Hosted by the Faith To Go team in the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, David Tremaine and Charlette Preslar, and joined the each week by a special guest, the Faith To Go Podcast highlights themes from the Sunday Gospel reading for you to take into your faith discussions and reflections throughout the week.
Activity Time: Fishermen Bracelets
Supplies: twine, string or yarn
Fishermen spend a lot of time mending nets. Nets tear and rip all the time. Friendships can be like that too, and we have to put them back together. Work as a family to braid together your yarn so that everyone has a bracelet. For some people this will be easy. For other people, it will be hard. Talk about how when we help each other we can fix most things.
Story Time: Jesus Calls Peter
Watch this video together and then use the discussion questions below to reflect as a family.
Discussion Questions:
1. Do you think that being a fisherman is easy or hard? Why?
2. What do you think Jesus means by being a fisher of men?
3. What does it mean to be a disciple?
4. How do we follow Jesus in our family?
5. How could we be better disciples?
Dinner Time: Best Friends
Below is a prayer with which to start your meal and then discussion questions to explore this week’s topic with your family while you eat.
Prayer -
Dear God, We are always learning more and more about Jesus. Help us to pay attention to all the things the Bible teaches us and to share them with others. Amen.
Questions:
1. What is something we learned about Jesus this week?
2. Do you think Jesus’ disciples were his friends too? Why?
3. Why are friends important?
4. Who are your best friends?
5. Is there a difference in being a friend, good friend, best friend?
Bedtime: Reflections for Children at the End of the Day
During your bedtime routine, invite your children into a time of reflection about their day, maybe by saying, "Did you know that God really wants to know what happened in your day today, and that God is always listening whenever you need to tell God something?" Then continue with these questions:
1) What are some things that happened today that you want to tell God about?
2) What is one happy thing that happened today? What is one sad thing that happened today?
3) Did you see God or feel God with you when those things were happening? Where did you see or feel God when those things happened today?
4) Read to your children this week’s scripture selection, then ask the questions that follows.
Matthew 4:12-23 (God’s Word, My Voice)
Jesus heard that his cousin John had been arrested. He left his hometown Nazareth and moved to Capernaum by the sea, just like the prophet Isaiah said the Messiah would. Jesus used to go around sometimes and say, “You’d better change your ways, because God’s kingdom is closer to you than you know.” He was walking on the seashore one day and he saw two fishermen throwing their nets into the sea. They were brothers, named Peter and Andrew. Jesus said to them, “If you come follow me, I’ll show you how to gather people instead of fish.” And they did! They dropped their fishing nets right then and there and followed Jesus. Then they saw two fishermen who were mending their nets (because they get torn all the time). These brothers were named James and John, and their father was named Zebedee. Jesus issued the same challenge to them, and they dropped their nets, left their father, and followed Jesus, too.
Jesus walked all around Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and telling about God’s goodness and how to live God’s way, and curing people of all kinds of sickness.
Did the story remind you of anything that happened in your day today?
5) What are some things that you want to tell God that you are grateful for today?
Share some of your conversations in the comments below: