Aidan of Lindisfarne
Have you ever forgotten something?
Maybe you forgot to bring your lunch to school. Or maybe you forgot your mom’s birthday. Or maybe you forgot to study for a test. Don’t worry. You’re not alone. I’ve done all those things and most grownups forget things too.
Our StoryMaker of the past spent his life, reminding people of something they forgot. See, in Northern England in 635, the people had forgotten the Greatest Story Ever Told, God’s story about how he loves his children cares for his children, and always pursues his children. They had started to think that maybe God didn’t remember them, so they began to worship lots of gods, hoping someone would help them in their difficulties.
Aidan was a monk at the monastery on the island of Iona when King Oswald took the throne of Northumbria, in modern-day Northern England. Oswald saw that his people had forgotten God’s story and asked the monks of Iona to send someone to tell them the story again. But the first monk sent, Corman, was too harsh and the people did not want to listen to him.
So in 635, the monks of Iona sent Aidan to Northumbria. Aidan was patient and friendly and spent his life reminding everyone of the story of God’s love for his people. He did this by providing homes and food for orphans and widows and using contributions to pay for the freedom of slaves, many of whom became priests themselves.
Aidan also set up a monastery on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, which is only accessible at low tide. When the tide rolled in, pilgrims could not cross the mudflats and sand. This was partly for protection from the enemies of King Oswald but also to set the monastery apart, to tie it to the rhythm of the sea rather than being open all the time.
I have been to Lindisfarne. The sea is wild and the shores are beautiful and rocky. There is something special about being on the island when the tide rolls in and you’re set apart from normal times. I cannot explain it but I can say I understand why Aidan set up the monastery there.
Aidan’s monastery is mostly gone now. The roof is no longer there and many of the pillars are crumbling. But his legacy of faithfully telling God’s redemptive story lives on. He helped the people of Northern England remember, and that’s why we remember him on August 31.
