Children’s Sermon

Mark 1:14-20

Fulfillment

Have you ever made a promise?

A promise has two parts – doesn’t it? The first part is something you say – but the second part is something you do.

If I were to promise that next week I’m going to bake cookies and that after church I’d give you all one, that would be the talking part – but then you’d expect me to actually do it, right? That’s the important part of a promise – keeping it.

There’s a word for this. When we keep a promise, by actually doing what we’ve said, we say that the promise has been “fulfilled.”

This week’s Gospel lesson is about a promise that has been fulfilled. For hundreds of years – and all throughout their scriptures – the people of Israel have been promised that the kingdom of God is coming. And this week Jesus tells them that the promise has been kept – and that the time they’ve been waiting for has come.

And just like in last week’s reading, Jesus finds new helpers who leave their work to follow him. This time it’s two sets of brothers – Simon and Andrew and James and John. All four were fishermen – and when Jesus comes across them he explains that he has an important new calling for them: he wants them to help him “fish for people” – to help him spread his teachings.

Will you be a “fisher of men” and help fulfill God’s promise this week? Good. Let’s pray.

Dear God,

Thank you for sending your son Jesus to fulfill your promise. Help us to be “fishers of men” during the week ahead.

Amen