From the Pulpit

               

Have you ever wondered why a bunch of clergy would take time to gather at the docks of Destin harbor every year on Ascension Day and ask God to bless the captains, crews and vessels of those who make their living from the sea?
The question is a good one, as Thursday, May 1, marked the annual Blessing of the Fleet — the fifty-first time that pastors asked God’s blessings on both men and machinery.
We said prayers over more than 110 boats. On the one hand we could ask, “Is it just an excuse to spend some time around the water and eat fried fish?” The answer is, “Nope.”
On the other hand, we could observe that the clergy don’t necessarily know all the folks involved and ask, “Is it appropriate to ask God to bless people who seek such a blessing even though we don’t necessarily know their spiritual condition? The answer is a qualified, “Yep.”
In order to understand, let’s take a look at what blessings are.
All blessings begin with a realization that God is absolutely sovereign and that He loves His creation, most especially the people He made in His own image. Simply put, our Lord wants folks to enjoy a relationship with Him forever. To that end, God blesses His people so that they can become a blessing to others.
Perhaps the first time the Lord ever talked about blessings is found in Genesis 12. Here the Lord calls Abram, who through his obedience will become the father of the faith known to us as Abraham.
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. (Genesis 12:1-3)
Since earliest times, God’s people have recognized this calling to receive the Lord’s blessings and then offer themselves to be used by God to bless in return. Such prayers included asking God bless everything from crops and flocks to buildings and boats — everything they owned and wanted to set aside for Him. And it meant asking the Lord to bless other human beings.
Why we continue to do so today is really rather simple — God is Lord of all. Everything and everyone belong to Him whether they recognize that truth or not. God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world to redeem us from the sin which separates all of us from Him so that we can celebrate the truth that we belong to Him.
Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus has promised to be with us always. So God is present everywhere at all times. Alleluia!
When clergy stand on the docks and ask the Lord to bless vessels, crews and their families, we may do so with great joy, but a joy which is grounded in the clear understanding that God is Lord of all and is really present in our midst. We don’t force anyone to come through the line. Nor do we wrongly use the Lord’s name by asking Him to bless those who haven’t sought it. That would cheapen the prayer.
Do some folks ask for a blessing who aren’t believers walking their faith out as they should? I hope not, but it is possible. Do some folks seek a blessing because they are superstitious and have a magical understanding of the prayer? I hope not, but that, too, is possible.
So do we withhold asking God to bless the fleet because some captain’s or crew member’s faith or theology is not what it should be? No, for the simple reason that God alone knows a man’s heart. If the Lord needs to deal with a person, then He will. The responsibility of the clergyman is to make clear who is in charge of every man’s life and who owns every single thing that we get to use — up to and including a fishing boat.
We ask the Lord to bless because we have a childlike confidence that God meant it when He declared, “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10,11)
The Blessing of the Fleet is taken seriously by most who participate in it. I will never hesitate for one minute to offer anyone who has a mind to hear, the good news of Jesus Christ. After all, if He wants me to bless those who persecute me, then how much more does He want me to ask a blessing for those who seek it.
See you at the docks!
The Rev. Mike Hesse is senior pastor of Immanuel Anglican Church in Destin.