Luke 5:1-11
Background
The word “disciple” means "follower" or "learner," and there's some great wisdom in just that one word! It means we are constantly learning, ever the servant. As followers, we are always a step behind, knowing that Jesus not only goes with us, but ahead of us.
Jesus called the first disciples, but they were certainly not intended to be the last, and thus, these stories become stories about us as well. We are out doing our thing with perhaps only an inkling of some great purpose to life, and then Jesus finds us. There's comfort in that too —that Jesus comes looking for us, and that Jesus promises to "make" us into what we need to be.
This was especially shocking in Jesus' day because religious leaders and teachers were expected to gather "students" around them, not fishermen. He was ridiculed by others for the kind of people he surrounded himself with, and the truth is we fit right in.
Telling the Story
Read the story from a children’s Bible.
A few online options include:
This is the story of the call of the disciples. It is 5:28 minutes long.
A short 1 minute clip of the call of his first disciples.
Craft Time
Miraculous Catch of Fish
Instructions
Print out the disciples in the boat page. (Template
)
Colour the main image.
Colour and cut out the fish templates.
Glue the fish onto the main image. Use as many fish as you like.
Cut a sheet of white, brown or grey construction paper into thin strips. The thickness depends on the age of the children that will be making the craft. Younger kids will need thicker strips and older kids can use really thin ones.
Glue the strips onto the main page, one at a time, in a crisscross pattern to make the net.
Supplies Needed:
Rainbow coloured paper
Googly eye (or make one out of paper)
White or black card stock paper
Scissors/glue
Start by cutting strips of the coloured paper (using the long side). Cut out the shape of a fish with card stock paper and fold it in half. Use a scissors and cut slits close together not going too close to the bottom and mouth.
Weave the coloured pieces of paper through and trim the top and bottom to look like fish fins. Add the extra scraps around the body and add yellow ones on the tail. So cute!
A Game to Play
Fishers of Men Game
This game is like tag. One person will be the fisherman, and everyone else will be the fish. Place a hula hoop in the middle of the play area. Whenever a fish is tagged they must go and stand in the net (hula hoop). The game is over whenever everyone has been caught. Depending on how many kids you have you may want to use more than one hula hoop or even a large blanket.
See also the attached word search for the story.
Snack Time
Dirt Cake with Worms
1 to 1 1/4 lb. pkg. Oreo cookies
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
3 cups milk
1 (12 oz.) tub Cool Whip (can use chocolate)
2 (3 1/2 oz.) pkg. instant vanilla or chocolate pudding
1/2 tsp. vanilla
gummy worms
1. Crush Oreos. Fill the bottom of individual snack cups with 1/3 of the crumbs. Set aside.
2. Mix butter, cream cheese and sugar and vanilla together. Set aside.
Combine milk and pudding mix. Fold Cool Whip into the pudding.
3. Fold together pudding mixture and butter-cream cheese mixture.
4. Layer this mixture (about 1/3 of it) onto the crumbled cookies in the cups. Next, add another layer of the pudding mixture, then another layer of cookie crumbs, continuing until all ingredients are used ending with the crumbs on top.
5. Place gummy worms in the “dirt” as if they are crawling out.
6. Chill in refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours before serving.