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Meditations for merchant mariners working in America and abroad from the maritime chaplains at the Seamen's Church Institute.
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Mariners and Disciples
As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.
Mark 1:15-20
Jesus is calling his first disciples in the Gospel this week, and they faithfully answer his call. They are seafarers, working to support their families in the same way that mariners today toil upon the waters to make ends meet. Peter and Andrew, James and John—the first four. We have stained glass windows of these four in our chapel at Port Newark, so that when mariners come to find a place of silence and meditation and prayer, followers of Jesus who understand their way of life surround them. The disciples understand what it’s like to be away from home for long periods of time—out of touch from loved ones—and doing dangerous work all the while. They recognize what it means to work in a field that is not connected to the rest of the world, and that others don’t always understand. Mariners and disciples: they have quite a bit in common.
The first four risked it all to follow Jesus. Mariners risk it all to support the ones they love. We, as supporters of mariners, need to recognize the sacrifices they make to enable us to live the way we do in this country. We are called to live lives of gratitude for what we have and for those that make it all possible. Attitudes of gratitude allow grace and peace to grow in our hearts and in our communities. Grace and peace to you as you read this … may your heart open the way that the first four opened their hearts to the living God so many years ago.
An Invocation
INVOCATION
for the
Presentation of the National Charter
to
The La Crosse Area Council of the Navy League
“Eternal Father strong to save whose arm doth bind the restless wave. Who bidst the mighty ocean deep, its own appointed limits keep…. ”
These are words buried deep within our hearts and remind us of God’s power and majesty that keeps those who sail the oceans and inland waterways in His loving embrace. We give thanks for this assurance that all those in the maritime Services are not beyond God’s watchful eye and safe-keeping.
We also give thanks to God this night for the presence of those who have served this country in the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine, never forgetting the valiant service of those who stand with us but on another shore in a greater light.
As we gather here to celebrate the bestowing of a new charter in the Navy League, we once again pledge ourselves to the United States of America and those who have dedicated themselves to serve her on the seas, inland waterways, and in the air. As they are strong to serve us, may we be strong to serve in our service and support of them and their loved ones.
As we settle ourselves for food and fellowship, we ask God’s blessing upon the abundance of both. May you, O God of land and sea, guard us as we travel tonight or tomorrow on our separate ways.
Eternal Father strong to save thy children: our sailors, our naval airmen, our marines, our sea cadets, our coast guard, and our merchant seamen — shield and protect them where-so e’re they go; thus evermore shall rise to thee glad hymns of praise from land and sea. AMEN.
Seafarer To Remember: Thank You and Bless You
Happy New Year to each dear Seafarer, wherever you are, far or near;
Another fruitful year has past; a new year is welcomed which proves that you last.
Happy New Year to each chaplain, who knows neither to whine nor complain but get the right things rightly done again and again;
Another fulfilling year has past, a new strategic plan has been passed, a renewed chaplaincy is before us, we trust.
I am also grateful to the SCI community, for giving me another year of wonderful opportunity to minister to the seafaring community;
I look forward to renew my commitment with God and SCI’s endorsement.
I am grateful to my family, who understands my ministry to seafarers, who are far away from their beloved family;
May you be blessed with patience, courage and solidarity as your Dad pastors those who bring what you use and enjoy anyway.
I am grateful to the shipping community, who goes beyond their responsibility even to assist an ailing seafarer-employee until full recovery;
May you be blessed with health and wealth of loving and caring to the lifeblood of shipping.
I am grateful to the Port community, who supports our exits and entry to ships—seafarers needing our ministry;
May you be blessed with prosperity and integrity as you also let seafarers’ exits and entry to the city’s amenity where they spend some of their hard-earned money, which is good for local economy.
I am grateful to the Faith-based communities, who, not only support SCI in many ways, but keep connected their parish life to seafarers’ life always;
May you be blessed with a wholesome mission for the church and the nation and for seafarers who keep our economy in motion.
I am grateful to each volunteer, who loves giving, all for seafarers’ welfare;
May you be blessed all the more with what you’ve got, for others to share a lot.
I am grateful to each seafarer whose names I may not remember, but who keeps my body moving ever and my faith-spirit deeper and stronger;
May you be blessed with much safety, security, and sanity for you are the reason for SCI’s and my mission day after day.
I am grateful to God my source, my guide, and my end, who put me into this ministry so lovely and rewarding, I will not pretend;
May He be obeyed all the more for it’s neither about me nor them, but Him, after all.
Every person wants to be understood and known by others—especially by the people closest to us. Every person wants a spouse, children, or employer to know what it is like to be him or her for a day. How many mariners, for example, have said, “If only the folks in the shore side office could be out here on the water with us just for a day, then they would understand what we really go through.”
The message of Christmas is not a philosophy or a doctrine. The message of Christmas is that the folks from the shore side office came out to ride the water with us. The message of Christmas is a person—a real, live, flesh-and-blood human being—Jesus of Nazareth, Son of Mary. The message of Christmas is that God became one of us. The message of Christmas is that God became one of us in order to make all things right between us and God and between each other.
“In his immeasurable love, he became what we are in order to make us what he is.” — St. Irenaeus
Christmas Message 2011
“Keeping watch over their flocks by night” is what St. Luke writes that the shepherds were doing when the angels came and told them that Jesus was born in nearby Bethlehem. Mariners, of all people, can uniquely relate to the shepherd, for keeping watch at night is something that mariners also do every night of the year. Like shepherds, mariners understand the demands of a career that requires around-the-clock work and vigilance.
There is no escaping the reality that the angels delivered their message of good news to shepherds, ordinary working people with ordinary lives. To these ordinary “Joes,” God entrusted the greatest message of human history. That God loves and trusts ordinary women and men is just as powerful and as humbling a message today as it was then. At Christmas we celebrate the God who loves and trusts regular folks, even folks like us – the people who work on America’s rivers and the world’s oceans.
The ordinary shepherds were not just told that God loved them, but they were given a purpose—the mission of the angels was passed on to them and now on to us. In all places and at all times, we sing the song of the angels. We sing this song to people who occupy our corporate boardrooms as well as to people who occupy our back alleys; to people who are members of country clubs as well as to people who are members of homeless shelters; to people accustomed to eating in 5-star restaurants as well as to people who eat in soup kitchens. We sing the song of God’s favor towards the human race in good times but more so in bad; in times of feasting but especially in times of famine; in times of peace, and absolutely in times of war. People hear this songwhen they see the peace, the happiness and the joy in our lives—livesturned from self-centeredness to a life nourished by the presence of God and focused on others.
So this Christmas, as we are reminded that God loves—and likes—us all (even the ordinary), may we also be inspired to fly with the wings of angels into the world to praise God and to sing the song of the birth of the Prince of Peace.
The Seamen’s Church Institute wishes you a very merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
Photo: Gregory Thorp
Saint Nicholas and Seafarers
Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of children, and many of us have heard of him being a bearer of gifts on December 6th or, of course, on Christmas Eve. Saint Nicholas is also the patron saint of another very special group of people … sailors!
Thank goodness for the patronage of Saint Nicholas, bringing attention to a population of people so dear to the heart of the Seamen’s Church Institute … sailors! The world would be a drastically different place if not for the ones who live their lives serving upon the waters. Their reasons for service are many, but without their willingness to say yes to their duties, all of us would be without so many of the things that make our lives possible.
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.
Luke 1:26-38 (NRSV)
Today marks the fourth week of Advent, where we’ve spent a season paying attention to slowing down and bearing witness to the light of God. Today’s gospel, from the first chapter of Luke, shows Mary being presented with all that can happen to her if she says yes to God. Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Mary said yes to serving God and yes to serving the world. Seafarers across the world say yes to their call to serve their families, to serve the world, and to serve God. Let us give thanks for those brave men and women who board their vessels and serve alongside one another in a common mission. We are grateful, we are paying attention, and we are all called to keep bearing witness to the light.
Seafarer to Remember 2
Seafarer to Remember (Part 2)
Dedicated to AB Matrai (injured and confined in the hospital for more than 40 days and 40 nights now)
By Chaplain James Kollin
I visited you in the hospital, for an illness that got you not-so normal;
You shed tears when you saw me, for you had no one in your family in a strange land called the U.S. of A.
I tried my best to make you smile, at bed rest at least for while;
Brightness showed in your face, as you reached me for a warm embrace.
I asked if I could offer you prayer, hoping to help you recover;
You said you do not share the same faith as mine, but go ahead with the same God it should be fine.
Your shipping company cared for you that much, and they know it would cost so much;
Though business is their mission, but compassion comes into motion when their seafarer is in injured in action.
I asked about your work and family, when I saw you almost everyday;
You always told me your great anxiety, when your family wanted you to rest after recovery.
I offered you SCI’s cellphone and gave you phone cards, to help connect you to your loved ones;
You showed great signs of cheerfulness, when you heard familiar voices crossing 10,000 miles overseas.
I asked what else could I do for you, hoping to make our day more exciting too;
You asked me for a shave, for your beard and mustache you cannot save.
I must tell you and the world honestly today, it’s my FIRST time to shave someone not of me;
You added an indelible portion of history, not only to the SCI family but also to me personally.
I bet your company and family are working carefully for your trip home one day;
You must be so excited, not only when repatriated but also well rested with the home and in the house you have long invested.
Hospitality Found Here
Back in April of this year I was welcomed aboard a tow at Memphis, Tennessee. It was shortly after one of our unusually fierce mid-west storms. The wind and current were so strong that we had to call in a tug to help us pass under a major highway/railroad bridge over the Mississippi. Whole trees were coming downriver toward us so everyone had to care for the safety of the boat, crew, and cargo. It was not a good day on the river.
But, despite the worry, the welcome and warmth of captain and crew were so strong and real that you could have hung signs on the pilothouse windows: Hospitality Found Here. Very quickly, I became part of the towboat family: a family of highly skilled river men who care for each other as well as boat and cargo.
Several weeks ago, I was welcomed aboard another tow. The weather was beautiful, the boat was just out of shop with a splendid new interior and equipment, and the captain and crew were well seasoned hands doing so well the job they were trained to do, love to do, and all on the water that was their home away from home for so many days. A different boat and different circumstances: yet here was the same openhearted welcome that wrapped itself around me as before. Hospitality Found Here: Paint it on the pilothouse for all to see along the river.
Hospitality! It is a word that the Bible translates as “making room at the table.” Whether we take it literally like setting an extra place in the galley or ward room, or at home, or any place on a boat or ship where a visitor is welcomed – it is hospitality that makes one part of a family. And a hospitable family is what captain and crew are in the deepest sense of the word, whether they are on the rivers, oceans, or gulf. God teaches us to welcome the visitor because in doing so we might welcome an angel. I am certainly no angel, but I was welcomed as part of a family of hard working and caring people – the men and women who sail on the seas, or on the gulf, or on the rivers. So, when you read this little story, say a prayer and give thanks for the men and women on the water. They are a family with a place ready at the table for a visitor: perhaps an angel like the one who told St. Mary that God had chosen her to do a special thing. Perhaps an angel telling captain and crew that God has chosen them to do what they are doing, and that what they do is a very special thing.
The Light
On this First Sunday in Advent, we hear the Psalmist cry, “Restore us, O God of Hosts; show us the light of your countenance, and we will be saved.” (Psalm 80: 3,7,18)
I am reminded of the lighthouse at Owl’s Head, Penobscot Bay, Maine. My father, husband, and two young sons were fond of sailing our little day-sailer just outside the breakwater in Rockland over to Owl’s head. Usually, we had fair wind and sea. But one time a storm quickly materialized and bore down upon us. As the fog rolled in, we began to lose our bearings. The wind intensified, and I must admit, I became quite concerned. Piercing through the fog and gathering darkness, we heard those waves crashing on nearby stone ledges, and then we heard the fog horn and glimpsed the Owl’s Head light warning us to change our tack and seek safe shelter in Rockland Harbor. Dad’s steady hand at the tiller and that light and foghorn called and saved us from those treacherous shores.
“Show us the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.” But, we might ask, which light do we follow? If we follow all the brightly colored blinking lights filled with invitations to spend more this “Holiday Season,” to revel in our “excellence”, to be more concerned about outward appearances, then we will have missed THE LIGHT entirely. God is not concerned about outward appearances; rather, is concerned about our inner, spiritual welfare, and inner transformation of the heart. Rather than speeding things up, frantically getting ready for “the holidays” with all of its bling and gloss, we are asked to do the opposite of the cultural norm. We are asked to slow down, read, pray, and meditate….
In many ways, as one commentator explains, life is a constant Advent season. We continually want to become, to discover, to complete, to fulfill. Hope, struggle, fear and expectation are all part of the Advent experience. “The world is not as just, not as loving, not as whole as we know it can and should be. But the coming of Christ and his presence among us, as one of us, give us reason to live in hope that light will shatter the darkness, that we can be liberated from our fears and prejudices, that we are never alone or abandoned.” (Connections, November 28, 1993.) And in so doing, we necessarily reach out to others.
Perceiving that light, we are drawn and invited into that saving Divine grace. May this Advent season be a time for bringing hope, transformation and fulfillment into the Advent of our lives.
“Praise the Lord my soul, and praise God’s holy name, praise the Lord, my soul, who leeds me into life.” (Taize chant)
