Epiphany 4 Children's Message

​Bible Passage:  Mark 1:14-20
Theme:  Discipleship
Materials: fishing rod
 
Have you been fishing?  How does it work?  Throw the line in the water.  Wait.  Will I get a fish every time I throw the line into the water?
 
In today’s Bible lesson Jesus said, “I will make you become fishers of men.”  What do you think that means?  Can we really catch people?  I think Jesus was talking about catching people to be a follower of Jesus.  How might we do that?  We could do it by the way we treat other people.  We could be loving and kind.  We can also tell others about Jesus’ love.
 
When you are kind to someone who is mean, will that person change and be kind back to you?  Not always.  Just like fishing, we won’t always succeed in catching a fish.  Sometimes we will be kind and the person will still be mean.  Sometimes we have to wait, just like waiting to catch a fish.  We need to continue to tell others about Jesus’ love by the way we care about them.  We can pray, “Jesus, please be with _____________.”  (ask children to suggest boy and girl names)
 
Prayer:  Dear Jesus, help us to be eager to share your love with others at home, at school, on the playground, and in our neighborhood.  We want to be on your fishing team.  Amen.
 
Author:  Georgia Girvan (presented January 1988)