When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.” For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him.    Luke 5 : 8 - 10

Readings this week Isaiah 6 : 1 - 8; 1 Corinthians 15 : 1 - 11; Luke 5 : 1 - 11

Thought for this week

We all have our ways of doing things. Maybe ways we’ve learnt work best over time. Maybe just ways we prefer to do things. The fishermen Jesus meets in our Gospel reading had their ways of catching fish. Yet as Jesus meets them they have been fishing all night without success. There is a weariness in them.

Yet Jesus knows these are the people He will call to tell the world about Himself. To proclaim the Good News of salvation and new. But first they need to encounter Jesus’ power and love. They need to be changed by Jesus and themselves made new.

Maybe we have a weariness in our lives. Life can become overwhelming. Or even just plain routine. Maybe even our faith and worship can become weary. Maybe we ourselves need to be made new for the first time. It is encountering Jesus that makes all the difference.

Can we stop, pause, spend time, listen today in the presence of Jesus who reaches out to us, who longs to speak into our lives, to renew us and make us new?

It is about our expectations. Today let’s meet with Jesus anew. The Lord who has come to set us free.

Rev Paul

Prayer for this week

O God, you know us to be set in the midst of so many and great dangers, that by reason of the frailty of our nature we cannot always stand upright: grant to us such strength and protection as may support us in all dangers and carry us through all temptations;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, Amen

Lord of the hosts of heaven, our salvation and our strength, without you we are lost: guard us from all that harms or hurts and raise us when we fall; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

People to pray for

Those who work at night to help and serve us, often without us knowing

Those who provide for us in sometimes dangerous conditions

Those working for peace in the world, that they may persevere