Mended

They left their nets (1:18) 

In the Netherlands, a group of fashion designers offer a “Golden Joinery” workshop. Inspired by the Japanese technique Kintsugi, where broken porcelain is visibly repaired with gold, participants collaborate in mending clothes in ways that highlight the mending work rather than trying to mask it. Those who are invited bring “a dear but broken garment and mend it with gold.” As they remake their clothes, the repair becomes ornamental, a “golden scar.” (Daily Bread 20th October)

Nets are very time consuming. They are forever breaking and must be mended to avoid losing the catch. Much of the fisherman's shore time is spent mending nets. So leaving the nets is a big event. 

I wonder if the skill and care of mending nets gave the fisherman an insight into Jesus' mission that our throw-away society lacks? Certainly the mending of human lives is a painstaking exercise worthy of great honour. It is also a source of great glory as a mended life can be even more beautiful than before it was broken. And such stories make good telling.



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