A Blessing of the Fleet For the 2024 Hunting Season
Author’s Apology: It has been pointed out to me by members of our site that this Pastor FORGOT the Blessing of the Fleet last year! Oh the shame! Thanks be to God that HE has a better memory than me!Author’s suggestion: I encourage you to walk through this blessing near the water to give you the proper setting. Go through this slowly, giving each part time to sink in. Let it be like a private prayer service for you. Especially on the “we remember” part, give yourself some time to reflect. Personally, I found it not good to do this in the blind while watching for ducks: it’s hard to concentrate on two important things! Be safe guys!
Larry
Introductory Thought:
We are gathered to ask safe passage for our fleet of boats. Some will ply unnamed and unknown waters. Others will hunt the great waters of our sport: the coast of Maine and New England, Great South Bay, The Chesapeake, Barnegat Bay, the Pamlico and other North Carolina Sounds, Mobile Bay and the bayous of the south, Stuttgart, the Father of Waters, the St. Clair Flats, Saginaw Bay, and that “most dangerous boating water in America,” namely, the Great Lakes.
Still others will venture forth to the marshes of Wisconsin and Minnesota, the Delta Marsh, the Prairie Pothole region, the great marshes of Utah and California, or the estuaries of the Pacific Northwest. Great water or unnamed pothole, all deliver the potential for great joy and great danger. We will ask Almighty God to give us wisdom as captains to properly judge the natural elements, as well as our craft, so that we and our companions return safely to our families.
Invocation:
In the name of God the Father, who created the waters and the birds we seek. In the name of God the Son, who redeemed the people who ply the waters and seek the birds. In the name of God the Holy Spirit, who fills and inspires all things with the awesome presence of the Almighty. Amen.
Scripture: Psalm 93:1,3,4
“The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty. The Lord is robed in majesty and is armed with strength… The seas have lifted up; the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves. Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty.” (NIV)Scripture: Psalm 107: 23-31
“They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; these see the works of the Lord and his wonders in the deep. For He commands and raises the stormy wind, which lift up the waves thereof; they mount up to heaven; they go down again to the depths, their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man and are at their wits end. They then cry unto the Lord in their trouble and he bringeth them out of distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then they are glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” (KJV)
A Time of Silence to Remember Those Gone Before Us
We remember those who mentored us, now gone to glory…We remember those who died while hunting…
We remember the great storms we have known (e.g. Armistice Day,
1940, November 10, 11 1998, etc.)…
The Blessing of the Fleet
Let Us Pray… Heavenly Father, thank you for this heritage: the waters I know and love, the sky at sunrise and sunset, the mystery of the weather, the incredible beauty of each bird I seek. Thank you for the boat(s) that I am privileged to own. Thank you for the job which allows me to provide for my family and my pursuit of waterfowl. In the mixture of weather, boats, and birds, there is for me, both keen excitement and the chemistry for grave danger. The very conditions that will make the best hunt, wind and cold and snow and water, could be the carriers of my death. I ask You to bless this boat (these boats) with safe passage upon the waters I will hunt. Bless this captain with wise decisions so that neither I or nor my companions fall into jeopardy. And in the day of trouble, when danger threatens, bring us safely home to harbor. I am a steward of all the resources around me, including my own life, and I thank You for them. In Thy name I pray. Amen.We Speak the Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by 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 out 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 and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.Closing:
May the blessing of God follow us all and give us a bountiful and safe season. Amen!
Peace my friends, safe boating and safe hunting!
Rev. Larry Eckart, Retired Lutheran Pastor, Apex, NC
larryeckart54@gmail.com
