My sabbatical begins thirteen hundred years ago on the windswept island of Lindisfarne. I want to ask the monk bishop Cuthbert, ‘What makes for effective church?’ This is the question I’ve set for myself as Dorothy and I begin our three month journey around the world. A short space on this beautiful island is an excellent opportunity to prayerfully reflect on my task. Cuthbert lived in the seventh century in a world far removed from the complexity of the twenty first century. Yet, there is a resonance in the experience of church that transcends both time and culture. What is this experience and how may it be expressed? It is something which is much deeper than custom and practice.
Cuthbert sought the monastic life of solitude and prayer which ironically led him to be appointed as bishop of Lindisfarne. Even though his term as bishop was brief, he is revered as a saint through the centuries. Today, the ‘holy island’ of Lindisfarne is a place of pilgrimage for Christians; it is a place of peace which touches the lives of both pilgrims and those whose interest is simply that of the tourist.
Who was St Cuthbert? (Extract from Lindisfarne Priory Museum) Cuthbert was a Northumbrian priest who travelled constantly, preaching and baptising vast numbers of men and women. In 664 he became Prior of Lindisfarne, living on St Cuthbert’s Isle, but seeking greater isolation, he moved to the island of Farne and lived as a hermit. After nearly ten years on Farne, Cuthbert reluctantly agreed to be consecrated bishop and resumed his missionary travels. He returned to Farne in 686 and died there on March 20th 687. He was made a saint in 698 and pilgrims flocked to visit his grave.
Cuthbert sought the monastic life of solitude and prayer which ironically led him to be appointed as bishop of Lindisfarne. Even though his term as bishop was brief, he is revered as a saint through the centuries. Today, the ‘holy island’ of Lindisfarne is a place of pilgrimage for Christians; it is a place of peace which touches the lives of both pilgrims and those whose interest is simply that of the tourist.
Who was St Cuthbert? (Extract from Lindisfarne Priory Museum) Cuthbert was a Northumbrian priest who travelled constantly, preaching and baptising vast numbers of men and women. In 664 he became Prior of Lindisfarne, living on St Cuthbert’s Isle, but seeking greater isolation, he moved to the island of Farne and lived as a hermit. After nearly ten years on Farne, Cuthbert reluctantly agreed to be consecrated bishop and resumed his missionary travels. He returned to Farne in 686 and died there on March 20th 687. He was made a saint in 698 and pilgrims flocked to visit his grave.
