As I remember it, my introduction to Celtic Christianity began when I discovered the music of the British progressive rock group called Iona. I was always on the look out for Christian music with a unique approach, and reading a review about this group prompted me to pick up their first self-titled CD in 1990. I was not disappointed, I enjoyed their unique blend of traditional Celtic music and progressive rock, complete with Christian lyrics and creative sensibilities. In 1992 Jeff Johnson, an independent recording artist who I have been a fan of since 1980, released the first of his Albion trilogy, a recording of contemporary Celtic music that he created in conjunction with a book series by Stephen Lawhead. Both Johnson’s music and Lawhead’s books immersed me Celtic imagination and spirituality. A few years later, in 1994, at an Association of the Lutheran Church Musicians conference in Calgary, Alberta, I had the good fortune of hearing John Bell speak. John was from the Iona Community in Scotland, he was (and still is) a delightful, challenging and fascinating presenter. This was twice I had encountered the name Iona, and both times it was associated with a creative expression of Christianity.
At that conference I picked up some worship materials published by the Iona Community. These dramatic readings, liturgies and songs seemed both earthy and fresh, they made worship come alive for me. It wasn’t long before I began to use the Iona worship resources in my work as a pastor. I wondered why these Scottish Christians were able to create words for worship that were both down-to-earth and in touch with the numinous at the same time. That curiosity led me to read more and more about Celtic Christianity.
I was fortunate to have stumbled on this subject about the same time more and more people were beginning to explore the unique history and approach of Celtic Christianity. The uniqueness of ancient Celtic Christianity was being revealed to a wider audience through numerous books and articles published in the past two decades. The more I read the more I became convinced that this early form of Christianity had much to offer the church in our current context.
Ancient Celtic Christianity was significantly different from the church in the rest of Europe in that early era (the 4th through 7th centuries). Being on the fringe of the continent the Celtic Church was developed on its own with little interference or influence from Rome. However this eventually changed and the Celtic Church was brought in line with the rest of the Roman Catholic church in Europe. Many aspects of Celtic Christianity never fully disappeared however, and in recent decades more and more people have been exploring and embracing the unique elements of this ancient expression of the Christian faith.
Personally I found myself attracted to Celtic Christianity’s deep love of nature, and their willingness to see God’s presence in all places and activities. For Celtic Christians there were no boundaries between the sacred and the secular, all of life was the experience and living out of one’s faith, as evidenced by prayers for everything from rising out of bed, to setting a fire in the hearth, to tending the livestock, and so forth. I appreciate the less hierarchical way the Celtic Church was structured, with Abbots and Abbesses (leaders of monasteries) the leaders of the church in that region. Celtic monasteries were multi-functional resource centres: they served as places of prayer, libraries, schools, health centres and, most significantly, they were open to outsiders. While most Celtic monasticism was grounded in a fierce asceticism, the monks treated others with care and compassion, showing great hospitality and inclusiveness.
Celtic Christianity’s emphasis on learning and the arts was also appealing. Poetry was valued, visual art was created as expressions of faith, Celtic Christianity encouraged creativity. Illuminated manuscripts like The Book of Kells are one example of this attribute of the Celtic church.
The more I learned about Celtic Christianity the more I felt called to my own pilgrimage (like many of the Celtic monks), I felt a deep desire to visit the Isle of Iona one day. I wanted to set foot on Iona not only for the ancient history, and its reputation as being a ‘thin place’, I also wanted to experience the contemporary Celtic community which has produced so much wonderful worship material the past couple of decades. Three years ago I got my chance when I traveled to Europe with my wife Beth to celebrate our 25th Wedding Anniversary. (You can read about our pilgrimage to Iona here.) Visiting Iona only increased my desire to explore Celtic Christianity further, especially when I discovered that the Celtic and Nordic people had a lot of interaction with each other over the centuries (there are Norwegian Kings buried on Iona for example). Through all this I have sensed within myself a deep connection to the ancient places and saints, practices and prayers of the Celtic Church.
At this time I continue to utilize elements of Celtic Christianity within my own work as a pastor. I continue to sings the songs and use the liturgies of the Iona Community. I believe that the Celtic way of evangelism is more relevant to our current context than much of the American way of evangelism this past century. In so many ways has this unique version of Christianity shaped who I am and how I minister that it would be hard to identify them all.
There is much from ancient Celtic Christianity that remains relevant today, much we can learn from and incorporate into our current context. A passage from Timothy Joyce's book "Celtic Christianity: A Sacred Tradition, a Vision of Hope" expresses those aspects of the early Celtic Christian church that I think should be considered a model for the church today:
There is much from ancient Celtic Christianity that remains relevant today, much we can learn from and incorporate into our current context. A passage from Timothy Joyce's book "Celtic Christianity: A Sacred Tradition, a Vision of Hope" expresses those aspects of the early Celtic Christian church that I think should be considered a model for the church today:
The Celtic tradition was very communal, expressing a horizontal equality and deemphasizing vertical, hierarchical differences. Men and women tended to be more equal than in the Roman experience. Clergy and laypeople were closer... Together, the Christian community practiced (or aimed at practicing) a holistic spirituality that embraced the mind (respect for learning, preserving the tradition in writing), the heart (nature, poetry, music), and the body (penance and pilgrimage). It was mystical spirituality that avoided later dualisms by seeing the sacred and the secular as one, the grace of God in the ordinary things of everyday life, the image of God the Creator in all of creation.
This holistic approach to a communal life of faith resonates strongly with me. I am grateful for having discovered the beauty and depth of the Celtic Christian tradition these past years, and I will continue to learn more (and hopefully be shaped more) by this rediscovered expression of faith and life. I conclude this reflection with words to a song I wrote for our Mysterium Worship Gatherings - a song most certainly influenced by Celtic Christianity.
Be the centre of our circle
Be the peace that centres us.
We call to you, the Holy mystery,
The Three-in-One, and One-in-Three.
Be the centre of our circle,
Be the peace that centres us.
Be our peace, be our peace.
Both pictures in this post were taken by myself on the Isle of Iona in June of 2009. The first is a picture of the ancient Abbey, where worship services still take place, and the second picture is one of the standing high crosses found on the island.
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