One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there. (Luke 5:1-3, NLT).
My father had a garage where he spent a lot of time building and tinkering. He was especially good at problem solving nearly anything that required his hands and tools. Over the years he learned how to do electrical, plumbing, carpentry, mechanics, and a whole host of other disciplines with only a grade ten education. O, and this was before the days of YouTube.
Now my father, like most men, tended to do things by himself. He had acquired a ton of know how and skills over the years but didn’t pass it down to my brother and I on a regular bases. He was old school and grew up in an era where you were expected to know how things generally went. They called it “common sense”. Which made sense in his era, a time, for example, when working on vehicles was easier and simpler. I liken it to my era as opposed to my daughter’s (who’s twelve) when thinking about computers, which again were easier and simpler to work on back in my day. Have you tried working on a smartphone? The old Compaq Presario 4700 was much easier.
Passing on practical knowledge to the next generation is helpful when repairs are needed, but it’s also a way of bounding and furthering friendships and faith. Jesus used a preaching occasion at the Sea of Galilee to bound with Simon (later known as Peter) and the boys. How did Jesus do it? By simply inviting Simon to help with a practical problem: the shore was loaded with people and Jesus needed to be heard. What better place then from the water? And remember your Sunday School lessons, Jesus doesn’t need a boat. He can walk on water!
As pastors and leaders in our churches, we are often confident and competent in the day-to-day routine. And usually it’s easier to resolve issues by ourselves. I want to encourage you to be like Jesus. Invite others into the process. It’s a little slower and sometimes a bit more of a headache, but you’ll get a lot further and you’ll be given wonderful opportunities to disciple and pass on the faith through the bounds of friendship. Plus, you might get a boat out of it.
It’s a New Day,
Pastor Aaron
