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| Image by Gitta Zahn |
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Columba
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A GREETING
This is my comfort in my distress,
that your promise gives me life.
(Psalm 119:50)
A READING
And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. A gale arose on the lake, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him up, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We are perishing!’ And he said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, you of little faith?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm. They were amazed, saying, ‘What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?’
(Matthew 8:23-27)
MUSIC
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
He made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
(Psalm 107:29)
A PRAYER
Before God and you who are near me,
I release anything I hold against you;
I regret all I have done to harm you;
I stand beside the wrong in my life
and ask for God's forgiveness.
- prayer found in The Iona Abbey Worship Book
A BLESSING
God of love, in the silence of our hearts
give us words of welcome, acceptance and renewal
so that when we speak, our words come from you.
- from "Prayer for Three Voices" by Yvonne Morland,
excerpted in 50 Great Prayers from the Iona Community,
selected by Neil Paynter
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Uncredited video found on the
Instagram page of @valaisblacknosesheepscotland
One of the earliest Celtic missionaries is Columba, also known as Columcille, who is credited with establishing Christianity in Scotland through the establishment of a monastic community at Iona in the sixth century. He is one of three saints considered to be foundational to monastic life in Ireland and Scotland (the other two are Patrick and Brigid whom we will get to know also).
Educated in the early Irish monasteries, he then founded several of his own in Ireland before he fell into a dispute with Finnian, another monastic voyager who had been his mentor. The dispute is believed to have led to a battle. To resolve the conflict, Columba was either exiled or chose to exile himself (traditions attest to both). Taking twelve companions with him, when his boat first came ashore on an isle in the Scottish Hebrides, he did not stay there but pushed farther north. This brought him to Iona, in the Inner Hebrides. The boat journey was profound: he experienced a deepened desire for transformation and vowed to commit himself to a renewed life of faith. Although the first structure was destroyed, the Iona Abbey established in his name in the ninth century has endured and is still a thriving centre of spirituality.
In today’s reading, Jesus asks the disciples why they are afraid of the storm and adds the seemingly unkind phrase, “you of little faith." Although it is translated as ‘little faith,' the Greek words here mean ‘one who trusts too little.' The Greek word for 'trust' is the same as 'faith.' Today’s music is an old Celtic song that describes a woman waiting for a loved one, the boat man, to return. In our spiritual journeying, we play different roles. We are sometimes the voyager and sometimes the person waiting for something to come our way that will inspire us and free us from our spiritual knots. Both the voyager and the one waiting for guidance are accompanied: God is with us and can help to calm the stormy waters of our hearts. When we are seeking, whether a new place to journey to, or a way of being able to continue the life we have, our deepest prayers are met by God’s desire for our wellbeing.
In this midweek time between holiday events, we might be starting to feel weary, and yearning for the quiet rhythms of normal life. Or if we are alone, we might be longing for the season to just be over. How can we make space instead for prayer today, inviting God to be with us in a few moments of stillness? How can we quietly discern what it is we are most seeking -- for ourselves and for the world?
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| Image by Gitta Zahn |
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LC† Come Holy Darkness is a project of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook, and on Twitter. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help to support extended offerings throughout the year.
Thank you and peace be with you!