Launch out into the deep

Starting point

Luke 5:1-11
Jesus Calls His First Disciples

Mark 6:30-34
1 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. 2 He saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch."

Development of the idea

Thoughts for the first two prayer bases had developed into a theme of Jesus and the disciples in boats, so this passage seemed to fit in.

Linked with this is the passage from John ch 21 when the risen Christ appeared to the disciples and told them to throw the net on the right side of the boat - and, again, there were so many fish that they could hardly haul the nets in.

Maybe it was that echo of the previous huge catch that brought the recognition that it was Jesus standing on the shore.

We might take out of these passages that God is interested in our everyday working lives and that God can use us to bring people to Christ.

And the Luke passage speaks to us of the need to go deeper with God, and not to be content to splash about in the shallows.

Prayer base

Click on the image to enlarge

Main focus was a ‘boat' (one of those boat-shaped shelf units for a bathroom) with pale blue sheeting behind, and some fishing net draped for effect.
Cheap chiffon/gauze in shades of deep blue / sea green were used around the boat.
The ‘floats' were a string of lights with white paper shades borrowed from a friend, but any lights could be used.

Pictures - views of boats / Sea of Galilee / fish in nets from the internet.
[samples in Appendix III ]

Other items

the passage printed on a card
sheets / cards with other Bible verses or verses from appropriate hymns.
[examples in Appendix III - but there are lots of others you might think of]
a Bible
a couple of books of prayers / reflections

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