Many Fish: Luke 5:1-11
We believe that spiritual development happens in the home as well as at church. We hope that these ideas will help you engage as a family. It’s designed to help you connect with your child about the lesson they had this past week. Use all the ideas one night, or spread them out throughout the week. Enjoy!
- ACTIVITY Items Needed: Youtube Video
Together as a family, watch the following video clip called “Luke 5:1-11”, submitted by thegoodnewsvideos.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yt3z90U-x1w
After they caught a boat full of fish, Luke 5:11 tells us that the men left everything and followed Jesus. These men left their jobs, boats, nets, friends, money, food, and homes. Since you became a Christian, what have you “left” to follow Jesus? Some examples may be the following:
- Listening to certain kinds of music
- Watching inappropriate shows and movies
- Bad language
- Certain activities
- Friends
- Gossip
- Behaviors
Is there something that you need to “leave” in order to follow Jesus more closely?
- SNACK items needed: Styrofoam bowls, small paper triangles, short shishkabobs & goldfish crackers
For this fun snack, the Styrofoam bowl will represent the boat that Simon Peter, James and John were fishing in. Create a sail for the boat by poking a short shishkabob stick into a paper triangle, through one end and then back out at the other end. Then, push the sail on the stick into the Styrofoam boat. Let each person tell a little bit of the story from Luke 5:1-11. When Simon Peter miraculously catches a boat full of fish, fill the bowl with goldfish crackers!
- KNOW YOUR BIBLE items needed: Bibles
Read Luke 5:5.
Simon Peter did not feel like obeying Jesus. He was worn out from fishing all night, and frustrated because he hadn’t caught any fish.
Why did Simon Peter let down his net again?
Sometimes we do not feel like obeying Jesus, but we must because “He says so.” Can you think of anything that you must do because Jesus says so?
Read Luke 5:8.
Why do you think Peter said that?
When we witness something great that God is doing, we realize how small we are. Peter was astonished by the miracle and the presence of God. Have you ever been overwhelmed by something that God was doing in your life?
Read Luke 5:10b.
Once we become Christians, we are called to be fishers of men. Is there someone in your life who needs to hear about Jesus? God doesn’t want you to be afraid. Make a plan to tell that person about Jesus.
- CRAFT items needed: gingerbread man cookie cutters, pencils, construction paper—multicolors & light blue, scissors, markers, glue sticks, flyswatter, foam plates
The kids will use a gingerbread man cookie cutter as a pattern to draw around onto construction paper. Each child will make 2, 3, or 4 of these “people.” Cut them out, then use the glue stick to adhere them to a 9” x 12” piece of light blue construction paper. The children will write the name of one person who needs to know about Jesus on each of their gingerbread/people cut-outs. Write across the top of the paper, “Jesus wants us to catch men.”
Slightly water down some tan craft paint and put a thin layer on the Styrofoam plate. The kids will lightly tap the flyswatter in the paint and then dab it across their people cut-outs to make a net. Each time they dip the flyswatter in the paint, they should be able to tap the net pattern three times. It should only take two dips in the paint to put enough netting over the people. You don’t want to completely cover the cut-outs.
- ACTIVITY items needed: dollars, cell phone, action figure, food, sports ball, ipod, video game & potpourri
Gather together these items: a few dollar bills, a cell phone, a family photo, some action figures (representing your friends), a plate of food, sports ball, an iPod, a video game, and a cross. The leader will set all of the supplies on a table, except the cross, and explain what each item is and what it represents. The cross will be kept out of the sight of the children. One child will arrange the items in a straight line in order from the least importance to the greatest importance. The leader will make it very clear to the children that the right side of the table represents the least important things, and that the left side of the table represents the most important things. The leader will call on 3 or 4 more children to arrange the items in the order that they think are the most important. After the children are finished arranging the items, the leader will place the cross (which has been hidden up to this time) on the table with the various items.
If we were to do this activity again, with the cross included, would it make a difference in where you would place things? We know that the cross that represents Jesus should go first, but do we always follow the direction of the cross before we follow the direction of our friends? Do we follow the direction of the cross before we follow the direction of getting more money? Do we follow the direction of the cross before we follow the direction of sports?
In today’s Bible account, the disciples followed the directions of Jesus over the influence of ANYTHING else!
- Scripture Memory
Proverbs 3:5 (NLT)
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.“
- Thought For The Week
WE CAN FOLLOW JESUS AS WE FISH FOR PEOPLE!