Space

Today I have been to Holy Island to do some more research on St Aidan who is the subject of my last assignment before my dissertation on my MA Mission Course specializing in Celtic Christianity. Holy island is an amazing place, with a rich Christian heritage and a fantastic history in general.

To me it is a thin place.

A place where I can connect with God easily.

A place of extreme peace.

But not today.

It was a really pleasant sunny day today all though the wind has been strong. The sky over Lindisfarne was crystal blue. The sun cast an amazing sheen on the rolling sea showing up the most fabulous greens and blues in the sea broken up by bright white wave crests. It was just a fantastic sight.

But sunny days bring visitors.

Hundreds and hundreds of visitors.

The Island was packed.

I was here to get a sense of what Aidan must have sensed and seen. I have to write an essay entitled does Aidan's missions say anything to the Church's mission today? And following an intense period of a month of research and reading, Ive almost lived with Aidan this last couple of months! So I just wanted to come to Holy Island where Aidan was sent to Northumbria in 635 at the request of King Oswald to work towards winning Oswald's kingdom for Christ. Here on Holy Island, Aidan planted and founded the first monastery. This monastery became a mission hotbed where people were trained to reach others and were sent to people who had never heard of Jesus.

And here I was in this incredible place just ready to get some peace and to see what I could find.

But today there was no peace.

I thought it was best to find a quiet space and pray first before I ventured out around the Island. So I headed for the parish Church of St Mary right next to the amazing ruins of the 15th Century Benedictine monastery probably built on the site of Aidan's earlier wooden monastery.

There was no-one in the Church. So I sat in a wooden pew right at the back and just started to pray.
After five minutes, the door swung open and a coach load of elderly people came in to sightsee! Banging doors, laughing out loud, licking ice creams and causing other innocent mischief.

My peace was shattered!

And it wouldn't be the first time that day.

I left the Church, blessing these guys as I went! I headed for the monastery and began to walk the ruins. The place was packed and everywhere you went there were groups of people.

Every shop, every coffee shop, every street was full of people.

It quickly became apparent that there was going to be little peace this day.

But that was OK.

I decided to walk out to Lindisfarne Castle, an almost fairytale looking castle out at the far tip of the Island. On that walk I looked out to the sea and I saw the Inner Farne. The inner Farne is an island out a few miles off Holy Island. For Aidan, far enough away to be alone with God, something which he longed for.
David Adam describes the island in his amazing book ‘Flame in My Heart.

“It would seem that the nearest of the islands was the largest and most likely to sustain a tough way of living, but Oswald had his doubts. It was said that the Island was inhabited by demons, small dark beings who put fear into any who had ventured there. Aidan saw this as a challenge, and at the same time a witness to God. He would go there and be alone. He needed a place where he could truly have no-one to speak to but God. A place where he could be still and know that he was enfolded with love.

As I looked over to the lonely looking jagged Island in the distance. I kind of understood. I had only been on the Island a few hours and needed just a bit of solitude, a bit of quiet space. Just to speak to no-one but God, and to be still and know that I was enfolded with his love.

It's interesting that Aidan chose a place that was said to be covered in evil.
It showed how connected to God he really was. He knew he was walking in victory and nothing of the enemy could harm him.

That displays that there is hope.

It also occurred to me how much we all need a personal inner Farne. A place where we can go to be alone with God. I think without it the mission field will be a difficult place for us to operate in.

No matter how busy we are, no matter how big our responsibilities, no matter what pressures pile on to us every day. We need that uninterrupted space with God.

So where is your personal inner Farne?

Do you have one?

Maybe you should sort it out?
Now?