One day as they were traversing the ocean, they saw an island at some distance from them. And they steered their boat towards it, and landed on it. And in making a circuit of the island, they found good streams full of fish in it…and they found numerous herds of sheep, large and pure white, so that they could hardly see the ground through them for the multitude of the sheep.
– The Life of Brendan of Clonfert
Thus says the LORD:
“Stand in the ways and see,
And ask for the old paths, where the good way is,
And walk in it;
Then you will find rest for your souls.
But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’”
– Jeremiah 6.16
Journeying into the path
In 1977, Irish adventurer Tim Severin set off in a leather boat with a small crew to retrace, as best they could, the voyage of Brendan and his company westward over the Atlantic. Brendan was in search of The Promised Land of the Saints, that place of bliss and peace to be known by those who faithfully seek and follow the Lord. Tim Severin sought to discover whether Brendan might have made it all the way to America, and thus to have been one of the first, if not the first, European to set foot on that soil.
Why should we care? Because Tim Severin’s adventure does two things for us. First, it helps us in trying to establish any historicity to the many lives of Irish saints that have come down to us from medieval times. Those accounts are instructive in several ways, and we want to be able to learn from and put our weight down on them wherever we think they might help us in our own walk with and work for the Lord. This in fact is one of the burdens of our commitment at The Fellowship of Ailbe to studying the period of the Celtic Revival (ca. 430-800) and passing along what we have learned.
But second, and more important, Tim Severin reminds us that the Christian movement has a long and glorious heritage and tradition, with many great works of literature, art, music, science, education, missions, and more; and that there is much we can learn to benefit us in our day, if we are willing to undertake the work required to gain such knowledge.
Severin assumed that Brendan would have “island-hopped” his way westward. So, after clearing the Hebrides, he set his course for the Faroes, just over 200 miles north. He writes, concerning Brendan’s account of the unnamed isle of sheep, “Several scholars have pointed out how closely this description of the Isle of Sheep fits the Faroes. The influence of the Gulf Stream produces comparatively mild winters in the Faroes, and the climate and pasture are suitable for sheep raising so that the islands have acquired a reputation for their sheep and wool.”
The ancient paths
Happily, we don’t have to sail in a leather boat to learn from the ancient paths traveled by our forebears in the faith. The Word of God is the place to start in this journey. We must make sure, by studying those great heroes of faith in the Old and New Testaments, together with their many writings, that we learn the goal that motivated them and the plan of redemption they pursued, together with the path of confession and repentance that leads into that plan, as well as the path of faith and obedience that proceeds within it. On that foundation we can venture out onto the vast sea of Christian history by discovering books, courses, videos, and other resources that can enable us to walk the paths our forebears walked, that we might learn as much as we can from their example.
Brendan was not ready for his voyage until he had learned the Scriptures and the disciplines and practices of those who had gone before him. Ancient paths of beauty, goodness, truth, and glory beckon us to explore our Christian heritage, to revel in it, learn from it, take up its practices, be renewed in its promises, and thus be found faithful in bringing forward into our own lives those ancient paths to which God calls us continually.
God calls us to walk those ancient paths, where much awaits us to enrich our walk with and work for the Lord.
For Reflection
1. What does it mean for you to search and learn from the ancient paths of our faith?
2. How might you expect to benefit from doing so?
Psalm 44.1, 2, 23-26
(Faithfulness: Great Is Thy Faithfulness)
O God our ears have heard, ancients have taught us,
all that You did for them long years ago,
how by Your hand You defeated the nations,
and to the promised land let Israel go.
Refrain vv. 23-26
Rise up, awake, O LORD! Hide not Your face from us;
see our affliction, our suffering and pain!
See how our soul is sunk down with oppression;
rise up and help and redeem us we pray!
T. M. Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and 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: Our Read Moore podcast takes up the book Understanding the Times to help us in knowing how to live and proclaim the Kingdom. Our ReVision series, “The Kingdom Economy”, continues to unpack the secrets of the Kingdom. And new in our bookstore, our book, The Ongoing Work of Christ shows us how the book of Acts provides a template and footprint for all who take up the work of building Jesus’ Church.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
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. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
