God Of The Uncharted Ways - A Virtual Pilgrimage 4/10

Welcome, Pilgrim on a Mission! Leaving the sacred shores of Iona in our hearts, today we journeyed with the spirit of those early monks who were sent out to carry the light of Christ into new territories. We focused on the remarkable story of St. Machar, commissioned by St. Columba for a unique and trust-filled mission, exploring themes of discerning God's call, perseverance in faith, and trusting in Divine guidance.
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Transcript

Hello,

And welcome back to God of the Uncharted Ways.

We've spent a beautiful time together,

Resting in the heart of Iona.

Today on our fourth day,

We will experience the fruit of that dedicated life,

As we journey forth with one of the monks sent out on a remarkable mission.

This sacred time is always an opportunity to step away from the noise,

To quiet your heart and to listen for the loving voice of God in new ways.

At the halfway point of our time together,

You'll hear a gentle chime.

This will be your cue to turn around if you're not walking in a loop.

So let's take a deep breath.

Let the rhythm of your steps settle your spirit.

And let's begin our journey of being sent.

Yesterday we walked the hallowed ground of Iona,

Immersing ourselves in the vibrant disciplined life of St.

Columba's monastic family,

A powerhouse of prayer,

Work and sacred study.

Today we experience the fruit of that dedicated life,

As we focus on being sent from Iona following the story of St.

Mehar.

We'll journey with one of those early monks exploring the courage,

Faith and profound trust required to follow a unique and seemingly obscure call from God.

As you begin your walk today,

Imagine you are part of a small band of monks in a sturdy cura having just bid farewell to the shores of Iona.

The familiar outline of the island with its small prayerful settlement is receding behind you.

Ahead lies the open sea and beyond that the largely unknown lands of the pits on mainland Scotland.

For these first several minutes as you settle into your pace,

Reflect on what it feels like to be sent.

There's a weight of responsibility,

Perhaps,

But also a lightness that comes from knowing you are not going in your own strength,

But under the mantle of a trusted spiritual father like Columba and ultimately under the guidance of God.

Imagine the grey-green waters of the Sound of Iona around your small boat.

Can you feel the cool spray on your face?

Smell the sharp,

Salty air?

What emotions stir in your heart as Iona,

Your spiritual home,

Grows smaller in the distance?

Is it sadness,

Excitement,

A quiet resolve,

Terror,

Perhaps?

With each inhale,

Draw in the courage for the unknown path ahead.

With each exhale,

Release your own plans,

Your own understanding of how things should be.

Make space for the surprising guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Your physical eyes might see the coastland of Mull,

Then the more distant mainland,

But let your inner eye,

Your spiritual gaze,

Be fixed on Christ,

The true pilot of this voyage,

The unseen guide who charts your course.

Let your walk today be a participation in this sacred sending,

This journey of faith into new territory.

The life of Iona,

As we experienced yesterday,

Was intensely focused,

Deeply prayerful,

And rigorously disciplined.

This wasn't to create an isolated enclave of holiness,

But to forge souls strong and supple enough to carry the light of Christ into the challenging,

Often hostile,

Pagan world beyond its shores.

St.

Columba,

Wise and discerning,

Knew when a monk was ready,

When the Spirit had prepared him for a particular mission.

One such monk was Mahar.

We know he was steeped in the prayers,

The scriptures,

The communal work,

And the profound silence of that holy isle.

He was,

In essence,

Ready to be poured out.

The moment of his commissioning by Columba is one of the most beautiful and enigmatic stories in Celtic history.

Columba gave him this instruction.

Mahar was to travel northwards from Iona,

Along the coast of mainland Scotland,

Until he came to a place where a river bent in its course to form the shape of a bishop's crozier.

That pastoral staff,

Symbolic of a shepherd's care.

And there,

At that specific,

Yet unspecified,

Location,

He was to build a church and establish a community.

Imagine receiving this directive.

No map with an X marking the spot.

No coordinates.

No clear timeline.

No Google Maps.

Just this beautifully poetic,

Deeply symbolic,

Yet utterly practical and challenging sign to seek.

A river bend,

Like a shepherd's staff.

It was a call that demanded immense faith,

Extraordinary patience,

And a mystical attunement to the landscape and the leading of the spirit.

He was to look for God's signature written into the very geography of the earth.

So,

Mahar set sail.

Think of their journey.

Days,

Weeks,

Perhaps even months in their curach,

Hugging the wild,

Indented coastline of what we now know as Argyll,

Loch Arbor,

And further north.

How many times might doubt have whispered,

Is this foolishness?

Am I mad to be looking for a river bend?

His reliance must have been utterly on God.

On the word of his spiritual father Columba,

And on the deep well of prayer and scripture he carried within him from his years on Iona.

This wasn't just a physical search.

It was a profound spiritual discipline of looking,

Listening,

Waiting,

And trusting.

Eventually,

After a long and arduous journey,

Mahar and his companions reached the northeast of Scotland,

The land of Aberdeenshire.

And there,

As he explored the mouth of the River Don,

He saw it.

The river making a distinct,

Graceful curve like the head of a bishop's crozier,

Before it flowed into the North Sea.

Can you imagine the joy?

The relief?

The profound affirmation of that moment?

This was the place.

Here,

God had set his mark.

And so,

Saint Mahar founded this church,

Which in time grew to become the great Saint Mahar's Cathedral in Old Aberdeen,

A beacon of faith in that region for centuries.

His story is a powerful testament to the nature of divine guidance.

Sometimes,

God's guidance is not a detailed blueprint,

But a symbolic image,

A deep inner knowing,

An invitation to a journey of discovery.

A testament to perseverance in faith,

Mahar's long search teaches us the importance of persevering in our calling,

Even when the way is unclear or the fulfillment seems long delayed.

A testament to God's preparation.

His years on Iona were the essential preparation for this unique and challenging mission.

God equips us for what he calls us to do.

As you continue your walk,

Reflecting on Saint Mahar's extraordinary journey,

Consider your own crozier.

Is there a unique,

Perhaps even slightly unusual call or prompting you feel from God in your own life?

Reflect on perseverance.

When has your own faith been tested by a long period of waiting or searching?

What helped you to persevere?

The Iona within you.

What spiritual disciplines or community connections are currently shaping and preparing you for the unique mission God has for your life?

Saint Mahar's story reminds us that being sent is not about having all the answers,

But about having a deep trust in the sender and a willingness to look for his beautiful,

Often surprising,

Presence in the world.

And now let's pray,

Asking for hearts that are both attentive to God's unique guidance and courageous in following his call.

O God,

Our guide and our sustainer,

You who led your servant Mahar by strange and beautiful paths to the place of your appointing,

We praise you for your hidden wisdom and your faithful love.

We thank you for the courage you instilled in him,

Born of the deep life of prayer and community on Iona.

We thank you for his patient searching,

His attentive heart,

His unwavering trust in a call that might have seemed obscure to others.

Lord,

Grant us,

We pray,

A measure of Mahar's spirit.

Open the eyes of our hearts to see your unique signature in the often confusing landscapes of our personal journeys,

In the unexpected turns,

In the quiet invitations.

Give us patience when the way is long and discernment when the signs are subtle.

Help us to trust that the preparation you give us is perfectly designed to equip us for the unique missions you set before us.

Still the anxieties that make us rush for easy answers.

And deepen in us a quiet confidence that your hand is upon us.

Your spirit goes before us and your love will bring us to our appointed place in your perfect time.

May we,

Like Mahar,

Build places of light and peace where you show us the curve of your shepherd staff.

Amen.

Once you're home and settled,

Here are some journaling questions you might like to work with.

First,

Reflect on a time when you felt sent by God,

Whether for a large task or a small act of kindness.

What did it feel like to step out in faith?

Second,

Is there a particular image,

Dream,

Longing,

Or unusual prompting in your life that feels like it might be a unique call from God?

Your own divine crozier?

How are you prayerfully discerning it?

And third,

What past experiences or current spiritual practices do you recognize as God's way of preparing you for what he might be calling you to next?

Tomorrow our pilgrimage takes us to seek the profound peace and wisdom found in solitude with God.

We will journey in spirit to a remote Hebridean beach,

Focusing on the unique ways the creator speaks through the quiet and vastness of his untamed creation,

Drawing inspiration from the Hebridean hermit tradition.

And that brings our time to a close.

May you go in peace,

Held in the grace of the God who calls you out upon the waters.

I look forward to welcoming you back here again tomorrow.

In the meantime,

Rest in his presence.

Go with God and be blessed.