Down to the Sea in Ships—The Summer Sermon Series

Over the Memorial Day weekend, we rolled out our dock into the waters of Lily Lake in Stillwater and then we launched our peddle boat for another summer season. Almost instinctively, our 2nd and 4th grade grandchildren asked whether we were going to strike the side of the boat with a bottle. My oldest son quickly explained that this was a tradition reserved for new boats on their maiden voyage. Our little peddle boat, he noted, had already clocked many circles around the lake. Still, the tradition was well known to them.

Celebrating a new ship and the sailing season with a libation offering is tradition that dates back millennia. During ancient times, a priest would offer a libation to the Gods in the form of wine. This was done by pouring it on the ship or in the waters that would soon receive the vessel. The Christian Church adopted the practice, but objected to the use of red wine, viewing it as an affront to its sacraments. Because of these objections, white wine was used. In 1843, the SS Great Britain, the world’s first modern transatlantic liner, was christened with champagne. When the first bottle missed the ship, Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert quickly grabbed another bottle and threw it against the bow. It was believed that if the christening bottle didn’t break or if a ship wasn’t christened at all, bad luck would haunt the vessel. One passenger liner that skipped the ceremony was the Titanic.
Prayers often accompanied the christening of the ship.

Perhaps the oldest prayers is the following:

O God, who didst bring our fathers through the Red Sea, and didst bring them in safety through great waters, singing praises to Thy holy name, we humbly beseech Thee that Thou wouldst keep from all danger Thy servants who are on board ship, granting them a calm voyage and the wished-for haven. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

The ship was an ancient Christian symbol representing the church itself tossed on the sea of disbelief, worldliness, and persecution, but finally reaching safe harbor with its cargo of humanity. Part of the imagery comes from the symbol of the ark saving Noah’s family during the Flood and Jesus protecting the Peter’s boat and the apostles on the stormy Sea of Galilee. The cross was also a great symbol during times of persecution when Christians needed to disguise the cross. The cross may be seen in the form of the ship’s mast, as it is used in the logo for Lake of the Isles, or as an anchor. Interestingly, the sanctuary itself is often called the nave which comes from the Latin word navis, which means ship.

Throughout the summer I have chosen to preach on the ship as the symbol of faith by drawing upon the stories of ships in scripture. This will include the stories of Noah and Moses in the Old Testament and Jesus, the disciples, and Paul in the New Testament. And of course, there will be a connection to the Norwegian Restauration and the 200-year commemoration of Norwegian immigration to America.

Peace, Pastor Arden Haug