A call to worship:
Our God is holy; our God is mighty. We gather in his house in awe at his presence. Let us still our hearts and prepare to meet the Lord of heaven and earth
Amen.
A gathering prayer:
Holy God, we gather to worship you in all of your glory. Fill this place with your Holy Spirit and help us to see more of who you really are.
Come, meet us and prepare us to do your will.
Amen.
StF 495 Dear Lord and Father
Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
forgive our foolish ways;
reclothe us in our rightful mind,
in purer lives thy service find,
in deeper reverence, praise.
In simple trust like theirs who heard
beside the Syrian sea
the gracious calling of the Lord,
let us, like them, without a word
rise up and follow thee.
O Sabbath rest by Galilee,
O calm of hills above,
where Jesus knelt to share with thee
the silence of eternity,
interpreted by love!
Drop thy still dews of quietness,
till all our strivings cease;
take from our souls the strain and stress,
and let our ordered lives confess
the beauty of thy peace.
Breathe through the heats of our desire
thy coolness and thy balm;
let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;
speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire,
O still, small voice of calm!
Bible Readings
Psalm 138
Of David.
1 I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
before the ‘gods’ I will sing your praise.
2 I will bow down towards your holy temple
and will praise your name
for your unfailing love and your faithfulness,
for you have so exalted your solemn decree
that it surpasses your fame.
3 When I called, you answered me;
you greatly emboldened me.
4 May all the kings of the earth praise you, Lord,
when they hear what you have decreed.
5 May they sing of the ways of the Lord,
for the glory of the Lord is great.
6 Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly;
though lofty, he sees them from afar.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life.
You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes;
with your right hand you save me.
8 The Lord will vindicate me;
your love, Lord, endures for ever –
do not abandon the works of your hands.
Luke 5:1-11
Jesus calls his first disciples
5 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding round him and listening to the word of God. 2 He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.’
5 Simon answered, ‘Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.’
6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.
8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, ‘Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!’ 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.
Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.’ 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.
Reflection:
This account in Luke’s gospel is an invitation to follow Jesus today. The majority of the first disciples were fishermen, who dedicated themselves to work together as a team, often through difficult conditions.
There are three thoughts for us to ponder today, from Luke’s account of Jesus calling the disciples.
In verses 1 – 3 Jesus is on the shore beside the sea of Galilee and chooses not only a boat but fisherman who catch fish. He changes their world upside down inviting them to follow Jesus and to fish for people on land and offer them the good news of being a disciple of Jesus.
In verses 4 – 8 Jesus stops speaking to the crowds around him and gets Peter to go out in the boat. Peter had been out all night working hard and yet he caught no fish. Jesus chooses Peter to go out from the shoreline and sits in the boat and talks to the crowds in a small inlet. It was like an amphitheatre which would help all those on the seashore listening to his words. When Jesus had finished speaking, he asks Peter to go out further into deeper water where he catches so many fish in the nets, he has to signal to the other fishermen to help land them in two boats.
This reminds me of verses in the Bible that encourage us when we are weary and tired and when we do not see a way forward. In Matthew’s Gospel Jesus says “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
In verses 9 – 11 Everyone who was on the shore listening to Jesus and the fisherman were astonished at what they saw. The boat was so loaded by fish that it nearly capsized. The first fishermen Jesus called, got their boats to shore and left their fishing nets, to follow Jesus. Following the resurrection of Jesus, the fishermen who failed to catch fish earlier on the same lake, were later to change the world.
Just recently in the Northampton Methodist Church we have been looking at a course entitled Holy Habits. In the Disciple making resource booklet, we are encouraged to learn a Bible verse and to close with prayer to conclude the first Holy Habit ‘Making more Disciples.’
I want to end this Worship at Home with a moment to memorise the Bible verse and conclude with a prayer suggested to end this Holy Habit session.
Our final memory verse and prayer below to end this reflection.
Matthew 28 v 19 ‘Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’.
A closing prayer
Thank you, God, that each of us is invited to follow Jesus. Thank you that Jesus came here for us. Thank you that each of us can follow him. Help us to be brave and excited about telling our friends about Jesus. Amen
Finally in the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer who wrote from prison saying ‘When Christ calls a person, he tells them to come and die. I am reminded of the words of Paul in a letter to the Galatians where he says I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. May we be followers of Christ moving from our past failures to being successful.
We will finish this reflection with the invitation and challenge facing us all when Jesus calls, he does demand everything, but only because he has given everything himself, and his plans for us and the world, that we would never have dreamed of.
A prayer of adoration
Blessings abound when you call us, Lord: when we encounter you in expected and unexpected places,
when you speak to our need, are balm to our woes, are a guide in our confusion, an anchor in our uncertainty, a challenge in our complacency and love beyond measure. How can we not live in awe of all you are, have been and will be?
Amen.
A prayer of confession
Our holy God has heard our confession, felt our pain, knows our desires, has forgiven us, renewed us, freed us, refreshed us.
Thanks be to God.
Amen.
Prayer of forgiveness
Holy God, we know that on our own we fail and fall, falter and stumble, but we know that with you we can be better. You call us to be the best we can be, and we know we have failed. We confess those failings and seek your forgiveness (silence).
Amen
A prayer of praise
Praise the Lord’s glorious name. Praise the Lord for glory and power. Praise the Lord for his voice heard above the storms of life. Praise the Lord for strength in our weakness. Praise the Lord who blesses us with peace. Praise the Lord whose Spirit is poured out for us. Praise the Lord whose Spirit is kindled within our hearts. Praise the Lord whose love everlasting is forever our comfort. Praise the Lord whose very being has transformed us. Praise the Lord who walks each step of life with us. Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord!
Amen.
The Lord's Prayer
Please use the version that you prefer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
On earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
As we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
And deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power
and the glory are yours
Now and for ever.
Amen.
StF 287 When I survey the wondrous cross
When I survey the wondrous cross
on which the Prince of Glory died,
my richest gain I count but loss,
and pour contempt on all my pride.
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast
save in the death of Christ, my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them through his blood.
See, from his head, his hands, his feet,
sorrow and love flow mingled down.
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Were the whole realm of nature mine,
that were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
demands my soul, my life, my all.
A sending out prayer:
Almighty God, you have given us a fresh glimpse of your glory and majesty. We are not worthy to walk with you, but you have made us clean. Send us out, in the power of your Holy Spirit, to speak your words and to show your love.
Amen.
