BLESSING OF THE FLEET
Menemsha Harbor
Chilmark Community Church
May 28, 2017
Rev. Vicky Hanjian
This morning we have gathered for a blessing of the fleet. It might be good to pause for a moment and ask ourselves why do we do this? What good does it do to leave our comfort zones early on a Sunday morning to come to the water’s edge and go through this ritual that happens ot sea coast and river edge harbors at different times of the year all over the country.
Do we bless the fleet because that’s what we’re supposed to do? Because it has become something habitual that we do every year? Or does it have meaning beyond tradition? What does it mean when we bless something anyway? What does it mean when we invoke God’s blessing on someone or something?
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. 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 the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3 NRSV)
This reading from Genesis begins to tell us what blessing is about. Most obviously, blessing is the opposite of cursing. While cursing invokes energies and emotions that separate people from one another, blessing sets in motion the energy of relationship. Blessing puts in place the foundation upon which love and concern and friendship may be built.
Abraham and his clan traveled on land. The tempests and storms they faced had more to do with encountering other people, other clans, strangers, and potential enemies, than they did with encountering storms or enemies on the sea. Still, the challenge of blessing fell upon him and his family. Essentially, God said “I will bless you….so that you will be a blessing.”
So – the act of blessing is a divine and human thing. We receive the blessing of God so that we might also become a source of blessing for others – a force for good, a force for healing, a force for reconciliation and well being.
On this Memorial Day weekend we honor and remember lives spent and lost in the service of protecting all that we are privileged to enjoy in this country. We also take time to remember all the ways we are served and blessed by women and men who spend much of their lives on the water. On this occasion of blessing the myriad vessels that sail in our waters, it is well for us to remember the power that we have to unleash goodness – to affect relationships in a positive way – to create a more harmonious world.
To invoke a blessing is essentially an act of gratitude. When we bless, it is hard to carry forward grudging or negative feelings toward the object of our blessing. To bless opens the way for the flow of lovingkindness, compassion, hospitality and grace. In the ancient story, our ancestors are called not only to bless – – but also the BE a blessing. The very way that they carry themselves in the world is to BE a blessing.
So why do we bless the fleet? Surely to invite the safety and well being of all who make their living on the water; definitely to honor all who serve to protect our shores; and certainly to care for all who find rest and relaxation and re-creation on the water.
But invoking a blessing does more than that. When we bless, we open channels of grace – – we become channels of grace – – and our own lives become larger and more generous. We actually become a blessing in our own persons.
So may we offer our prayers and our songs together this morning in the service of an ancient affirmation that we are indeed blessed in order to be a blessing to others and may grace flow in abundance toward all whom we bless this day. AMEN