15 October 09 - 14:02
I Feel the Winds of God
I have often wondered what the difference is between being a minister in Southern Ontario and being a minister here in the Maritimes. I am a Maritimer born and bred, but I lived away for twenty years, and coming back to Halifax meant coming back to a city that sometimes feels like it could be a city anywhere in Canada, or most of the northern States. I mean, I live in the suburbs, which are much like any forty year old neighbourhood anywhere. The big box stores are all the same out on Bayers Lake Road as they were on Gardner's Road back in Kingston. Halifax is supposed to be such a happening city, but we're at the stage in life where we're too old and tied down to really enjoy the downtown night life.
But week before last I had an opportunity I don't think I ever would have had in an Ontario church, even one that was 30 km or so from Lake Ontario, like the last one. I was asked to perform a wedding on a tall ship.
Okay, first tip for a tall ship wedding in October: No matter how nice the day is, don't wear a strapless dress. It was 13 C on land that day, but once we got out on the water, the thermometer plummetted like a wounded sea bird. I personally went out with a clergy shirt, a heavy woolen blazer, a trenchcoat, and a pair of gloves. I was almost warm enough. Many of the guests were wrapped up in quilts that the crew thoughtfully provided, and were still shivering.
Second tip for a tall ship wedding at any time: When the crew says, "Duck," you duck. On the way back in, we sailed past a cruise ship, I think it might have been the Queen Mary II. In any case, once we passed out of the wind shadow of the liner, the sail came swinging around from one side of the ship to the other, and there was no stopping it. Right about then, I was crouching on the deck, well out of harm's way, but the captain told us that on another trip he had seen the sail pick up a passenger, lift them off their feet, and dangle them six feet over the water. I'm so glad I didn't have to learn that lesson the hard way!
When I headed out of the house in the morning, my hubby said, "Don't let your busy day stop you from enjoying the sail once your work part is done." He's a wise man. We sailed all the way from the Northwest Arm out to Chebucto Head and back, a five hour cruise in all. (And no, we didn't shipwreck on any tropical islands, which at least would have been warmer.) I had never been on a tall ship before, and while I don't think I'm much of a sailor, at least I didn't get seasick. I couldn't get over the fact that this 75 foot vessel, the Mar II, has circumnavigated the globe twice, with a crew of 18. I'm still trying to figure out how everyone could have bunked down in the tiny cabin without getting their neighbour's toes stuck up their nose. I gained a new respect for my ancestors who boarded ships much like this to make the journey across the North Atlantic and settle down in Canada, their new home.
Standing there on the deck, feeling the power of the wind in my face and against the sails above me, I suddenly understood the words of one of my favourite hymns, I Feel the Winds of God, in a way I never had before. Jessie Adams writes, "If cast on shores of selfish ease or pleasure I should be / O let me feel your freshening breeze, and I'll put back to sea." I felt the freshening breeze in my body that day, and I saw the pure joy in the face of the captain as the wind picked up around the point, as his ship leapt forward with the force of the wind, and I suddenly knew the power of God in a way I hadn't before.
I don't think I would ever have climbed on a tall ship and gone to sea on my own hook, so I am feeling very grateful to the bride and groom for inviting me on this sail. I saw a side of God I might never have experienced if I hadn't gone.
Blessings, Heather.
P.S. Here's a link to a picture of the ship: http://www.murphysonthewater.com/FleetMarII.php
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