By james art 
Last Sunday, we gathered our four worship centers in connection to celebrate God alive among us.
We were much less than the totality of our four usual services on Sunday, but we had a huge buzz, as 230 people dumped God’s praise, squeezed by prayer, responding positively to the messages, and 160 were served soup, bread/tea and baking in the cafeteria And the Fullarton hall afterwards.
Such more random random gatherings are intended to encourage us to see that we are part of something much more, united church in Irvane, which is also much more in other church communities that gather to worship and become witnesses in the area.
We joined two biblical passages:
1. Isaiah 54: 1-8 addresses a dressed and belittled group of Israelites, imprisoned in a foreign land, a judgment of their complacency, corruption and contempt for God’s will and ways. Complaining, grief and painful tears are their food and drink, leading to repentance and re -adjustment in what God has to say. The redemption is coming, the hope is to give away, the childlessness will be replaced by countless children.
“Sing, a barren woman who never had a baby. Fill the air with a song, you who have never experienced birth! You end with many more children than all those children who enjoy. “God says so!” Clear plenty of space for your tents! Make your tents big. Spread! Think big! Use a lot of rope, drive the tent tent deep.
“You will need a lot of elbow for your growing family …” (Isaiah 54: 1-3 / msg)
My faith and hope that it is the Word of God for the people of God today, since we recognize the aging demographic in most of our churches today. Where are all children and younger people?
2. The passage on Luke 5: 1-11 describes an incredible catch of fish that Jesus leads Peter, Jacob and John, and their subsequent call to follow Jesus in the fishing of human beings through God’s love and irresistible grace.
The exhausted fishermen have completed the night shift without catching even Minnik! Dry Jesus, Joseph’s son, tells them to throw their nets in a particular area.
Peter’s answer is significant and one we do well to imitate, “Well, because you say so, I’ll miss the nets.”
Where should we invest our resources, time, energy and skills in sharing God’s love and good news? Surely where we live, work and play, once ready for God’s generosity to pass through us, intriguing and interesting people, to find out more about “who” makes us cancel. But what can prevent us from throwing nets and loosening our man’s ropes and heart strings to embrace and include others in our circle of care and prayer?
Deafness, lethargy, fear, distraction, narrow consciousness, short maturity, pride, distrust, distrust, dislike of the sea, lake, fish, people, etc.?
Jesus tells Simon Peter: “There is nothing to fear. From now on you will fish for men and women. ”
They pulled their boats on the beach, left them, nets and everything else, and followed it.
If we can hear and comply with the instructions of Jesus, I think we will need more tents to accommodate the many ripe and ready to be caught by the love and life of Jesus.