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Sea Sunday Studio Service July 12^th 2O15

(Introduction Panis Angelicus, Cesar Franck St John’s College Cambridge 3.39)

Good morning to you and a warm welcome to our studio service on this the 2^nd Sunday in July, a Sunday which is kept by many different denominations as Sea Sunday, a time when the people of God give thanks for those who go to sea and those who minister to them. Let us listen to our first hymn.

HYMN: Love Divine, all loves excelling:

Stainer (2.30)

OPENING PRAYER.

We come together as the family of God in our Father’s presence to offer him praise and thanksgiving for the ministry of the church among seafarers; to hear and receive his holy word; to bring before him the needs of the world, the missionary work of his church and to pray for seafarers and their families of every nation; to ask his forgiveness for our sins and to seek his grace, through his Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord, Amen.

My Name is Stephen Miller, Senior Chaplain of The Mission to Seafarers in Hong Kong and joining me for this service today are Captain Luca Ferrerio also from the Mission to Seafarers, Father Valan Arockiaswamy from the Apostleship of the Sea and the Rev. Maria-Louize Helbo from the Danish Seamens Church and The Mr. Hans Winklhofer from the German Seamens Mission.

It is also a great pleasure to welcome Justin Davis an intern from the Episcopal Church in the

USA

who has been working with us in Hong Kong over the last year.

We will be hearing more from Justin later in the service.

So we begin our worship this morning as we call to mind our sins and ask God for his forgiveness:

Confession

Lord of all creation, forgive us for the times we have ignored your teachings and wisdom. Help us to listen to your word and live by it each day. Lord in your mercy,

All: Hear Our Prayer.

Lord of all creation, forgive us for the times we have ignored those in need around us. Help us to become more aware of the needs of others. Lord in your mercy,

All: Hear our Prayer.

Lord of all creation, forgive us for the times we have ignored your will for our lives. Help us to trust you and follow you more each day. Lord in your mercy,

All: Hear our Prayer.

Lord of all creation, forgive us for the times we have ignored the needs of seafarers and have taken them for granted. Help us to remember the vital work they do in ensuring that we have our daily needs. Lord in your mercy,

All: Hear our Prayer.

God our loving Father, forgive us our sins, keep your word alive in us and help us to know your peace and forgiveness in our lives each day. Help us to be a people who trust and follow you wholeheartedly as we live for you each day. Amen

Hymn: Christ is made the sure Foundation

Purcell (3.58)

Collect

Almighty God on this Sea Sunday we pray for all who go

down to the sea in ships, that you will protect them as they sail, keep them safe from all the dangers of the sea and give them courage when they face storms. May they know your blessing on the families that they leave behind. We ask this in the name of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen

Our first reading comes from The Book of Proverbs, chapter 8 verses 22-31

The Lord created me at the beginning of his work,

the first of his acts of long ago.

Ages ago I was set up,

at the first, before the beginning of the earth.

When there were no depths I was brought forth,

when there were no springs abounding with water.

Before the mountains had been shaped,

before the hills, I was brought forth—

when he had not yet made earth and fields,

or the world’s first bits of soil.

When he established the heavens, I was there,

when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,

when he made firm the skies above,

when he established the fountains of the deep,

when he assigned to the sea its limit,

so that the waters might not transgress his command,

when he marked out the foundations of the earth,

then I was beside him, like a master worker;

and I was daily his delight,

rejoicing before him always,

rejoicing in his inhabited world

and delighting in the human race.

The word of the Lord…

All: Thanks be to God.

We continue our worship as we hear the words of Psalm 122 set to music by Hubert Parry and sung by the Choir of St. John’s Elora, Toronto(6.25 mins),

Our second reading comes from the New Testament from The Acts of the Apostles Chapter 27 verse 27- Chapter 28 verse 2.

When the fourteenth night had come, as we were drifting across the sea of Adria, about midnight the sailors suspected that they were nearing land. So they took soundings and found twenty fathoms; a little farther on they took soundings again and found fifteen fathoms. Fearing that we might run on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come. But when the sailors tried to escape from the ship and had lowered the boat into the sea, on the pretext of putting out anchors from the bow, Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, ‘Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.’ Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the boat and set it adrift.

Just before daybreak, Paul urged all of them to take some food, saying, ‘Today is the fourteenth day that you have been in suspense and remaining without food, having eaten nothing. Therefore I urge you to take some food, for it will help you survive; for none of you will lose a hair from your heads.’ After he had said this, he took bread; and giving thanks to God in the presence of all, he broke it and began to eat. Then all of them were encouraged and took food for themselves. (We were in all two hundred and seventy-six^* persons in the ship.) After they had satisfied their hunger, they lightened the ship by throwing the wheat into the sea.

In the morning they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, on which they planned to run the ship ashore, if they could. So they cast off the anchors and left them in the sea. At the same time they loosened the ropes that tied the steering-oars; then hoisting the foresail to the wind, they made for the beach. But striking a reef,^* they ran the ship aground; the bow stuck and remained immovable, but the stern was being broken up by the force of the waves. The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, so that none might swim away and escape; but the centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for the land, and the rest to follow, some on planks and others on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all were brought safely to land.

After we had reached safety, we then learned that the island was called

Malta

. The natives showed us unusual kindness. Since it had begun to rain and was cold, they kindled a fire and welcomed all of us round it.

The word of the Lord…

All: Thanks be to God.

Hymn: The Churches one Foundation (2.52 mins)

S. S. Wesley

The Gospel

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St. Matthew, Chapter 3, verses 18-22.

All: Glory to you Lord Christ.

As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.

The Gospel of the Lord

All: Praise to you, Lord Christ

Address (Justin Davis) 10 mins

Hymn: All People that on Earth do Dwell (1.51)

Intercessions

Let us thank God who has brought us together to this day, who sustains us by his power, strengthens us by his Spirit and nourishes us with his word. May we worship him in spirit and in truth. Lord hear us.

Lord, graciously hear us.

Today we pray for the work of Seafarers’ Missions, their

chaplains and ships visitors around the world as they care

for and welcome seafarers. We pray that you will help

them in their work of caring for and supporting seafarers. Lord hear us

Lord, graciously hear us.

We pray for seafarers as they work on ships, often many

miles from home, missing their families and facing dangers

and hardships such as piracy, storms, little time in port and

loneliness. We ask that you keep them safe in their work,

protect them when they face storms and help them to keepin touch with their families.

Lord hear us.

Lord graciously hear us.

We pray for the families of seafarers who are left at home.

We pray for wives and husbands as they miss their partners and care for their families, for children as they miss a parent and for others as they miss a boy or girl friend, grandparent or son or daughter. Bless those who remain at home whilst a loved one is away at sea.

Lord hear us.

Lord graciously hear us.

We pray for all ship owners and ship managers that they will take their responsibility seriously to care for those who crew their ships. We pray that all ships may be properly maintained and kept in a seaworthy condition. Lord Hear us.

Lord graciously hear us.

We pray for ourselves that we may have grateful hearts

for all the food and other necessities of daily life that we so easily take for granted. Help us to remember the seafarers who work so hard that we can enjoy an easy life. Lord hear us.

Lord graciously hear us.

Let us join together in the words that our Lord Jesus himself taught us:

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory,

for ever and ever.

Amen.

Hymn: God be in my head Kings College Choir, Cambridge (1.42)

Creator and Father of all, we pray for those who go down to the sea in ships and on whom we depend. Bless them and those who long for their safe return and bring us all to your kingdom, where there is no sorrow, no tears, but joy and life everlasting, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Hymn: Eternal Father strong to save – the choir of St Mark’s Church North Audley Street.(3.07)

The Blessing.

May the love of the Lord Jesus

Draw us to himself.

May the power of the Lord Jesus

Strengthen us in his service;

May the joy of the Lord Jesus

Fill our souls.

May the blessing of God Almighty,

The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit

Be amongst you and remain with you always. Amen

Thank you for joining us for our worship this Sea Sunday, please remember in your prayers all who go down to the sea, all who serve in the merchant marine, all who bring us the commodities we depend upon from around the world. May God bless them and be close to their families and love ones now and always. Amen

Finale O Taste and See R Vaughan Williams St John’s College Cambridge (1.34)