Reflection for Sea Sunday

Sea Sunday is a day to remember and be thankful for all those who work and serve in maritime. 

This reflection, led by the MCA's chaplain Rev Tom Ebbens and Rev Canon Richard Bartlett of West Purbeck Benefice in Dorset, is a thought-provoking look at the role of maritime in our every day lives from the coastguards who oversee our safety at the coast and on the sea, to seafarers who bring us so much of our daily lives and those who work in the background to support them.

Choir: Congregation of West Purbeck Benefice
Conductor: Paul Martin
Organist: Dr Richard Hall
Readers: Dawn Petrie & Andrea Smith

Transcript

Richard:         I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;

Tom:    And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying
And the flung spray and the blown spume and the seagulls crying.

Richard    The fascination with the sea reflected in John Masefield’s poem is an age old                   one. It holds a mystery for us, the promise of far-off lands, the memories of                  childhood beach days

Tom  And yet despite its beauty and mystery, it’s a deadly place for the unwary. A                     place where fascination can turn to fear and where we are reminded that a  greater power than ours is at work.

Richard  I’m Rev Canon Richard Bartlett, and I’m the vicar of the West Purbeck                               benefice much of which overlooks the beautiful coastline of Dorset

Tom   And I’m Rev Tom Ebbens, chaplain for Her Majesty’s Coastguard and the                         Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Today, we’re going to be reflecting on Sea  Sunday and giving thanks for all those who live and work and volunteer in the  service of others, working to save lives of strangers. 

Let’s hear some words from the Psalms, Psalm 104

Reading         My whole being, praise the Lord
Lord my God you are very great
You are clothed with glory and majesty
You wear light like a robe
You stretch out the skies like a tent
You build your room above the clouds
You make the clouds your chariot
And you ride on the wings of the wind.
You make the winds your messengers
And flames of fire are your servants

You built the earth on its foundations
So it can never be moved
You covered the earth with oceans
The water was above the mountains
But at your command, the water rushed away
When you thundered your orders, it hurried away
The mountains rose, the valleys sank
The water went to the places you made for it
You set borders for the seas that they cannot cross
So water will never cover the earth again.

Richard          I’m sure we’ve all seen those pictures of the stormy seas, the crashing                            waves, the flooding waters. When you hear the words of that Psalm  it reminds us of just how powerful our God is, he speaks and the winds and  waves obey him.

Tom                And that theme is reflected in our opening hymn: O worship the King 

Hymn              O worship the King     

Tom     Her Majesty’s Coastguard is the frontline emergency service of the Maritime                     and Coastguard Agency. The entire agency works towards safety in maritime   - a recognition of the fact the sea is a merciless place and even the most  beautiful beaches have hidden dangers.       

Richard   Coastguard staff and volunteers, marine surveyors, legal experts all working                   make life safer on the sea and at the coast for people they don’t know and –    in many cases – will never meet.       

Tom    Jesus was once famously asked: “And who is my neighbour?” We’ll now hear the answer to that question in the story of the Good Samaritan.                   

Reading:       The Parable of the Good Samaritan

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus.                                  
“Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all  your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.”

“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will  live.”

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?”

In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and  went away, leaving him half dead. 

A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.But a Samaritan, as he  travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on      him.He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then  he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of      him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper.  ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra       expense you may have.’

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Tom A couple of months ago, a lady I have never met sent a teddy bear to me in the post, where I live near to the sea, in Cornwall. It’s a fisherman teddy, and the lady who sent it is a volunteer at the Mission to Seafarers in Groveport, on the River Trent.

She saw me online as the coastguard chaplain, and though a stranger, saw me as a neighbour, thinking little fisher-ted might be helpful a companion in my chaplaincy work as I travel around the UK coastline meeting with coastguards and other staff in the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

In the last few weeks, fisher-ted has been with me to the fishing port of Mallaig on the West coast of Scotland, to Portree on the Isle of Skye, to Stornoway, Dover, Portsmouth, and Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire. He’s seen a lot of the sea and his fisher-friends, always being a reminder to me and to our people of those whom we serve.

Sea Sunday is a day, set aside, to remember, to celebrate and to pray for all seafarers and their families. Those who serve us, so much. It is a day to give thanks for their lives and work. 

Being an island, the maritime sector is one of the most important parts of our national economy. Though we may not realise it, every single person in this country, every single day, will touch, use and eat goods that have been brought to the UK by ship. 95% of all our imports and exports are moved by sea, and underpinning this is a vast workforce both afloat and on shore, in all manner of businesses and organisations. They, in turn, are often themselves underpinned by families who may go long periods without seeing their loved ones, whose work causes them to be out there in the deep, on the waves.

We know that life at sea can be difficult – long hours, lonely, sometimes atrocious weather and sea conditions, and of course all the risks of shipwreck, sometimes piracy, and many potential accidents. Seafarers can find themselves far away from home, with minimal opportunities to check-in with their loved ones. What seafarers do is nothing short of brilliant service.

In the story of the Good Samaritan, we are reminded that those who need help, often desperately, should simply be given it, and it holds a mirror to how easily we can turn our heads away. The Samaritans themselves were an unpopular breakaway group within Judaism – so Jesus’ championing of the Samaritan traveller makes it clear that God’s command to love has a broad extension.

Giving help and giving love isn’t about who you give it to, but that you give it. The story challenges us to step out of ourselves and see those around us in love, despite whatever differences there might be between us. It encapsulates, in the actions of the Good Samaritan, what unconditional service looks like. 

So, today and beyond, let us reflect on those at sea and in the wider maritime sector whose service brings us so much. From our fish and chips to the biggest of cargo ships, let us give thanks for those who enable goods to reach us. Let us give thanks for the organisations which aim to preserve life at sea, and come to seafarers in their time of need. Let us give thanks for the charitable organisations helping seafarers and their loved ones to connect, across the globe. And let us pause and remember those who strengthen and support seafarers in all that they do, just as my new friend in Groveport reached out to support me with little fisher-ted.

This Sea Sunday, on hearing the parable of the Good Samaritan, may you be filled with renewed thanks and appreciation for the service our seafarers give, and may you be inspired to show help and love afresh for one another.

May God’s blessing rest on our seafarers, and with you, always.

Prayers    

These prayers come from the Queen Victoria’s Seamen’s Rest:

Let us pray for all seafarers, especially those who are far from their loved ones at this time, who experience loneliness, who may be fearful of danger on their voyages, and who longingly seek respite, friendship, comfort and support. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Let us pray for all those who serve to protect and keep open vital sea routes, for all merchant seafarers who crew the ships and for those hardy and courageous people who earn their living as fishers to provide our food. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for all those who carry out the services of ports and harbours, who respond to those in distress, who make up coastguard rescue teams, who crew lifeboats and rescue helicopters, and who watch over the coast. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

For all young people studying navigation and seamanship, for the staff of nautical training colleges, and for all the welfare organisations that care for seafarers and their families, we pray.

And we pray for the families, partners and friends of seafarers who face loneliness and anxiety whilst their loved ones are away at sea.

Hymn: Eternal Father, strong to save

To our seafarers, an Irish sailor’s blessing:
May the seas lie smooth before you,
may a gentle breeze forever fill your sails;
may sunshine warm your face,
and kindness warm your soul,
and, until you tread the shore again,
May God bless you and keep you safe.