Pastor Herb VanderBilt 

East Nelson United Methodist Church

9024 18 Mile Rd. , Cedar Springs MI 49319

By Pastor Herb VanderBilt 

“As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and followed him. When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him” (Matthew 4: 18-22).

So, what does golf have to do with fishing? Well nothing, actually, except many of us do not know someone who is a commercial fisherman but most of us know someone who plays golf. One similarity between fishermen and golfers is that it is not typically a solitary activity; in other words, it is something that you do with other people, and in fact is even better when you do it with someone else. In fact, think of what would happen if you went fishing alone and caught a record size fish that got away just as it broke the surface, or what about if you were playing golf by yourself and you shoot a hole-in-one and there is no one to see it.

Being a follower of Jesus Christ is also not a solitary activity; in fact, Jesus gives us the model for that as we see him going from boat to boat calling people to follow him to a life of discipleship. What would happen in the church today if we asked people to join us in worship as easily as we ask people to go fishing or golfing? Good Luck and hit em’ straight.