They that go down to the sea in ships ...

Yesterday was Sea Sunday.

For us, living in St. Albans, about as far away from the sea as is possible in this country, perhaps this day has less meaning. Yet so much of what we rely on for our daily life comes to us by sea – oil (witness the arguments – and worse – over tankers passing through the Straits of Hormuz), cars, foodstuffs……how supported we feel by the Royal Navy and how many of us enjoy a break by the sea.

The sea has many mentions in the Bible, from the early words of Genesis: And God said, Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let dry land appear…  God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas to the references in the New Testament to Paul’s journeys:  Soon a violent wind, called the northeaster, rushed down from Crete. Since the ship was caught and could not be turned with its head to the wind, we gave way to it and were driven. 

Appropriately, yesterday morning’s early service came from Portsmouth Cathedral, the Cathedral of The Sea, which is only 50 metres from the Solent, hence close to the wider sea. It was a chance to give thanks for all who go to sea, as part of their work, realise our dependence on seafarers and pray for their safety as well as recognising the sea’s value in providing  leisure activities.

Simon Armitage has written a poem to celebrate the new coastal defences at Portsmouth. As part of the service, the choir sang a setting, reminding us of the many facets of the sea.

The Theatre of the Sea

The performance is never the same one day

 to the next. A cruise ship enters stage left

or a gull swoops down and steals the scene;…

But maybe you’re the real star of the show,

 playing your true self, watched from a balcony sky,

lit by the footlights of coast and shore.

You stand to leave and the waves rise to applaud.

Some distance away from the sea we might be but  let us pray with the psalmist for those in peril on the sea:

They cried out to the Lord in their trouble,

And he brought then out from their distress;

He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Amen