“I’m going fishing.”
I absolutely love those words.
I like to fish, and the adventure that ensues when you get on the bank of a creek or pond is nothing short of awesome. You never know what to expect when you go fishing. You might catch that monster bass you been working on for years or you might come home empty handed with a lot of newly washed fishing lures.
Someone else once said, “I am going fishing.”
It was the apostle Peter. This was after the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.
You can read all this in John 21. For Peter, it was a return to his former employment. He was a fisherman by trade.
So, for him it was an attempt to return to some sort of normalcy. Boy, was he mistaken.
Remember how I said that you never know what to expect when you go fishing. Well, for Peter, it was a big surprise.
Little did he know that he would be eating breakfast with Jesus that day, after catching a whole boat load of fish.
But, what he discovered was, there was no going back to what we would call “normal.”
Things had changed, times had changed, and Peter had changed. There was no going back to what was; there was only moving forward to what will be.
That’s kind of where we are today.
We want so bad for things to get back to the way they were. We want to go to our ballgames and outdoor activities. We want so bad to be able to see our friends and enjoy celebrations.
Personally, I would love to invite people to church and not worry about them getting sick or being sick.
I would love to have our youth program up and running, to be doing Vacation Bible School. I had plans to take a bunch of our children fishing at a friend’s pond with a picnic and activities in the evening.
I would love for us to get back to the way it was.
But, we can’t. We can’t go back, nor are we expected to.
We can only move forward. We can remember fondly the things of the past, but now we have to make new memories and new “we used to do it this way.”
The one constant in life is change, and if this COVID and unrest has taught us anything, it is that change is constant.
There is, however, one thing that will never change, and that is God’s love for you and me.
While he will lead us into the new ways, he will not change his love for us. We may be changing, but he is not. We only need to trust him.
If you want to know more, then get to church how ever you can. Whether it is online or at an alternative service time, get there.
Call up your minister and see if there are ways to help transition into the new.
Keep looking forward. We may not be able to go back, but we can go to where God wants us.
Right there with him.
Meanwhile, you can still go fishing.
See you in church.
Rev. Kent Wilfong is the pastor at the United Methodist Church, Doniphan/Neelyville.
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Editor’s Note: This is a regular series featuring area religious leaders writing about faith, family and community. To participate or suggest a church, contact us at news@darnews.com or 573-785-1414.