Tuesday 23rd February

Calling – Simon Peter (Luke 5:1-11)

It was always a calling for me,

Not just a business.

I loved the secret knowledge,

Every pattern of the water,

The ripples only we would spot

Signaling a catch,

Meaning celebration with the men,

And relief for the wives.

Then one day,

A futile night behind us

With nothing to show

For all our exhaustion,

A rabbi came.

Well, he could use my boat to teach,

It was no use to me in daytime

When the fish would see

The shadow of the nets.

I carried on my cleaning,

His words drifting over

My distracted thoughts.

You have to respect a rabbi

But asking me

To let down the nets in daytime,

With them just washed at that?

So, smiling inside at his foolishness,

I let them down,

And, defying all I knew,

A shimmering, wonderful catch

For all of us to share.

And for me that day,

A brand-new start,

A glorious adventure

Which I could never

Have imagined.

By Jeannie Kendall