Hooked: Fish Stories from the Bible
One early fall morning, Gerald and Henry met on out on the dock of Lake Sundown for a pre-dawn fishing excursion. The two friends loaded all their fishing gear into Henry’s boat and set off across the lake to their secret spot—the cove where they were sure all the fish slept for the night and woke up hungry. They baited their hooks, cast their lines over the edge of the boat, and then waited…
And waited…
And waited…
Breaking the silence, Henry asked, “What’s your wildest catch, Gerald.” Grateful for the opportunity to tell the story, Gerald started in with excitement: “One time I was out here on this lake and I saw a monster of a fish make a splash a ways out. I spun my boat around, dropped my line in the water, and after an hour and a half of fighting, I pulled in a 16-foot swordfish!
“Wow,” said Henry. “A swordfish on a lake?! That’s a pretty incredible story! But something even crazier happened to me last year. I was out here in my boat fishing before the sun came up and a dense fog blanketed the whole lake. I could barely see my hand in front of my face. I blindly cast my line into the water and waited patiently. After a few minutes, I felt a tug on the line, so I yanked my pole to set the hook and reeled in my line as quickly as I could. I reeled and reeled and reeled until out of the water emerged a beautiful antique lantern… must’ve been 100 years old. AND IT WAS STILL LIT!”
Laughing at the unbelievability of it all, Gerald said, “I’ll tell you what, Henry. I’ll knock a couple feet off my swordfish if you blow out your lantern.
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We’ve all heard fish stories before – stories so strange or so surprising that it seems they’re unlikely to be true. Fish stories are widely understood to be tall tales characterized by exaggeration. They leave listeners or readers wondering, “What’s the catch?”
This Fall we’re diving into a new worship series called “Hooked: Fish Stories from the Bible,” and while these stories are certainly surprising—miraculous even—they are TRUE tall tales! Join us each week to encounter how Christ teaches, provides, and grows his movement through fish!
September 10 Jonah and the Fish
September 17 Breakfast on the Beach
September 24 Fishing for People
October 1 Feeding the 5,000
From the story of Jonah and the fish, we’ll learn about reluctance and the imperative to listen and heed when God asks us to serve. From the story of Jesus serving his disciples breakfast on the beach after his resurrection from the dead, we’ll learn about Christ-like compassion. From the story of Jesus calling his disciples from the shores of the Sea of Galilee, we’ll learn about our role as fishers for people to tell others about Jesus. And from the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000, we’ll learn about God’s provision and reflect on the meaning of “enough.”
Join us the month of September Sunday mornings at 10:00am for this engaging worship series on fish stories from the bible!
