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Sacred Spaces Can Be Found Everywhere
by Rev. Dr. Nash Garabedian Jr.
You may have seen her floating up the river. She
usually has the same escorts: two tugs, the Mary Coppage with Capt.
Lawson Doughty and the Eugenia with Capt. Steve Holt. Maybe you’ve heard
those short "toots" as they pass under the Memorial Bridge. She’s a
regular visitor to Portsmouth and Newington. Capt. Richard Holt Jr. of
Portsmouth Pilots, has been aboard the ship for miles, guiding her up
the river through the twists and turns until she reaches the terminal.
This isn’t just another ship passing by. There’s something aboard more
than the cargo. There are people on the tanker Delphina, 24 to be exact.
Aboard, the crew members are busy as they prepare to dock and offload
their cargo. They have a busy night ahead of them. The workday is long
and hard. Sometimes for the crew it seems like work never ends. Today,
fortunately, is very warm compared to the temperatures in February.
The crew is far from home. Most of them won’t be home for eight or nine
months. Their families are in the Philippines and Korea. As they work,
they wonder about home; their kids, school, relatives, jobs, money, and
when they will return. It’s a tough life at sea; the hours are long, the
work is dangerous and they make a huge sacrifice for their families at
home. Often, it takes its toll on them.
I climb the gangway slowly. I promised the crew I would pray with each
step. I wonder in my prayer-climb, "Will there be problems aboard? What
will they need? Will I be able to help?"
From the moment I step on the deck, things begin to happen. "Welcome
aboard, Father! How are you? It’s good to see you again!" Often in our
places of worship, we talk about hospitality. On board, the crew lives
it. It’s not talk or a theory. It’s reality. I’ve become the stranger
who is welcomed. "Come, let’s have some lunch."
Something is happening in the ordinary. This isn’t just about going on a
ship. God’s at work here. I’ve already been received, welcomed. The
practice of hospitality is second nature. I’ve been accepted into
another culture, with different languages and traditions. As time
passes, we find common ground. Our differences don’t matter.
Around the tables we sit. Fish, rice, soup and fruit are served. We
laugh about work, long hours, and my strange pronunciations in Tagalog
and Korean. We talk about phone conversations they had with family last
night, half way around the world. Sometimes our conversation drifts into
silence. It’s sacred space between words. My spirit is as full as my
belly. I know what it means to be satisfied. In this moment, the divine
abounds. Holding the pain and wounds of the world, this is a glimpse of
the Creator’s delight. This is the ordinary, miraculous bread-breaking
meal about which Jesus told his friends.
It’s not the Twilight Zone I have fallen into. It’s the sacred space
that gets created by one whose divine laughter and compassion abounds.
This time, it’s on a ship. It’s a holy happening on the river you drive
over almost every day. It may not be flashy; in fact, it’s pretty
ordinary.
This is a simple way God reveals a whimsical glimpse of peace. Sacred
spaces with ordinary people are everywhere. May we linger long enough
this weekend to catch a glimpse.
The Rev. Dr. Nash Garabedian Jr. is Port Chaplain and Mission Director
for Seafarer’s Friend in the ports of Portsmouth and Portland, Maine. He
can be reached at nashgarabedian@conversent.net.
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http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/05282005/communit/44765.htm
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