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Luke 5:1-11

Jesus the Gift Giver

February 6, 2022

Fifth Sunday after Epiphany

Lectionary Year C

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ASK (a.k.a The On-Ramp)

Good morning!
I have a question for you: Can you remember any of the gifts you received on Christmas?
Oh, you can? Well, can you remember some gifts you received two Christmases ago?
You can!?!? Well, can you remember any gifts you received THREE Christmases ago!?!
If you can – that’s really impressive!
Now, do you remember ALL the gifts you’ve ever received or just the big ones that you really wanted and like?
Do you still use those big gifts from a few years back?
Do you think you still remember those gifts because you still use them?

TELL (a.k.a. The Freeway)

It is those memorable gifts, the gifts that you really remember, that I want you to keep in mind as we talk about today's scripture story.
Because, in today's story, we hear that Peter, James, and John receive three really big and memorable gifts.
And, each time they received a memorable gift, it was even better than the gift they had just received.
The first memorable gift Peter, James, and John received in today’s story was the honor of Jesus sitting in their boat while he taught the crowd.
Rabbis – teachers in Jesus’ time – were very important people and to help out a rabbi would’ve been a big deal for Peter, James, and John.
The second, even bigger and more memorable gift Peter, James, and John received was the large amount of fish that Jesus helped them catch.
That amount of fish would’ve sold for a lot of money.
This gift was so big that Peter bowed down to Jesus after receiving it.
But Jesus wasn’t done yet – there was still one more gift that Jesus had to give.
That third gift, the biggest and most memorable gift that Jesus gave in today's story, was when Jesus invited Peter, James, and John to be his disciples and follow him.

SHARE the Good News (a.k.a. The Destination)

Jesus' gift of inviting Peter, James, and John to be his disciples was the biggest, best, and most memorable gift because that’s Jesus’ way of saying, “I can show you how to do what I do.”
This third gift would not have been very memorable if Peter, James, and John had said, “No thank you.”
But that’s NOT what they said. Instead they said, “Yes!” And followed Jesus immediately.
And, what's exciting about this biggest and most memorable gift from Jesus is that we can receive that gift, too.
Just like Jesus invited Peter, James, and John to follow him and learn how to do what he did, so too are we invited to follow Jesus and learn how to be like him.
The very best thing about this gift is that the more we learn from Jesus how to receive God’s love, healing, and forgiveness – the more love, healing, and forgiveness we have to share with others.
Which makes Jesus’ best gift from today’s story even better and more memorable: Because when it is fully received, Jesus’ invitation really is a gift that keeps on giving – even two thousand years later!

And that’s the Good News for today. Let’s pray.

CLOSING Prayer

This is a repeat-after-me prayer.

Dear God,
Dear God,

Thank you for Jesus…

…who shows us how to receive…

…your gift of love, healing, and forgiveness…

…so that we can then share with others…

…your gift of love, healing, and forgiveness…

Thank you and amen

Originally posted January 19, 2019

Updated on January 10, 2022

Written and edited by Nathanael Vissia

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Related message(s): Matthew 4:12-23