Tonight is our last night on the Isle of Iona. The wind and sea are calm this evening. Lights are coming on in homes on the Isle of Mull, just across the water. To the west is open water, all the way to North America.
The island is rocky and rolling, full of green pastures and wild flowers. Houses here are made of stone; sheep and wooly cattle far outnumber people. The hundred or so residents are farmers and fishermen, artists and craftsmen.
Today we walked the length of the island, a couple of miles to Columba’s Bay. We crossed a pass in the hills and descended through thick ferns to a beach of weathered stones. There someone had marked out a labyrinth, inviting us to walk and pray. Prayer comes naturally here. A carved bench at the Abbey invites the pilgrim to “Be Still.” Even fellow travelers seem to speak in hushed tones…hesitant to break the quiet.
What brought us to this tiny speck of rock off the western coast of Scotland? Many call Iona a “thin place,” where the boundary between heaven and earth is narrow enough to almost see…or smell…or taste. I don’t know about that, but I do know that:
*To this very place an Irishman named Columba was sent (some say exiled) in the 500’s. Columba, the “Dove of the Church,” was charged with the task of ministering to the people of this island. With God’s help he built a community of Christians here…a community so powerful that they changed the face of Scotland and England for Christ. Men fled lives of war and desperation to give their lives to God through the goodness of work, worship, study, the creation of astounding works of art, and peaceful life together.
*Here in this very place the Book of Kells was likely produced—an amazing illuminated Celtic manuscript of the gospels that many regard as the most incredible text ever penned.
*Here in this place brothers set out in small skin boats to carry the gospel to the Picts, the Angles, and many other people.
*So steeped in goodness was this tiny island that it became the favored burial place for Kings of England, Scotland, and even Norway.
*Here on these beaches the blood of hundreds of brothers was spilled by Viking invaders who prowled these waters in the 8-900’s, bringing an end to the era of Columba’s community. In time, the wooden buildings crumbled, leaving only tall standing stone crosses as sentinels and lonely stone tombs to mark the graves of the kings, martyrs, and disciples of Christ.
*Here Benedictine brothers (1500’s) and sisters came to carry on the work of Columba’s monastery, staying until the time of the Reformation *Here the latter day Iona Community undertook to rebuild the Iona Abbey in the 1960’s, bringing a new community of believers committed to unity, love, and service into being. That community stretches to many cities and is formed of Christians of many churches. We have been worshiping three times daily with the community, enjoying the music and meeting new people. John Bell, who visited us at Hopwood, was supposed to have been here this week, but is ill.
If geographical locations maintain a memory, or pass on a spiritual DNA to succeeding generations, this place might be living testament. Iona seems to be a place that is steeped in the goodness of God and continues to produce devoted disciples of Christ.
Check out pictures at:
