doesn't do the things they want them to do. They wanted Jesus and John to act a
certain way, they wanted the Messiah and the one preparing the way for him to
both act the way they wanted, in a way that fit into their comfortable lives, in a
way that fit into their narrow mindset. John was too extreme, eating locusts and
wild honey, living as a hermit. Jesus was too extreme in different way, loving
outcasts, and spending time with tax collectors and sinners. While the people
want to hear the Truth and see the Messiah, while they want that thing that will
bring them to the Kingdom of Heaven, once Jesus presents it to them, they write
him off as a drunkard and a glutton. The way John the Baptist lived didn't fit into
their box, into their comfortable lives, and the way Jesus lived and loved most
certainly did not fit either.
This thing that Jesus is preaching, and is telling us is the way to the
Kingdom of Heaven, seems difficult to those who aren't ready. It may seem like a
burden, to love those who are difficult to love, to spend time and touch those who
are, in our eyes, untouchable, but that's how Jesus wants us to love. "Take my
yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you
will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." ­ In
other words, He's saying, learn from my example, do what I do, take my work
upon yourselves because this work, this thing we're striving for, loving and
caring for one another, is so much better than dealing with life's burdens on our
own. Yes, it may seem like it will be difficult at first, but trust me, it's not.
This Sunday we remember a group of people who carry heavy burdens.
Seafarers deal with a lot of things that most of us never have to deal with. They
leave their families and friends for months at a time, living and working with a
group of strangers, depending on others to provide decent food and a
comfortable living space, braving the dangers of the open sea, all the while doing
it to provide us with the things we need, the things we use every day. I admit that
before coming to Hong Kong and working with the Mission to Seafarers, I knew
absolutely nothing about shipping, let alone the forgotten people that are behind
the industry. I didn't realize that over 90% of everything you and I use on a daily
basis is made available to us in some way because of shipping. I didn't realize the
burden the people that bring us those things carry and deal with just so I can
watch my TV or drive to work or drink my morning cup of coffee. I didn't realize
seafarers will leave home for up to 12 months at a time to work on the ships that
carry these things to me. I didn't realize how normal it was for seafarers to miss
their children's births, sports games, graduations just to provide for their family
and to provide me with my everyday necessities. I didn't realize that the most
dangerous thing about the open sea isn't the pirates or the storms, but the
isolation those people feel while traveling at sea for months at a time, separated
from their friends, family, and the outside world.
So while caring for a seafarer may be as difficult as helping them find a
way to secure their wages after months of not getting paid by their company, it
could be as simple as sending money back home for them, bringing them a SIM
card for their phone so they can hear their child's voice, or even just having a
conversation and being a friendly face.
P. 6

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