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Fishing Boat Returning at Dusk

As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him. When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him. Mark 1:16-20

My devotional book this morning asked me how I would have responded to Jesus when he made his call to Peter and the others. How would I have answered when he said, “Come, follow me.” I’d love to think that, like Peter, I would have dropped everything and heeded the call. The reality is, I like to mull things over. I don’t like making rash decisions on the spur of the moment, certainly not about important issues such as faith.

Maybe, I thought to myself, these fishermen had heard about Jesus and this was the last hurdle – Jesus’ personal call. Whatever the reality, they heard and responded. Their journey wasn’t a smooth downhill coast from there, yet they persevered. Yes, God had prepared them with His Holy Spirit and the truth is, every Christian since has been blessed because of their obedience to Jesus call. The Word has been spread, the church expanded and faith multiplied through their faithfulness.

This leaves me with two thoughts. For me, I am glad that I grew up in a Christian family and this call came quietly and steadily over many years. My faith grew incrementally. There was no command that required my instant obedience. God, in His grace, worked around my cautious character, nurturing me step by step in the midst of my family. My second thought reflects on the blessing that we have received from the obedience of God’s people in the past, whether the disciples, parents and grandparents, or other faithful Christians. Their investment of time, effort and often their lives, has left us with an amazing heritage. Will future generations be blessed through our heeding of God’s call?

So, Jesus says, “Come, follow me.” O.k. you’ve had time to think about it. What is your answer?

The Divine

For the believer, the divine in Christmas is obvious. The magnificent prophecies of the Old Testament from Genesis 3 onward, all find their fulfilment in the crib at Bethlehem. All God’s purposes are discovered and revealed in Jesus.

But just stop and reflect for a moment. Take the place of a shepherd, wise man or inn keeper. What is it that occurs at this point in history? What do you see? What are you part of in these events? This isn’t arid theology, but rather, it is the true creator God revealing Himself in a way that no other (man made) god had ever imagined bringing hope and salvation to humanity. The birth of the Christ in the person of baby Jesus defies our human imagination.

In this act of grace and hope. We see God’s timing. This man/God was born at a pivotal point in history. A point when the word of hope could spread rapidly and effectively along the trade and military routes of the Roman Empire.

A meticulous God planned for this moment so that His creation would be renewed though His son. Nothing was left to chance. The choice of Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, the wise men, even Herod himself was part of his program of hope, salvation and the restoration of the kingdom.

For me, the most amazing truth is that God chose to intervene. The creator of the universe could just as easily have destroyed us all and started afresh. It is not as though we deserved anything. Salvation isn’t due to us. We are not owed grace. Yet He has extended that to us. For me, that is the divine, the inexplicable … the amazing and true!

If the people around the crib exemplify humanity. God’s planned and purposeful intervention of amazing grace, is the divine.

For the first half see Part 1 The Christmas Story seen from Refreshed Eyes