St. Paul Lutheran Church

Stewardship 2011 - Church Talk

 

I recently went to the Gloucester Maritime Center with my mother and nephew and found myself watching a video of a captain who sailed out of Gloucester in the early part of the last century. The voice-over repeatedly mentioned how this captain was able to sail through the worst storms to the Boston fish market to make sure his crew received the best possible price.  As the grainy black pictures showed wave after wave pummeling the sailing ship and soaking the crew members hard at work on deck or atop the sails, recorded voices of the crew said that they’d always trusted that captain because he’d always known how to get them to port no matter what the weather.

The fact that the crew returned to the ship for each sailing and didn’t cower in fear when drenched by waves far larger than their vessel struck me as an incredible show of faith, faith in the small ship, faith in the captain and faith that they would get to the fish market and receive their reward… and it struck me that each of us is like a crew member with this church being our ship.  In our faith voyage, we’re dependent on each other as a crew and on God as our captain, Jesus as our navigator, and the Holy Spirit as the wind in our sail and the fish in our ocean.

As the Bible says in the Wisdom of Solomon:

¹Again, one preparing to sail and about to voyage over raging waves
calls upon a piece of wood more fragile than the ship that carries him.
² For it was desire for gain that planned that vessel, and wisdom was the artisan who built it;
³ but it is your providence, O Father, that steers its course,
because you have given it a path in the sea, and a safe way through the waves,
⁴ showing that you can save from every danger, so that even a person who lacks skill may put to sea.
⁵ It is your will that works of your wisdom should not be without effect; therefore people trust their lives even   the smallest piece of wood, and passing through the billows on a raft they come safely to land.

During the next 3 weeks you will have the opportunity to listen to the testimonials of a few of our fellow crew members and to read the thoughts of others who believe in our faith voyage.  I hope you will take time to consider and pray about the faith voyage you’re on personally and as a part of St. Paul Lutheran Church and to consider what it will take to make sure our ship is seaworthy and finds a safe way through the waves.  I have placed the model ship up by the altar and offered each of you a small compass which I hope will remind you of our voyage together and of the great Navigator, Jesus Christ.

 

I hope you will be inspired to offer up your faithful gifts to provision our vessel and our voyage in the year to come.  Commitment Sunday will be November 13.  As Brennan Manning says in his book “Relentless Tenderness of Jesus,” our faith is our “readiness to move out” and in refusing to turn back.   I hope you will believe, be a part of our readiness campaign and help provision our voyage so that we can continue in faith in God’s name.  Amen.

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