Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that isin the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, along the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

  - 1 John 2.15-17

Victorious Brigid did not love the world:
she perched in it like a bird on a cliff.

  - Broccàn, Hymn to Brigid, Irish, late 7th century[1]
 
The extent to which we know fullness of joy, pleasure forevermore, unshakeable peace, compelling purpose, and reliable guidance in our walk with the Lord comes down to a question of worlds.

One of my favorite paintings by the still-life artist Philip R. Jackson is entitled, “Party’s Over” (you can view this and other paintings by Philip by watching this Conversation).

It features an origami bird perched on the stern of little boat made from a soap dish, a party favor, and what appears to be a straw. The bird has its arms raised, ready to leap into the air, and the straw on which it is perched is bent under the weight of its imminent thrust.

The first time I saw this wonderful piece, I immediately thought of Broccàn's comment about Brigid.

The great 6^th-century Irish saint lived a most disciplined life, devoted to ministry and the pleasure of God. Though she was ever busy in many mundane tasks, her orientation was ever toward things that are above, and she was constantly, through prayer and meditation, engaging realities beyond this world to sustain her service in it.

On one occasion, as she was driving her chariot to some ministry opportunity, Broccàn described her as “practicing the life of heaven on earth through meditation and prayer.” I love that idea: practicing heaven on earth, living in the then and there, here and now.

The things of the world are wonderful gifts from God, if we receive them as such, and use them as stewards in His service. The danger is that we too easily come to regard worldly things as ends in themselves – sources of pride or means to happiness, as Solomon feared his son Rehoboam was beginning to do (Eccl. 6). Then the things of the world become idols that can never satisfy. Which then leads to acquiring more of such things to fill the “want-gap.”

Celtic missionaries traveled light. Besides the clothes on their backs and the books in their satchels, they had few, if any worldly possessions.  And what they did retain was solely for honoring God by serving others.

But wherever they went, they took the disciplines of prayer, reading, meditation, and singing, allowing them to maintain that heavenly orientation which sustained their lives and work. Like Brigid, they perched lightly in this world, because their joy, purpose, provision, sustenance, and hope were firmly fixed in the world to come.

We give thanks to God that He lavishes us with so many of this world’s goods. But our possessions can easily be the death of our service to Christ if we are not careful to maintain a heavenly orientation in all our doings.

This is the work of prayer and meditation, which, if we spread these out throughout the day, even creating brief oases for prayer in the course of our regular activities, we may be able to achieve the kind of heavenly orientation that will fit us for service and keep us perched on the brink of eternity at all times.

The world and its goods are passing away. Let us perch here lightly, friends, ever looking up and seeking the things that are above, where Christ is seated in heavenly places.

Psalm 24.1, 2(Foundation: How Firm a Foundation)
The earth is the Lord’s, as is all it contains;
The world and its peoples He daily sustains.
He founded it fast on the seas long ago,
And bid gentle rivers throughout it to flow.

Impart to me Thy fear and Thy love around my heart and in my thought, that I may despise every carnal pleasure, and all vain glory of the present life; that I may desire earnestly to meditate on Thee, to pray to Thee, and to praise Thee forever… Litany of the Saviour[2]

The Disciplined Life
We’re happy to send you the seven studies in our ReVision series on The Disciplined Life. Learn the disciplines to exercise you for godliness in your spiritual life, relationships, work, and more. The studies are free, and set up for individual or group study, one lesson per day for seven weeks. Just send us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and we’ll send the series along for you.

The Celtic Revival
If you’d like a more thorough overview of the period of the Celtic Revival, write to John Nunnikhoven at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and he’ll send you a copy of our free PDF, The Celtic Revival. And if this ministry, The Fellowship of Ailbe, is of benefit to you, and you believe in our mission, seek the Lord concerning whether He would have you support this work with your financial gifts. You can use the Contribute button at the website to give with a credit card or through PayPal, or you can send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction VT 05452.

T. M. Moore
Principal
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All Psalms for singing from The Ailbe Psalter. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.