered, “We’ve worked hard all night long, Rabbi, and haven’t caught a thing! But if you say so, I’ll let down the nets.” 6 They did this and took in so many fish that their nets began to tear. 7 So they motioned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them; and they came and filled both boats to the point of sinking. 8 When he saw this, Shim‘on Kefa fell at Yeshua’s knees and said, “Get away from me, sir, because I’m a sinner!” 9 For astonishment had seized him and everyone with him at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and likewise both Ya‘akov and Yochanan, Shim‘on’s partners. “Don’t be frightened,” Yeshua said to Shim‘on, “from now on you will be catching men — alive!” 11 And as soon as they had beached their boats, they left everything behind and followed him.
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4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Shim‘on, “Put out into deep water, and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 Shim‘on answered, “We’ve worked hard all night long, Rabbi, and haven’t caught a thing! But if you say so, I’ll let down the nets.” 6 They did this and took in so many fish that their nets began to tear. 7 So they motioned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them; and they came and filled both boats to the point of sinking. 8 When he saw this, Shim‘on Kefa fell at Yeshua’s knees and said, “Get away from me, sir, because I’m a sinner!” 9 For astonishment had seized him and everyone with him at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and likewise both Ya‘akov and Yochanan, Shim‘on’s partners. “Don’t be frightened,” Yeshua said to Shim‘on, “from now on you will be catching men — alive!” 11 And as soon as they had beached their boats, they left everything behind and followed him.
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Luke made it clear that Jesus and Simon knew each other before this story (cf. Luke 4:38-39). Jesus did much of his ministry around the Sea of Galilee’s shoreline, and most of his first followers came from that area. But his vision always reached farther than any one location. He asked the first disciples to "push into the deep water," hinting at the ultimate task he had for them. "Fishing for people" would push them into the deep waters of a whole world filled with suffering and spiritual hunger.
• Jesus was a rabbi, a teacher. Peter and his partners caught fish for a living. Why should “pros” like them listen when Jesus said, “Row out farther, into the deep water, and drop your nets for a catch” (verse 4)? They agreed “because you say so.” Have you ever had a sense that Jesus was calling you to something that was more than “usual” or “logical”? Were you open to saying, “Because you say so, Lord”? Are you open to that today?
Ø “When Simon Peter saw the catch, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Leave me, Lord, for I’m a sinner!” (verse 8) When did you most vividly realize, “God is god—and I’m not”? Did you feel any fear, as Peter seems to have in this passage? Did you take in Jesus’ reassurance: “Don’t be afraid” (verse 10)? How has realizing who God is, who you are, and who God wants to be in your life changed things for you?
Ø “When Simon Peter saw the catch, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Leave me, Lord, for I’m a sinner!” (verse 8) When did you most vividly realize, “God is god—and I’m not”? Did you feel any fear, as Peter seems to have in this passage? Did you take in Jesus’ reassurance: “Don’t be afraid” (verse 10)? How has realizing who God is, who you are, and who God wants to be in your life changed things for you?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, you are my heavenly friend and brother—but you are also Lord of the universe. As I love and trust you, help me to also hold you in awe and respect. Amen.
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Kari Burgess
Kari is a part of Resurrection's ShareChurch team. She is involved with the marketing, guest registration, and volunteer coordination for the conferences we host, and she considers it a joy to serve, using her gifts to help renew God's church. She enjoys running and hiking and loves being a cheerleader for her girls at all of their sporting, music and school events.
My husband, Matt, has enjoyed coaching our daughters’ sports teams over the years. As an assistant basketball coach, helping a coach at soccer practice or becoming the softball head coach, he has always been a part of both girls’ sports teams. But our younger daughter barely dipped her toes into sports, and found her place in dance. And as our high school daughter got older, she chose to focus on her soccer and theater passions and had to drop softball and basketball. Which ended Matt’s coaching “career.”
It was just as well. With all of the girls’ activities and me taking a full-time position at the church, we are B-U-S-Y. Busy. Like so many, our calendar is packed with activities, color coded by person with notes about carpool arrangements. Keeping up with the calendar is itself a full-time job. Sometimes we get overwhelmed, and collapse into bed at night. I knew he missed being a coach, but he wouldn’t have time anyway!
Then, two years ago, our good friend and neighbor David called. His son’s basketball team needed a coach. (Our neighbor travels weekly for work, as do several other parents from their team. Others felt they didn’t have the skills needed to coach the team.) David knew how much Matt loved coaching our girls and asked him to consider being head coach for his son’s team. I literally laughed when he told me (super supportive, huh?). I completely dismissed it--said something like, “Why would they think you would even CONSIDER volunteering to coach a team that isn’t your child’s team?” No way there was time. And why would he want to spend time with a group of crazy 4th grade boys? Matt had other reservations. Did he have the coaching skills needed? And it would take precious time away from being with our daughters.
A few days later, he said he couldn’t shake the feeling he was supposed to coach this team. Was he feeling a nudge from Jesus? He felt like Peter must have felt when Jesus asked him to get in his boat and cast his nets again after a long night of fishing with no catch. "I don’t have time or energy for this. But because you say so…" After all, it meant a lot to him our friend had enough confidence in him to ask for his help. And if he didn’t coach, they simply wouldn’t have a team.
Do you remember the ‘70’s movie The Bad News Bears? The Thunderbirds were like that--not much talent, and little discipline or experience. Matt would come home from practice exhausted, sometimes exasperated. Getting these kids to run even the simplest drills was a big challenge. Trying to teach strategy or a set play? Forget it. That year, the Thunderbirds lost every single game in the lowest division. I went to the last game--and it was hard to watch.
Then I went to the pizza party. One by one, those boys came to our table to thank Coach Matt. Parents were thanking him, telling me how grateful they were for his sacrifice and willingness to help with the team. At home, Matt opened a card from one parent who told him what a difference he had made in their son’s life that season. His confidence had soared and they could see a big difference in his behavior at home and school. The record book didn’t reflect it, but these boys had achieved a lot. They gained much more than basketball skills. They learned about team work, perseverance, goal setting, the value of hard work and gained self-confidence, discipline and respect for others.
Matt coached the Thunderbirds again last year. Guess what? They won all their regular season games! It still wasn’t easy. He would come home from practice with no voice and exhausted, but the pride and joy on those boys' faces after each win made it worth it. At the year-end pizza party, the boys again earnestly thanked Coach Matt, and the parents told me what a great coach my husband is. How much he cares and brings out the best in his players. How he develops their skills, teaches team work and gives them a sense of accomplishment.
This summer we were driving in the neighborhood and one of his players was shooting hoops in his driveway. We stopped the car to say hello and he said, “Can’t wait for basketball season, Coach!” Looks like Matt is in for another year. It is a big consideration. But now, he’s not such a reluctant disciple. What is Jesus nudging you to say “yes” to today?
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Kari BurgessKari is a part of Resurrection's ShareChurch team. She is involved with the marketing, guest registration, and volunteer coordination for the conferences we host, and she considers it a joy to serve, using her gifts to help renew God's church. She enjoys running and hiking and loves being a cheerleader for her girls at all of their sporting, music and school events.
My husband, Matt, has enjoyed coaching our daughters’ sports teams over the years. As an assistant basketball coach, helping a coach at soccer practice or becoming the softball head coach, he has always been a part of both girls’ sports teams. But our younger daughter barely dipped her toes into sports, and found her place in dance. And as our high school daughter got older, she chose to focus on her soccer and theater passions and had to drop softball and basketball. Which ended Matt’s coaching “career.”
It was just as well. With all of the girls’ activities and me taking a full-time position at the church, we are B-U-S-Y. Busy. Like so many, our calendar is packed with activities, color coded by person with notes about carpool arrangements. Keeping up with the calendar is itself a full-time job. Sometimes we get overwhelmed, and collapse into bed at night. I knew he missed being a coach, but he wouldn’t have time anyway!
Then, two years ago, our good friend and neighbor David called. His son’s basketball team needed a coach. (Our neighbor travels weekly for work, as do several other parents from their team. Others felt they didn’t have the skills needed to coach the team.) David knew how much Matt loved coaching our girls and asked him to consider being head coach for his son’s team. I literally laughed when he told me (super supportive, huh?). I completely dismissed it--said something like, “Why would they think you would even CONSIDER volunteering to coach a team that isn’t your child’s team?” No way there was time. And why would he want to spend time with a group of crazy 4th grade boys? Matt had other reservations. Did he have the coaching skills needed? And it would take precious time away from being with our daughters.
A few days later, he said he couldn’t shake the feeling he was supposed to coach this team. Was he feeling a nudge from Jesus? He felt like Peter must have felt when Jesus asked him to get in his boat and cast his nets again after a long night of fishing with no catch. "I don’t have time or energy for this. But because you say so…" After all, it meant a lot to him our friend had enough confidence in him to ask for his help. And if he didn’t coach, they simply wouldn’t have a team.
Do you remember the ‘70’s movie The Bad News Bears? The Thunderbirds were like that--not much talent, and little discipline or experience. Matt would come home from practice exhausted, sometimes exasperated. Getting these kids to run even the simplest drills was a big challenge. Trying to teach strategy or a set play? Forget it. That year, the Thunderbirds lost every single game in the lowest division. I went to the last game--and it was hard to watch.
Then I went to the pizza party. One by one, those boys came to our table to thank Coach Matt. Parents were thanking him, telling me how grateful they were for his sacrifice and willingness to help with the team. At home, Matt opened a card from one parent who told him what a difference he had made in their son’s life that season. His confidence had soared and they could see a big difference in his behavior at home and school. The record book didn’t reflect it, but these boys had achieved a lot. They gained much more than basketball skills. They learned about team work, perseverance, goal setting, the value of hard work and gained self-confidence, discipline and respect for others.
Matt coached the Thunderbirds again last year. Guess what? They won all their regular season games! It still wasn’t easy. He would come home from practice with no voice and exhausted, but the pride and joy on those boys' faces after each win made it worth it. At the year-end pizza party, the boys again earnestly thanked Coach Matt, and the parents told me what a great coach my husband is. How much he cares and brings out the best in his players. How he develops their skills, teaches team work and gives them a sense of accomplishment.
This summer we were driving in the neighborhood and one of his players was shooting hoops in his driveway. We stopped the car to say hello and he said, “Can’t wait for basketball season, Coach!” Looks like Matt is in for another year. It is a big consideration. But now, he’s not such a reluctant disciple. What is Jesus nudging you to say “yes” to today?
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“He appointed twelve and called them apostles”
Thursday, 24 August 2017
Mark 3:13-19
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We learn a lot about Peter from the fact that in Mark’s list of the twelve, and also in the lists in Matthew 10:2, Luke 6:13-16 and Acts 1:13-14, Peter’s name was always first. That no doubt reflected his vivid, outspoken personality, but also (here’s another spoiler alert) the words Jesus spoke to Peter in Matthew 16:15-18. (We’ll look at that passage in greater depth later in this series.) Peter was an important leader and spokesperson during Jesus’ time on earth and after. Ø Scholar William Barclay wrote, “It is significant that Christianity began with a group. The Christian faith is something which from the beginning had to be discovered and lived out in a fellowship. The whole essence of the way of the Pharisees…separated; the very name Pharisee means ‘the separated one;’ the essence of Christianity was that it …presented [people] with the task of living with each other and for each other.” * Why is this reality essential for Christians in an age of division? How, if at all, have you experienced this? • We also see key strength of Peter’s. Strong leader that he was, when God later called Paul to a key responsibility, he recognized and supported Paul’s calling, rather than opposing or minimizing it (cf. Galatians 2:7-10). What enables leaders whose character God has shaped to be confident in their calling while accepting others with important leadership gifts and responsibilities? Have you ever seen a competitive spirit become corrosive to the mission of Jesus' kingdom?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, give me a spirit willing to step up to whatever responsibilities you call me to, while never feeling rivalry with others you call. Make me a humble leader like Peter. Amen.
* William Barclay, Daily Study Bible Series: The Gospel of Mark (Revised Edition). Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1976, pp. 73-74.
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“You are…a people who are God’s own possession”
Friday, 25 August 2017
1 Peter 2:3-9
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Peter saturated his description of what it meant to belong to God’s people, the church, with quotations and allusions to the Hebrew Scriptures. Peter, like Paul, saw the Jesus movement as an extension and fulfilment of the call God first gave to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3. Peter’s reflection on belonging to Christ expressed what scholar N. T. Wright wrote about the story in John 1: “What Andrew and Simon Peter thought they were doing was looking for the Messiah. What they didn’t realize was that the Messiah was looking for them.”
* • Pastor Paul Cedar wrote, “A spiritual temple requires a very specific kind of building material. It is to be built of living stones—the very lives of those who have become spiritually alive through faith in Jesus Christ. And such building must begin with Jesus Christ.” ** How did you come “spiritually alive,” to become a “living stone”? How has that shaped your life? What connects you with other members of this “temple” God is building?
• In what ways do you resonate with the idea that you have been “called out of darkness” into God’s amazing light? What type(s) of darkness has God had to dispel in your life? Have you ever stopped to ponder the idea that, in Christ, you are a member of “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people who are God’s own possession”? How can that reshape your sense of mission and purpose in life?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, you came looking for me, maybe before I even knew I needed you. Thank you! Help me to live a life built on you, not one that stumbles over your call. Amen.
* N. T. Wright, John for Everyone, Part 1: Chapters 1–10. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, p. 14. ** Paul Cedar, The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 34: James / 1 & 2 Peter / Jude. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1984, p. 137.
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-------God trusted Peter (and us) to speak of his wonderful acts
Saturday, 26 August 2017
1 Peter 2:9-10
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Peter carried a profound sense of responsibility. Jesus had called him, not just to relax and bask in God’s love, but to “fish for people.” That was the calling for all the Christian converts to whom he wrote, too. “Peter uses OT words and images to apply Israel’s special identity to his Gentile audience. Israel is God’s chosen race (Isaiah 43:20), royal priesthood (Exodus 19:6), holy nation (Exodus 19:6) and a people who are God’s own possession (Exodus 19:5). The same can now be said of these believers in Jesus.” * Peter knew that God calls all Christ followers, like Israel, to be a blessing to all the people of the world. Ø As one of God’s people (“a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people who are God’s own possession”—wow!), how do you or will you live so that others can know God’s love and mercy? How can the faith community to which you belong show God’s grace and light in ways you can’t do alone? How can a sense that together we are God’s hands in the world help you more clearly and deeply understand the meaning of “church”?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, you changed Peter from an ordinary fisherman to a man from whose life and writings we learn over 2000 years after his death. Empower me to live in ways that will have eternal value as a member of your “royal priesthood” on earth. Amen.
* Jeanine K. Brown, study note on 1 Peter 2:9-10 in The CEB Study Bible. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2013, p. 464-465 NT.
Family Activity: Jesus was an incredible encourager. He saw the best in everyone no matter what they had said or done, as he did in Peter. Read 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17. As a family, think of the people who see the highest potential in each of you. Create a list of those encouraging people in your lives. Talk about who cheers you on, builds you up and offers you hope. What characteristics do they have that identify them as encouragers? Find a way to thank those people this week. You might bake a treat, create a card or simply thank them for who they are in your lives. Ask yourselves how you can be more encouraging to others. How can you lead others by living out this quality of Christ? How can you see the best in people? Pray together, thanking God for seeing the best in you and in everyone. Ask God to help you grow as an encouraging person.
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Prayer Requests – cor.org/prayer Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:
• Ruth Jones and family on the death of her sister Elsie Maxine Majewski, 8/12
• Tiffany Anderson and family on the death of her husband Stanley L. Anderson, 8/11
• Laura Gray and family on the death of her mother Carole Gray, 8/11
• Sheila Gill and family on the death of her father David Cole, 8/11
• Timberly Apple and family on the death of her husband Craig Apple, 8/10
• Tony Collichio and family on the death of his nephew Mike Marino, 8/5
• Katie Howe and family on the death of her father Daniel Rollheiser, 8/4
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You might also like
Jesus: God’s final word
The apostle Paul’s thoughtful quoting of the Bible
Jesus lived the Bible’s eternal principles
“Open my eyes”
What the Bible is meant to do
Or download this week's printable GPS.
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©2017 Church of the Resurrection. All Rights Reserved.
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
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You might also like
Jesus: God’s final word
The apostle Paul’s thoughtful quoting of the Bible
Jesus lived the Bible’s eternal principles
“Open my eyes”
What the Bible is meant to do
Or download this week's printable GPS.
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©2017 Church of the Resurrection. All Rights Reserved.
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
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