Sillerud Devotional 1.25 A Fish Story “Come, Follow Me, and I will make you fish for people,” Jesus said. Matthew 4:19 Well, Patty LeClaire didn’t say quite the same thing Jesus said as Caleb, Dog Evan and I walked down to the north shore of Current Lake this morning – but she did say hello. And then she took the time to explain just what, exactly, she and her husband Dave (and their assembled group of wader-wearing family members and friends) were doing. Normally twice a year, the LeClaires of rural Currie net literally thousands of carp and buffalo out of Lakes Sara and Yankton, as well as Current Lake. They might do more. I did not ask. The buffalo will end up in New York The carp could end up in Iowa. Or a field if the market falls flat (which happens quite a bit). Pulling nets along a larger stretch to the west shore, the boats slowly work their way to our beech – where the next are lined up and the fish are funneled into net bags. The game fish – and there were more than a handful of small walleye and crappies that I saw – are released as soon as the guys see them and can get their hands on them. “We know that this helps out the lake,” Patty said. “It keeps them a lot cleaner.” One of the guys later explained that some of the bigger buffalo fish being taken out of the lake are upwards of 12-15 years old. That’s especially cool in a lake known for winter fish kills (two of the past 5 years have seen significant carp losses as the ice melts and the dead rise). “The buffalo and the bullheads are the last to go,” he said. “If you see them, you know it’s a total kill.” The large nets, which each hold between 1,000 and 1,500 fish, are pulled over the Swenson Park landing where they are further sorted and lifted by means of a large scoop net into a fabricated water trough affixed to the bucket of a small tractor. And then dumped into a custom made trailer for delivery to the LeClaire’s holding pond where they will await further shipment East. If there is a God point to be made here, it might be that Jesus has us fishing for a lot of people who really don’t want to be caught. As I watched the fish flop and jump at the constraints of the nets, I could see their desire to not be there. The difference however, is the address on the shipping label. Followers of Christ – those who have been called into His family – are destined for so much more than a place on a fancy dinner plate in Gotham City. We are however, pushed into a relationship in which we die to our selves - and then made new. We are adopted as brothers and sisters – and if the world’s not perfect, it’s better for the work God has us do. So let’s go fishing people. Pastor Daryl Thul
Posted on: Sun, 26 Oct 2014 18:07:49 +0000
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