How was it that two seasoned fishermen, brothers Simon and Andrew, responded immediately to the crazy claim of a stranger that he would help them ‘fish for people’? What could that have possibly meant to them? They left their nets, boats, and way of life to follow Jesus immediately. This same response was mirrored by a second set of brothers, James and John, shortly thereafter.

Throughout the Gospels, an encounter with Jesus solicits an invitation to make a radical change in one’s life. While those like the apostles, Zacchaeus and many who were healed accepted Jesus’ call to open their lives to God’s salvation, there were many, like the rich young man, the unrepentant towns and the Jewish leaders who rejected his invitation.

As we begin the season of Advent tomorrow, we are faced with an opportunity to encounter Jesus afresh and say, ‘yes’ to leaving our boats behind and ‘fish for people’. What might this mean for you?

Could it be making a decision to respond to what God might be asking of you as you reflect on the daily Scriptures? Could it be praying for and/or visiting a friend or relative who is lonely, sick or depressed? Could it be making this Christmas a family celebration with a focus on the birth of Christ? Whatever it might be that Christ asks of us, like Simon and Andrew, let us not hesitate, but grasp the moment and follow him.

by Mike Humphrys