St Columba depicting coverting the Picts in a painting by William Brassey Hole.
Friends,
The 7th of December 521, is considered to be the birthday of St Columba, so we are approaching his 1500th anniversary. The following article first appeared in the Scotsman on 9th June 2021 and is shared with St Columba’s with the permission of its author, Professor Ian Bradley.
Ian has very strong connections to St Columba’s, Pont Street. His mother, Mary Campbell Tyre was a St Columba’s member, initially living in the women’s residence at Bina Gardens. Married by Rev Dr Scott, she insisted on taking her wedding vows in 1948 in the ruined crypt of the “old” St Columba’s, before completing the ceremony in one of the local Anglican churches. Ian himself was a St Columba’s member and he and wife, Lucy were married at St Columba’s in 1985 by the Very Revd Dr Fraser McCluskey. We are hopeful that Ian will come to preach when we celebrate St Columba’s Day next year (Sunday 12th June 2022.)
Today (9th June) is the feast day of Columba, arguably Scotland’s most popular saint and certainly its most adaptable, ecumenical and all-purpose one, equally beloved of Roman Catholics and Wee Free Presbyterians. There is particular reason for celebrating Columba’s life and legacy this year as it is his 1500th birthday. Although we can be more precise about the date and place of his death – 9th of June 597 on the island of Iona – it seems probable that he was born in 521, possibly in early December in the Loch Garten region of Donegal in north west Ireland.
It is with Iona that Columba will always be associated and where his anniversary is being commemorated this week in conjunction with the re-opening of the Iona Community’s residential and guest accommodation adjacent to the Abbey after major refurbishment following a successful £3.75 million appeal. The new more accessible premises were officially opened by the Princess Royal on Monday. In fact, Columba lived less than half his life on Iona. His first four decades were spent in Ireland where he followed a monastic vocation and founded several monasteries.
He left Ireland in 563 at the age of 42 for reasons that are not entirely clear, possibly voluntarily as a pilgrim, perhaps having been banished for some crime or misdemeanour, or maybe simply at the behest of the ruler of the Irish colony of Dal Riata (modern Argyll) to found a church there. Most historians are now agreed that Columba travelled initially from the north coast of Ireland to the Argyll mainland, perhaps making the short sea crossing to the tip of the Mull of Kintyre, and that he may have spent several years there before being granted land on Iona by the king on which to build his monastery. The romantic story that he journeyed from island to island until he could no longer see his beloved Ireland only emerged in the seventeenth century.
Columba is unusual among Celtic saints in having been written about soon after his death – most others had to wait several years before their lives and deeds were recorded. As a result, he is the figure from the so-called Golden Age of Celtic Christianity about whom we know most. He emerges from these early sources as a complex and even contradictory character, as suggested by his two Gaelic nicknames, Crimthann (the fox) and Colmcille (the dove of the church), the Latin version of which provides his commonly used name, Columba. He had a hasty temper and an autocratic manner and was known in Irish tradition as the bad-tempered saint, but he was also a man of prayer and had remarkable pastoral gifts which he exercised with the many people who came to visit him on Iona seeking spiritual counselling.
Portrayed as priest, poet, mystic and miracle worker, he clearly had a charisma and played a key role in championing and legitimizing the claims of the Gaels of Dal Riata who would later be the dominant element in the emerging new kingdom of Scotland giving it its name which literally means the land of the Irish. After death he was taken up as the protector of the Scots – his relics were paraded in front of the Scottish army at the Battle of Bannockburn. Although he was ultimately trumped as the nation’s patron saint by Andrew, thanks to some sharp public relations work by the Picts of Northeast Fife and the support of the ecclesiastical establishment, he remained a much more popular figure, celebrated in stories, poems and numerous medieval church dedications.
Columba has been posthumously enlisted in many causes, including ecumenism, Gaelic culture and Irish-Scottish links. As well as being enlisted and appropriated by many Christian denominations, he has also appealed to pagans, theosophists and humanists. New Agers regard him as a Druidic seer while Evangelical Christians identify with his decidedly conservative theology. Among the few contemporary causes which he cannot be enlisted for is feminism – he showed distinctly chauvinistic tendencies in the way he ran his all-male monasteries.
In many ways he achieved a modern reincarnation in the figure of George MacLeod, the Church of Scotland minister who founded the modern Iona Community in the 1930s. The two men had much in common – an aristocratic background and all-male upbringing making for a somewhat autocratic style of leadership combined with a deep spirituality, a strong mystical bent, a belief in the values of community and communal life and a passionate attachment to political activity in the areas of justice and peace.
Were he to make a 1500th birthday visit back to his island monastery today – and given the numerous miraculous and mysterious out of the body experiences associated with him, that is perhaps not quite as far-fetched as it sounds – Columba would find much to applaud and affirm in the life and witness of the modern Iona Community. Perhaps his austere and rigorously ascetic attitude to monastic life might be offended by the more comfortable facilities which the recent refurbishment has provided for guests, although it has been particularly designed to make them more accessible to those with disabilities. He might also be somewhat surprised to find women occupying the roles of both Abbey warden and Community leader. So, indeed, might George MacLeod, although in his words ‘if you think that a coincidence, I wish you a very dull life’.
Ian Bradley is Emeritus Professor of Cultural and Spiritual History at the University of St Andrews and the author of Columba: Politician, Penitent and Pilgrim, published by Wild Goose Publications.
Live Streaming of Worship
Services can be watched via the church website, https://www.stcolumbas.org.uk/live-stream.
To access the live stream from the homepage (front page) click the Menu button in the top right-hand side of the page and scroll down and click on “Live Stream”. This will bring up the live stream to the church. The act of worship of approximately 60 minutes, includes include prayers, a sermon and music. The words for the hymns will be on the website.
We believe it is really important to continue to live-stream the Morning Service under its current format i.e. for the benefit of those joining worship from afar or those as yet unable to make the journey to Pont Street. For those without internet, the Dial-In facility continues. Many people comment that they do have a sense of worshipping together, even if invisible to each other.
Reminder: If you do not wish to appear on the live-stream please choose a seat in the rear half of the sanctuary.
Dial into Sunday Service
If you are aware of church members or friends who do not have access to internet please inform them that they can now phone in to join the Sunday service. No visuals clearly, but at least they can hear the service. Those interested should follow:
Step 1: At 10.40am call phone number 0203 051 2874.
Step 2: You will be prompted to enter a meeting ID.
Please type (using your telephone keypad) 266 883 5072#
Step 3: You will then be asked for a participant number – simply press the #.
Step 4: Enjoy the service! You will hear the organ music from 10.50am.
Hymns, Music & Readings, 5th December 2021
Hymn 281 People look East (Besancon)
Hymn 277 Hark the glad sound (Crediton)
Hymn 632 Our children, Lord in faith and prayer (Belmont)
Hymn 283 The voice of God goes out to all the world (Morestead)
Choir Anthem: Bogoroditsye Dyevo (Rachmaninov)
Choir Anthem: How beautiful upon the mountains (Stainer)
Postlude:Fugue in D Minor 539 (J S Bach)
New Testament Reading: Malachi 3: 1-4
Gospel Reading: St Luke 3: 1-6
Sunday 5th December Welcomes
A particular welcome this week to the families and friends of Evelyn May Sanderson Chan, James Gardner Lamb-Finlay & Maisie Elizabeth Lyburn who come today for baptism.
Short Service of Weekly Holy Communion
Following Morning Service there is a short service of Holy Communion, combined with prayers for those in need, at 12.15pm in the London Scottish Chapel. Worshippers can receive bread and wine; wine is distributed via small individual “thimble” glasses. The names gathered from the prayer cards, at the back of the sanctuary, are prayed for during the communion service. This is a very welcome return for a small but precious part of St Columba’s life.
Parking Restrictions in December
During all Sundays in December there is NO PARKING in residents’ parking bays. On Sundays parking is permitted on single yellow lines and in Pay & Display bays (free).
Advent Appeal 2021
Glass Door – Sox and Boxers. We will be collecting the following items during Advent for the Glass Door charity. Items are: boxer shorts, thermal hats, thermal socks (for both men and women), thermal tights, thermal gloves (or very thick ones). Collection point will be the Upper Vestibule, starting Sunday 28 November and each Sunday up to Christmas.
As an alternative for anyone not able to come to church, you may wish to consider Borderline for a financial donation. Details are:
Borderline
22 City Road
London EC1Y 2AJ
Tel. 0845 456 2190
Cheques payable to ‘New Borderline’ and post to above address. https://www.borderline-uk.org/
Please see the below link to the Borderline donation portal:
New Borderline – Donate now (cafonline.org)
Thank you in advance. Mission Committee.
The Annual Office Hours
Contact details; Tel: 020 7584 2321
E-mail: office@stcolumbas.org.uk
Website: www.stcolumbas.org.uk
Facebook: @stcolumbaschurchpontstreet. Twitter: @LondonKirk
Pastoral Emergency Number (out of office hours): 07591926271
Sunday School Christingles and Carols by Candlelight
Please join us on Sunday 12th December at 3pm for Christingle-making, followed by a family tea, before we join the service of Carols by Candlelight (Lessons & Carols) at 5pm. All ages welcome. Please RSVP to gary@thewallis.com by 5th December for catering purposes.
Carol Singing for Christian Aid
After an enforced absence last year, we are once again invited to sing carols under the Christmas Tree in Trafalgar Square and raise money for Christian Aid. This year the singing will be on Friday 17th December from 8-9pm. Please meet by 7.50pm at the Café on the Square (bottom of the steps by the National Gallery). All are welcome; carol sheets will be provided for singers and collecting buckets for collectors.
Sunday Lunch Dates
A reminder that due to the reduced number of available lunch teams (9 down to 5), lunches will only be served on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of every month, and on the 5th Sunday where there are 5 Sundays in any month.
The dates for lunch until the end of 2021 are as follows – 5th December / 19th December in the Lower Hall unless circumstances change.
Coffee will continue to be served every Sunday as usual in the Upper Hall.
These Hospitality Services are much valued in supporting Fellowship.
Advent Study
This year we are offering an advent study on the book “The Whole Christmas Story: An advent adventure through Genesis, Revelation, and points in between” by Jo Swinney. You can order the book through the Bible Reading Fellowship here https://www.brfonline.org.uk/collections/new-titles/products/thewholechristmasstory. William will lead the group on Wednesday evenings from 7pm (via Zoom) from the 24th November to the 15th December. Angus will lead the Thursday morning group from 10.30am on the 25th November to the 16th December. If you would like to take part please email the office to book a place (office@stcolumbas.org.uk).
Maintaining Community and Supporting Each Other
Everybody can play a part in maintaining contact with others via telephone, e-mail or letter, especially those who are particularly vulnerable. Our Elders are encouraged to make contact with those in their districts, and church members are welcome to contact the church office to request a contact from their elder or the Minister.
Congregational Offerings
Details on the many ways you can support St Columba’s can be found here https://www.stcolumbas.org.uk/giving/supporting-st-columbas
Would anyone wishing to contribute to St Andrew’s, Newcastle please contact the Session Clerk on standrewssessionclerk@gmail.com for bank details or other means of donating.
St Columba’s Coffee Mornings
The last Coffee Morning of 2021 will be on the 15th December (10.30am). Revd Dr John McCulloch, Minister St Andrews, Jerusalem & Tiberias will discuss Christmas in the Holy Land.
If you missed October or Novembers Coffee Mornings here
https://www.stcolumbas.org.uk/community-life/coffee-mornings
St Columba’s Book Club
The next online meeting of the St Columba’s Book Club is the 24th January at 7pm. The book this month will be The Queen’s Gambit by Walter Tevis. The joy of the St Columba’s book club is that is all on Zoom so you can join from anywhere in the world in the comfort of your own home.
In your newly purchased/gifted diaries do put the forward date of Monday February 28 2022 as well.
Happy Hour
Our last Happy Hour session of 2021 will take place in the library at St Columba’s on Wednesday 8 December at 6.30pm for a social evening with pizzas, wine and soft drinks, for a modest financial contribution. We’ll share ideas for next year’s programme which we hope will include visiting speakers, outings and interesting topics. Please join us and share your ideas.
Sounds of St Columba’s
The ‘Sounds of St Columba’s’ concert series will restart on Sunday 16th January 2022 at 1:15pm. Recitals will continue throughout the year on the third Sunday of the month (excluding April, August & December). Full details of the performers and repertoire will follow a little later this year. These recitals are free to attend, with a retiring offering. For more information contact Ben Lewis-Smith music@stcolumbas.org.uk
Stamps
If you would like to leave stamps for Crossreach, please pop them into the Church Office on Sundays.