Dear Friends in Christ,

During my Sabbatical of 1988 Sheri, the boys and I were in residence at the Iona Community. During our stay we experienced the community life of worship, lectures and an unforgettable pilgrimage around this historic island.

St. Columba established the Iona Settlement in 563. He subsequently founded the monastery on Iona bringing the Celtic spirit of devotion to a God who expresses himself through nature, a God who brings peace and grace through His created universe.

Today’s Community “desires to be fully human, with no division between the 'sacred' and the 'secular'.” They state, “We desire to be fully present to a God who is fully present to us, whether in our neighbor or in the political and social activity of the world around us.”

The Iona Community is committed to the belief that worship is everything they do, both inside and outside the church. They begin each day with prayer. Their morning worship prepares them to go straight out into the life of the world and to continue worship in the context of their work. In the evening they come together again for common worship and for the final benediction at the close of day.

I think the following prayer, calling us into God’s presence for all eternity, is particularly appropriate as we begin the new year:

The God of All Eternity

The God of all eternity,
Unbound by space yet always near,
Is present where his people meet
To celebrate the coming year.
What shall we offer God today-
Our dreams of what we cannot see,
Or, with eyes fastened to the past,
Our dread of what is yet to be?
God does not share our doubts and fears,
Nor shrinks from the unknown or strange:
The One who fashioned heav’n and earth
Makes all things new and ushers change.
Let faith or fortune rise or fall,
Let dreams and dread both have their day:
Those whom God loves walk unafraid
With Christ their guide and Christ their way.
God grant that we, in this new year,
May show the world the Kingdom’s face,
And let our work and worship thrive
As signs of hope and means of grace.

--John L. Bell, Iona Community

I wish you a happy new year.

In Christ’s love, Fr. Fred