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.
… That is quite a noble undertaking, and today, the Sailors’ Society chaplains are on hand in 91 ports around the world to provide a trusted listening ear and practical support to all seafarers regardless of gender, ethnicity or religious beliefs, it is no wonder they need our support, as seafarers need their support.
The problems of being away from home for long periods of time.
This need comes from many areas, but mainly problems created by being absent at sea for a long period of time. … In the UK, three month is not considered a long voyage. On the North Sea, many ships work on a month on 3 or 2 weeks off rota, which in naval terms is a breeze. … But the British Navy is not typical of the Navies’ around the world, where seafarers can spend over two long years on a single voyage and even longer.
Once, when I was at sea, we had Chinese greasers in the engine room, and Chinese stewards looking after our welfare, all of whom I was horrified to learn were on a two year voyage with three months off before returning to the same ship. … At that time I was doing 6 months on and about 6 weeks off and I thought that was hard going; I had nothing to complaint about compared to them. And another thing … I also found out that their pay was a fraction of ours; meaning that labour at sea can be cheap.
Can you imagine yourself being away from home on such business, two years away, 3 months at home? What would your family be like, in fact what kind of family you would have as a result of your absence at sea; … and some say supposedly, enjoying yourself.
Jesus said in verse 35, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in”. This verse teaches us to help in the simple things of life, giving food to the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, welcoming a stranger, visiting the sick or those in prison; by remembering people who are often forgotten, and showing them acts of kindness or compassion. All of us then can show the love of Christ to people who are vulnerable or destitute.
Remembering seafarers:
The Sailors’ Society chaplains have such regular opportunities to help those suffering in their work. One of the charity’s aims is to provide relief from poverty and distress, and chaplains do this in many ways, through emergency welfare grants, programmes for retired seafarers, grants for children to attend school and scholarships designed to break the cycle of poverty. This then is no mean task.
The problems of depression.
To move on, life at sea is not like being on a cruise ship, and if you are going on a cruise there are something’s I want to notice. I want to witness if you can the long and irregular hour’s seafarer’s work.
When I was at sea, we worked the normal watch system, which is 4 hours on, eight hours off. 4 hours on might sound ok, but I can assure you is a long solid 4 hours on, without a break, and you do this 4 hours on, twice a day, 7 days a week.
So in your 8 hours off, you have to complete any engineering paperwork, (which their always was), catch up on any study in marine engineering, (which you always have), and catch up on any correspondence. … You also had to be fed and watered, and do your washing and tidying up; and only then could you unwind, normal by the administering alcohol, (a wee libation to help you relax), before your next watch down the engine room. … And Oh, I forgot to mention, you had to fit your sleep in there as well somewhere.
What I hated most, was the watches themselves, I mean seafarers are highly trained, highly skilled people, I mean, what do you do when something goes wrong at sea? … You can’t take the ship into the nearest garage can you? The seafarers themselves must respond to any and all situations that they may find, and keep those vessels moving. So they are trained to react to any crisis, and a crisis funny enough always seems to happen in rough seas.
So it can all be quite a bit dramatic … but what I hated was the watches themselves, I mean, I remember all those hours I spent walking around the main engine or engines. I would walk clockwise round them for a wee while, and then I would stop, and then I would walk anticlockwise for a wee while, and then stop, and then think where else can I walk for a wee while.
Sometimes you met another engineer or greaser doing exactly the same, and we would nod to each other and continue walking because it was difficult to speak with the noise of the engines.
Every now and again we would take a log of the engine readings, and that would take up at least another 2o minutes, and that would break the boredom for a bit. … You see, you couldn’t do any maintenance, or take anything to pieces, which can be interesting and help pass the time why, because the engines were all running, they were all needed, and after all you were on watch, watching and making sure the engines were running smoothly. … You had to wait until you were in port to strip engine down, but when you were in port, the last thing you wanted to do was take an engine to pieces, you wanted to go up the road and enjoy yourself.
The deck officers were worse, (and I wouldn’t admit that to them of course), but they were charged with unloading the cargo, whatever that was, and as soon as they did that, the ship could sail again. …
Yes we all got time to go “up the road”, but it was always so rushed, and you always had so much you wanted to do, and so little time before you were back down the engine room, walking around those main engines again. When writing this sermon, it brought it all back to me, and I realized why I don’t miss it; give me a secondary school with delinquent teenagers anytime.
Now I am only talking about the engineers as you know, but the other jobs on the ship are all equally important, you are a team, but all jobs on a ship have their own or similar problems, and I hope you can see that with a lifestyle like that, problems are going to be created.
No I don’t miss it, but many people today are stuck living such a lifestyle, and it is no wonder many turn to drink or drugs to see them through, and beat any depression that can set in.
Because when you are at sea on a long voyage, depression can set in to us all, let’s face it, it happens to every seafarer, how they handle it is different, but they all suffer depression at one time or another … and when that happens, what can you do? … You are stuck on a ship, a small metal vessel in a large ocean … normally thousands of miles away from home … with a crew who are not your own, or maybe they are the ones causing your depression … or maybe … and this happens regularly, you have problems at home and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.
Verse 36 says, “I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”
Biblical application:
The verse teaches us the importance of putting others first and giving our time and talents sacrificially, because people matter. Seafarers often experience situations where they are in need of help, they can be hit by depression or they can fall ill … and remember there are not many ships in this world with doctors … people with first aid certificates and plasters yes, but not doctors.
Seafarers could also be attacked by or kidnapped by pirates, and I laughed when I first heard that, but I also remember that one of my ships away back in the 70’s, was boarded by pirates just of the coast of Malaysia. Nothing came of it, in fact it was quite pathetic, but I can assure you that it was very real. And it is also very real for some seafarers to find themselves imprisoned in a foreign land, guilty or not guilty? I mean, who helps them?
Well again, this is where the Sailors’ Society comes in again to help. They have many chaplains who will visit seafarers in hospital and provide support them and their families for the duration of their stay and beyond. This is no mean feat, as most other countries are not as accommodating as the UK, but these chaplains do give hope to those who are ill, or imprisoned or just simple disadvantaged throughout the process.
You have no idea how much this is needed and appreciate, unless that is; you have visited and witnessed the many of the world ports outside the tourist trails. Some of these ports, I can tell you, are simply beyond words, they are absolutely dreadful and I thank God for these Chaplains, Christian Chaplains to operate on ministry with presence; often working long unsociable hours, looking after those who need their help in overcoming the traumas caused at sea.
Finally I want to finish with Verse 40, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these… you did for me.” Jesus reminds us that all help given to those in need, is given to him. Our relationship with Christ is what really matters, and so therefore is the way we treat and interact with others, as it reflects our attitude towards him.
Our passage of scripture this morning is possibly one of the most challenging of all the parables, a parable with a message that God will judge us according to how we respond to the human needs of others. This is quite a frightening parable, as his judgement is in no way dependent on our wealth, educational or our status in life, but rather by the way we have treated and helped others.
Application: We have already considered certain areas where we can assist those in need; … simply by welcoming a stranger, or visiting the sick or those imprisoned … things which we all can do given the opportunity.
The Sailors’ Society supporters and volunteers around the world give their time and talents in many different ways. Some simply knit … others sign up as volunteers to visit ships … others open up their churches … while others raise money to support their work. … So take a moment to reflect on the seafarers … and their families around the world … and also on how you can help those who are in need, or in peril on the seas. Amen.
Let us pray,
Father, we thank you for Jesus, we thank you that he died all those years ago to save us from ourselves.
Father this morning, we pray for the Sailors Society and the good work that they do; … and ask that you support them in a way that they can support the seafarers worldwide.
Father we ask that somehow we too are able to help them in their challenging environment, in our own quiet ways.
Father we ask in Jesus name. Amen.
