Sweet fishing stories

22nd October 2022

At a recent church fishing event, I discovered that one of our young men was trying to catch fish with a lolly. He had baited his hook with a sour worm, and with the rationale that fish like sugar. I immediately put his chances at catching a fish below zero – though mathematically I don’t think that is technically possible – and am yet to be convinced that fish have a penchant for candy.

When Jesus said to his fisherman apostle that he soon would be catching people, so it came to pass. The Book of Acts records that the first time Peter cast his gospel net, he pulled in more than 3,000 living souls. And that each time he threw in his line, he pulled out believing men and women. As for bait, both the Book of Acts and his own two letters make it clear that he did not load his hook with saccharine sermons.

“We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” No sour worms on the hook, but the sweet truths of grace. And not bait as such, disguising a sharp hook, but plain truth, surrounding a centre of life-giving grace. And not cast to lure with deceptive technique, but setting forth the truth plainly. And God honoured his fisherman, and saw that he was rarely without a fine catch to take home to his church family.

DM 22^nd October 2022