For Those In Peril On The Sea, Our Forgotten Seafarers & The Sailor Society

This sermon was delivered to Holy Trinity in Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland on the 8th July 2018; Holy Trinity is a Scottish Episcopal Church in the Dioceses of Glasgow and Dumfries.

Matthew 25:31-46

Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in you sight. Amen.

Introduction

Today as you know, is Sea Sunday, where we … and many of the churches around the world pay tribute to our seafarers; … acknowledging the difficult job they do, in an unpredictable environment. … And we need our seafarers, because 90 per cent of world trade is conducted by sea, and yet these seafarers, (1.6 million of them), are generally over-looked by society, and that includes me; … which is bad, because I myself was an engineering officer in the Merchant Navy for years, yet, sorry to say that I too, do not give them a second thought … other than when I wish I was able to go back to sea for a while when things get tough … either that, or a cruise in the Caribbean which is a totally different thing.

… Because we always remember the good parts, I mean, I tend to forget the long times spent away from home … the bad weather and the rough seas … the awkwardness of some of the crew mates … and the long and boring hours spent on watch. … And although this is a sort of continuation from last year’s sermon, the Sailor’s Society have given me stricter guidelines on the format of today’s sermon, a format I am uncomfortable with, as I must relate the difficulties of the sea, to today’s gospel reading of Matthew 25:31 to 46, giving the Sailors Society the hard sell.

This then I think is the most difficult sermon I have ever had. I have never been stuck writing a sermon before, but this one, wow, has really put me through it, and I hope I can do it justice.

Let me explain, all of us here have seen those adverts on Television which say” (for only £3 per month, you can save a donkey or some other animal from dying), they are horrible adverts and they are meant to be … otherwise we won’t part with our money. Well the sermon outline for today was meant to be a bit like that, comparing the work of the seafarers with Mathew 25. I mean, listen to verse 45, “Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. … And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal”. … I think it is a bit much.

Yes we all should support the Sailors Society for all the good work they do … but deep down, I truly believe that there are many other charities, who also do good work and need our support, many of them are deserving as well, and I am sure you have your own favorite charity, all I am saying this morning is to consider the Sailors Society as well-intentioned charity, worthy of your support as I describe and remind you of some of the conditions seafarers face.

Recruitment to the Navy.

First of all, this is not a sermon to recruit you to the navy. The naval recruiters will tell you that working at sea is both rewarding and challenging, and it is. … They will tell you that you will travel the world and see places that only a few have seen, and you do ... They tell you that you will be highly trained in your specialized field, and you are … and they will tell you that you will meet socially and interact with many different people all across the world, at various levels, and you do … because you could be walking down the slums of a shanty town one hour, and a guest at an “ambassadors” reception party the next, although you are most likely to be down the shanty town or campons as we used to call them.

Seafarers do work in a unique social environment, but they work a long way from home, for long periods of time and this then naturally causes some tensions, particularly when their minds are at home with their families or family problems; never being able to satisfy fully both their families and their duties aboard ship. It can be a lonely job, it can also be a dangerous job, but for many it has been promoted as a path out of poverty … as it was for me, and it certainly is for many around the world, particularly those from the most deprived of communities.

And it was for this depravity that in 1818, 200 years ago, a public meeting took place in a tavern in the City of London, in Bishopsgate Street, where those present discussed the plight of the seafarers, and concluded that Christians had a responsibility to care for them. … So the Sailors’ Society was born, a Christian charity with a mandate to advance the Christian faith, alleviate poverty and distress and promote education for seafarers and their families worldwide.