St Clement Church Community Sea Sunday Service

St Clement Church Community Sea Sunday Service 12.7.26

Good morning to you all as we celebrate Sea Sunday, remembering those who earn their living at sea, and the Mission to Seafarers Charity who support them. Bearing these sailors in mind with the words of Psalm 107.23-24;

‘They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; these see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.’

Much love and may Christ’s love sustain you always.

Rev Di and family xx

Let us pray;

Lord God, Creator of land and sea, bless those who work at sea. Be with them in fair weather and foul, in danger or distress. Strengthen them when weary, lift them up when down and comfort them when far from their loved ones. In this life, bring them safely to shore and, in the life to come, welcome them to your kingdom. For Jesus Christ's sake. Amen

Hymn: ‘Eternal Father’

Our prayers of Penitence

Our Lord Jesus Christ said: The first commandment is this: ‘Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is the only Lord. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.

Let us confess our failures truly to serve God and our neighbour:

Most merciful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we confess that we have sinned in thought, word and deed.

We have not loved you with our whole heart.

We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves.

In your mercy forgive what we have been,

help us to amend what we are, and direct what we shall be;

That we may do justly, love mercy,

and walk humbly with you, our God. Amen.

May Almighty God have mercy upon us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Let us pray our Collect for Sea Sunday

God grant us the strength to voyage on. Give us the courage to believe in your kingdom, in your light in our darkness, and your love in our lives. For Jesus Christ's sake. Amen

Readings:

Job 38. 1-18 Colossians 1. 1-14

Hymn; ‘I, the Lord of Sea and Sky’

Gospel: Matthew 14. 22-33

(Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.

Response: ‘Glory to you O Lord.’)

Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking towards them on the lake. But when the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified, saying, ‘It is a ghost!’ And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’ Peter answered him, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came towards Jesus.

But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’

Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’

When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshipped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’

(This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.)

Reflection

Today we remember Sea Sunday, the day set aside for churches to remember seafarers, the one and a half million men and women who work on our oceans, sailing ships across the seas, bringing us the goods we need, or think we need! In fact, seafarers bring in 95% of the goods we use every day, from tea, coffee and chocolate, to clothes, cars, and technology.

Way back in 1856, Reverend John Ashley, was on holiday near Bristol, and as he looked out over the Bristol Channel, he saw hundreds of ships at anchor far from the shore and realised that the seafarers working on those ships had no one to minister to them. From then on, he recognised that these seafarers were his brothers and he devoted the rest of his life to caring for them. Today, 170 years later, his work continues through the charity; The Mission to Seafarers, an international Anglican organisation which provides help and support to seafarers around the world. The mission works in over 200 ports in 50 countries, caring for seafarers of all ranks, nationalities and beliefs.

But why is this important, some people may say, especially those who live miles from the sea and never give it, or seafarers, a thought.

Research from the World Health Organisation has revealed that seafarers belong to a profession who are most at risk of taking their own lives. The increased efficiency of the shipping industry means that stress on the seafarers has become worse, because the turnaround in port nowadays is much quicker, and if you’re stuck on a car carrier for nine months and are only in port for a matter of hours at any one time, there has to be a consequence.

Unfortunately, this new shipping efficiency doesn’t consider the human element, no time is given to get away from the ship and relax.

But let’s face it, ship-owners are running a business, not a charity, so it’s in their interest, and that of the seafarers as well, to make sure the business is profitable, after all, if the ship owner goes bankrupt, the crew would lose their jobs. On a lesser scale, it’s the same in the road transport industry, be it Lorries or coaches, the vehicles aren’t earning if they’re parked up.

Life at sea is often lonely, difficult and dangerous, with long working hours, let alone the risk of shipwreck or piracy.

The Mission to Seafarers chaplains visit seafarers on the ships when in port, offering Christian friendship and support. There are also Flying Angel centres in 121 ports around the world, offering hot meals, internet access, phone facilities, even a lift to the shops, if time allows. The Mission also provides practical family support too.

But it’s not just physical needs that the Mission respond to, they also provide spiritual support and guidance through their ordained and lay chaplains, through their chapels in port, as well as supply Bibles and Christian books in a wide range of languages.

They also respond to situations of injustice, especially where seafarers are abandoned in ports, or haven’t been paid. The mission act on their behalf by campaigning for justice within the shipping industry, and they’re only able to do this by the support from people such as us today, who are called in this service to reflect the love of Christ and share each other’s burdens.

We know that any unbearable situations we may suffer become a bit easier if someone is sharing the burden with us, but Seafarers, far from home, haven’t the luxury like us, of family, friends and church community to help them. And that’s where the Mission steps in and helps bear the burden of those who work at sea.

Sea Sunday gives churches the opportunity to recognise seafarers as our neighbours and be a community ready to support them.

Now, not everybody can go to ports or become involved in ship visiting, but everybody can do something to help the men and women that provide such a vital service to us. The first thing of course is prayer, which is a constant source of strength for the mission and the one and a half million seafarers they serve.

The second, believe it or not ladies, and men too, is to knit. The Mission needs people who can knit warm hats, as well as scarves for the wet and often cold conditions when working on deck.

There’s also a mission website that we can sign up to, enabling us to receive regular news about the Mission’s work, and how their help is changing seafarer’s lives.

And last but not at all least, we can donate towards the work of the Mission, such financial support will enable the mission’s work to continue, helping them to reflect the words of Jesus; ‘come to me all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.’ Amen

Affirmation of our faith

Let us declare our faith in God:

We believe and trust in God the Father, source of all being and life, the one for whom we exist. We believe and trust in God the Son, who took our human nature, died for us and rose again.

We believe and trust in God the Holy Spirit, who gives life to the people of God and makes Christ known in the world.

This is the faith of the Church. This is our faith. We believe and trust in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Hymn; ‘The King of Love, my Shepherd is’

Our Intercessions this week are written by Liz Davies

Gracious God, today on Sea Sunday, we offer our prayers for those whose lives are affected by the sea.

Watch over our seafarers as they sail far from home. When the waves rise, be their calm, when loneliness hits, be their comfort. Bless every family waiting, praying, and hoping across the miles. Bring back their loved ones safely, with hearts full of peace and gratitude.

We pray for people whose work takes them to sea; for those in the different branches of the navy; for those who transport goods by ship; for those who catch fish for a living. Be with them as they work, and keep them safe when the weather is bad and seas are rough.