LET'S TAKE A WALK TOGETHER. It's early in the morning, and we're heading down a gravel beach on the shore of a great inland lake. The lake is so large it's like a sea in this arid land. Now imagine that along the shore we see two fishermen working on their small boat. We recognize them. They are brothers, known in the community as accomplished fishermen. The catch has been good recently, and their business is thriving.
The day must have started for them like any other day. Up with the sun and down to the sea. Get the gear and tackle ready, check the nets. But this day is going to be different.
A young preacher named Jesus has recently returned to Galilee, and he has been telling the people about something that is full of hope and joy and wonder. From the moment of his birth in Bethlehem, it was as if the very stars themselves had been singing of this same hope and joy and wonder, which were promised in the advent of the Christ child. And now, some who have actually heard the man preach are calling his message "the gospel of the kingdom of God" (Mark 1:14). This preacher now comes down the beach in the opposite direction from where we're standing. We can see everything. The two brothers—Simon and Andrew—have pushed off from shore only moments before and are casting their "net into the sea." The preacher stops just a few yards from their boat.
