State of the Church: The Celtic Revival (15)
May the almighty God of all consolation and pity preserve the very few good shepherds from all harm, and, conquering the common enemy, make them citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem, that is, of the congregation of all the saints: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, to Whom be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
– Gildas, The Ruin of Britain
O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge—by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith. Grace be with you. Amen.
– 1 Timothy 6.20, 21
Call to repentance
Just before his very tender prayer for “the very few good shepherds” who were working in Britain, Gildas gave a call to repentance for those who stood condemned: “You are drunk with the practising of constant sins, and shaken by the waves of accumulated crimes that incessantly rush upon you; seek then, as though you had suffered shipwreck, with all the striving of your mind, for the single plank of penitence that can carry you to the land of the living, so that the fury of the Lord may be turned away from you.”
We might have gotten the impression, as we worked through Gildas’ diatribe, that he was consigning these sinful shepherds to eternal condemnation. He was angry, to be sure, even outraged at what he knew they were doing and not doing.
But his desire was not to condemn but to convict them, to lead them to see their sin, repent, and return to the good work they had been appointed to at the first. His last word to them was this call—and we can be sure it was accompanied by prayer on his part—to realize their desperate condition and turn, through repentance, to escape the fury of the Lord.
Gildas’ heart was with these ruinous shepherds, and he longed for them to come to their senses and take up the true work of God.
Prayer for the very few
The Ruin of Britain is of the nature “if the shoe fits, wear it.” Not all the pastors of Britain were as irresponsible and wicked as those who were most visible. Gildas’ prayer for those few shepherds makes three requests: first, that the Lord will keep them from all harm. Priests and other clergy could be easily preyed upon in those days and often were. Brigands lurked along the roads pastors traveled to visit their flocks, and churches and monasteries were frequently the targets of robbers and frauds. In the seventh century—150 years or so after Gildas—Adomnàn would succeed in passing a law to protect clergy from such treachery. Gildas could look only to the Lord to keep them safe.
Second, he prayed for success in “conquering the common enemy”, by which he meant the devil. It was their failure to resist the devil that caused the downfall of the priests and shepherds against whom Gildas wrote. All failures of the flesh trace back to a failure to deal effectively with temptation. The enemy of our soul is defeated when we resist his temptations and, trusting in the Word of God, send him packing. Gildas wanted these few good shepherds to remember what their ultimate battle entailed and to be ready and able each day to gain the victory.
Finally, Gildas prayed that they would realize the fullness of their citizenship in the City of God, both now and hereafter. For all who follow Jesus in this life, seeking the Kingdom must be the defining priority in everything we do. There is much of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit to be realized as we are faithful in daily obedience. And each bit of Kingdom evidence the Spirit brings forth in us confirms our heavenly citizenship and excites our longing for the eternal Presence of the Lord.
Together, these two prayers—for repentance and perseverance—offer a sound framework for praying for our own pastors. The challenges and temptations pastors face have not changed since Gildas’ day. Indeed, as we shall begin to see in our next installment, they continued throughout the period of the Celtic Revival not only in Britain but also in Gaul (France). As Paul showed, pastors need the prayers of their people to help them in their struggles against sin and the devil and in faithfully pursuing the work of ministry (Eph. 6.19, 20).
Pray that your pastor will resist the devil, causing the enemy to flee, and stay the Kingdom course in all aspects of his life and work.
For Reflection
1. When was the last time you asked your pastors how you could pray for them?
2. Do you need more prayer for repentance and perseverance for your own life?
Psalm 147.1-3, 19, 20
St. Anne: O God, Our Help in Ages Past
Praise God, for it is good to sing loud praises to the LORD!
With joy our songs of praise we bring to God and to His Word.
The LORD builds up His Church and He His people gathers in.
The broken hearts He tenderly repairs and heals their sin.
His Word He to His Church bestows—His promises and Law.
No other nation God thus knows: Praise Him with songs of awe!
T. M. Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest: This week: In our ReVision series on “The Church” we look at David as an example of a visionary leader. Our Read Moore podcast is working through our book, The Kingdom Turn. The focus of our Scriptorium daily study is on “Matthew: The Coming of the Kingdom.” Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
