Aidan: More Than a Conqueror!

 

Read:  Romans 8:35-39

 

(This blog is a reflection on time spent in Ireland and the United Kingdom in the summer of 2019.  Over that time, I had the opportunity to visit these holy places and learn about the lives of people who made an impact in the name of Jesus.)

 

The above statue is of Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne.  It is located on Holy Island (Lindisfarne), near the border of Scotland and England, a region called Northumbria.  Getting to Holy Island is something of an endeavor as there is a very short window each day to drive across the bay to the island.  The road connecting the island to the mainland is only accessible during low tide.  If one is not careful about time, it is easy to find the car stuck in rising water or to spend more time on the island than planned.  

 

Yet, Holy Island is a special place.  It holds the ruins of a church and monastery that housed the first monks who brought the Christian faith to this part of the world.  Pilgrims today from all over travel to Holy Island to learn, pray, and to be still.   This site was originally chosen so that the monks could easily balance a life of quiet prayer with engagement in the larger community.  The tides provided a natural boundary for when individuals could travel to neighboring villages and when they simply had to be still on the island. 

 

Aidan, a simple monk on Iona (a monastery located on an island in western Scotland), started the monastery on Holy Island in 635 A.D.  He was not the first Christian missionary to Northumbria.  In fact, it was only because of the shortcomings of another Iona monk, Corman, that Aidan would eventually find himself on Holy Island.  

 

Corman was first sent as the missionary to the warlike people of the region.  He was very smart but also known for being hard and rigid in his manner.  Before leaving, Corman spoke of conquering the peoples there for Christ.  Not surprisingly, after only a few months, Corman returned in dismay simply stating that the people in Northumbria were unruly, brutish, and had no interest in Jesus, the church, or its services.

 

Upon hearing this, the typically quiet Aidan was concerned that Corman had been too tough on the people.  Challenging Corman directly, he said, “Brother, it seems to me you were too hard on these untaught minds.  You expected too much too soon…You cannot force people to be where you want them to be without showing them what they are missing by remaining as they are.”  At that moment, the Bishop of Iona sensed that perhaps the mission required a gentle and patient man, like Aidan.  (To read more about this story, see Aidan, Bede, and Cuthbert:  Three Inspirational Saints, by David Adam.)

 

As Aidan lived out his missionary calling in Northumbria, he embodied the love of Jesus in his words, actions and attitudes with the people.  The mission thrived and the faith grew on Holy Island and beyond.  Aidan realized that what the gospel of Jesus required was not a conquering mentality, but a gentle heart of grace and love.  This proved to be the best way to connect people with Christ.  Aidan’s statue on Holy Island reminds us of this call and legacy.

 

Too often today Christians adopt the conquest mindset of Corman, rather than the gentle loving way of Aidan.  I believe Aidan’s wisdom is as true today as it was in his own time.  It is a truth that goes back to the beginning.  As followers of Jesus, we are more than conquerors, we are people of love, God’s love.  That is what draws people to Christ.  Our job is not to prove others wrong, to conquer them with our ideas and beliefs, or to force our religious life upon them.  It is simply to model the loving and welcoming way of Jesus and that, in turn, will lead others to the heart of God.