Our Ministry
The Anchor
by Rev. Stan Berntson
The M/V CHRISTIAN has a good anchor. I call it “Bruce”, because it is a Bruce Anchor.
It was installed by my predecessor, Elvin Borg, and his teacher, Joel Hanson. Bruce is a good anchor, as long it is set in the right kind of bottom. The problem is finding the right bottom that will allow it to sink in deep and HOLD.
The nautical charts often mark the type of bottom found in an inviting cove or bay. M is for mud. That is the favorite. The anchor will set deep and hold during terrible weather in mud. Cl is for clay. That is not so good for Bruce. Clay may congeal in Bruce’s claw and prevent it from resetting. Then we drag anchor. Every mariner’s idea of a nightmare!
Other bottoms, like rock and sand, are to be avoided. Those bottoms cannot be trusted to hold Bruce. So for safety, we need to be careful where we set our anchor. An anchor, well set, can allow for a much more restful night. There is security and peace of mind. 
As people of God, we seek to anchor our wills, our days, our life, and our death, in God. In Christ we begin to know the incredible depth of the love of God, into which we are invited to plunge the anchor of our lives and wills.
In some native villages in Southeast Alaska, there is some conflict around where to set one’s “anchor”. The concern is around culture. Does one need to set one’s culture aside to be set in the Lord? Can regalia from one’s clan be displayed at a memorial service? Are totems pagan?
Oh yes, there are still pastors here in some churches that look suspiciously at totem poles, button blankets, crests, and other regalia. They believe these things need to be banned from their churches. But what if these objects are merely and beautifully helping Native people of the Southeast know who they are? Giving them identity within God’s creation.
Of course there is always the risk of making an idol out of one’s culture. We can make idols out of our own kids! Then we worship the creation rather than the Creator. But what if the eagle, bear, beaver, raven, wolf, crests, button blankets, masks, totems, and whatever else that is part of Pacific Coast native culture, simply help a people know who they are as part of the Creator’s world? What if the Creator of all things has been part of this developing culture for centuries, using all the above to help them understand who they are as a people, as a clan, as a family, as a couple, or as an individual?
And our Lord yearns and waits for Eagles and Ravens and all of his coastal peoples to set their anchors in Him, to go deeper into the arms of His love. “Thank you Jesus” is one of the favorite phrases of some people we have met in our sailings. Thank you Jesus! The people can say, “BE” an Eagle or Raven; Beaver, Wolf or Bear. And they can set their anchor deep into the love of God through Christ Jesus, without having to leave their cultural identity behind. Thanks be to God!
As Sharon and I travel into the villages of Southeast Alaska, pray that we continue to set our anchor well in the Lord. And pray that we are faithful to God and to the people He created, to share the Gospel - the Good News - that is sensitive to the identities He has given them.