Harvest Assembly: Harvest of the Sea

I know it should really be “Collective Worship” as an Assembly is only “a hymn, a prayer and a bollocking” and I want to move us beyond this.

My story will be from John 21

John 21

Jesus and the Miraculous Catch of Fish

¹Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Tiberias. It happened this way: ²Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. ³“I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

⁴Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

⁵He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”
“No,” they answered.

⁶He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

⁷Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. ⁸The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.^{[b 9}When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.

¹⁰Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.”

¹¹Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, but even with so many the net was not torn. ¹²Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.

and then I want to talk about how God doesn’t just give a little, but loads…

A young person will read:

^{A Reading from the letter of Paul to the people in Ephesus}

How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is!

He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him.

Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love.

Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!)

He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son.

A bit on over-fishing and our abuse of the environment, taking for granted God’s marvellous gift to us. Then the sanitised-for-children version of the Visual Intercessions (the original had scary pictures of starving Biafrans, so this now has fish)

https://www.vimeo.com/6672436

Lord’s Prayer (yes, in a non-Church School!) and then the silliest song I know (and it’s on fishing!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-zj5z8IfH8

Oh we go fishing, in the name of the Lord [casting a fishing line and reeling it in

O we go fishing, in the name of the Lord

and we go…

[hands together, and wiggle like a fish

fish, fish,fish, fish,fish, fish,fish, fish,fish, fish,fish, fish,fish, fish,fish, fish,fish, fish,fish, fish, fish, fish,fish, fish, fish, fish,fish, fish, fish, fish,fish, fish, fish, fish,fish, fish, fish, fish,fish, fish,fish, fish, fish, fish, fish, fish,fish, fish,fish, fish,fish, fish, fish, fish,fish, fish,fish, fish,fish, fish,fish, fish

[repeat

Blessing and depart…