"Get Out of the Boat"

Mark 4:35-41; 1 Peter 2:9-10

Just over a month ago, Paula and I began our time on the island of Iona, located on the northwest coast of Scotland. We had to travel by train, ferry, bus, and ferry in one day. We had the blessing of worshiping in an abbey that originated in the sixth century. Although the most current edition of the abbey was rebuilt in the 1930s, its footprint and some of the original stones had been around for centuries.

As we gathered for our first service that Sunday, June 23, one of the pastors in our group, from Ontario, Canada, used this morning's passage as the focus of her sermon. Having preached on this passage several times, I thought I knew what was coming - focusing upon how Jesus can still the storms in our lives and is present with us, or this scene being a proclamation of who Jesus is, with the authority and power over nature itself, he is part of the one in three holy trinity, both God and human. Yet another possible topic for this sermon is how Jesus was a barrier breaker. They went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee—the place of the Gerasenes, who were not part of the Jewish nation. They were outsiders, unclean, gentile pagans. Jesus reaches beyond social barriers to share his light and calls us to do the same. Those are all excellent, preachable topics. As one of my seminary professors said about specific sermon topics, "That Dog'll hunt."

Her focus, however, was on none of these things. She said, "What if the story's point is getting out of the boat?" She emphasized how we modern-day disciples need to follow the example of the twelve in this story. We must get out and share Christ's justice, mercy, and love with others.

I began thinking if Jesus and the disciples hadn't gotten out of the boat on the other side, nothing would have happened with the Gerasenes. Because they got out of the boat, a man with evil spirits living in a graveyard had his life restored. Because they got out of the boat, a woman who hemorrhaged blood for years and who was deemed unclean got her life back. Because they got out of the boat, a little girl was raised from the dead by Jesus, and a family was restored from grief. Many things wouldn't have happened if Jesus and the disciples hadn't gotten out of the boat.

It got me thinking about our ferry rides to the island, which were beautiful and uneventful. We wouldn't have made it to Iona if we hadn't gotten off that first or the last ferry. I also pondered the history of Iona and St. Columba and wondered what would have happened had he not gotten out of the boat from Ireland and landed on the shores of Iona in 563. Many things wouldn't have happened had he and his twelve monks stayed in their boat.

So, I'll begin this morning with some history about Columba. Columba was born on December 7, 521 A.D., Known as Columcille (Colum Kille in Irish Gaelic), which means "Little Dove." He was born into a noble family with ties to the high kings of Ireland. He could have become an Irish prince in line for the throne. However, he chose a different path and began to study to become a monk.

After being ordained as a priest, he is believed to have founded his first church in Derry, Ireland, in 546 A.D. Then his story gets a bit more interesting.

Tradition states that Columba loved an original Psalter (a volume containing the Book of Psalms, other devotional materials, and many detailed images) belonging to another priest, Finian. He either borrowed the book or snuck into Finian's library late at night and began copying all the writings and images for himself. When Finian found out, he was none too pleased and started a dispute over Columba stealing the work in his book.

The high King of Ireland, Diarmaid Mac Cerbhaill, was asked to settle the dispute. His ruling was written down as follows: "To every cow her calf, therefore to every book belongs its copy." This incident was considered by many to be the first case of law against copyright. But the story does not end there.

King Diarmaid then executed a young prince under the protection of the church and Columba in particular. This action and the book ruling did not sit well with Columba. In revenge, Columba and some of his monks joined forces with the Irish clan Neill and fought against the king. According to history, over 3000 of the king's soldiers died in battle, while the casualties were relatively few on Columba's side.

It did not sit well with the church leaders in Ireland that a priest would lead fellow monks into battle. Priests were not allowed to take up arms and kill. So, Columba was exiled from Ireland. To pay for his sins on the battlefield, he was called to save as many souls as were killed that day. He spent the rest of his life trying to fulfill his new calling. After some soul-searching and organizing, Columba set sail north with twelve monks, hoping to land on one of the islands off the coast of what would one day be Scotland.

This venture on the North Sea was no cruise. Their small boat would need to travel 120 miles to reach the island of Iona, which likely took several days at sea. Yet, in time, they arrived at the tiny island and exited the boat, which changed the world forever.

After building an initial shelter, they built a monastery, and they notified the church in Ireland. Men came to the monastery seeking a better life, away from constant attacks by large tribes from ancient Europe, including the Gauls, who, in time, conquered much of Rome. They then moved on to destroy much of the civilized world of the time. There was some safety behind the walls of a monastery, and many ran towards the monastic life. Columba instigated a plan where once the number of trained monks at the abbey reached 150, they would be sent out, with 12 monks and one priest leader, to settle monasteries on other islands and throughout much of Scotland. Monks were taught basic concepts about Jesus, learned to tell the stories in the gospel, and learned how to demonstrate the gospel through their way of life.

The monasteries became where classic works of literature were saved and stored as the Gauls continued to conquer and the Dark Ages began. On the island of Iona, the famous Book of Kells, the illustrated book of the four gospels, was produced, considered a masterwork of faith and artistry. Were it not for the efforts of the monks to save so many works of classical literature, we might not even know the names of Socrates, Plato, and many others.

Columba and his groups of monks spread the Christian religion throughout what would one day be Scotland and parts of Britain. By his death in 597, Columba had more than met his call to win 3000 souls for Christ. The world was forever changed because he got out of the boat. Iona flourished for hundreds of years as more and more monks were sent out to spread Christ's message. It flourishes again today, as people like Paula and I and people from all over the world travel for a spiritual recharge before returning to spread that same message.

There are many stories about Columba. He baptized many Pictish and Celtic kings, warned sailors about being swallowed up by a whale, and prophesied about the many arrivals of various travelers on the island just before they landed on shore. One story even includes his silencing a giant sea monster in Loch Ness, later known as Nessie. Less legend and possibly more fact: It is quite possible that Columba's followers sent a group of monks to Iceland about 100 years after he died in 597 A.D., as according to early written accounts, Vikings were said to have met Irish monks when they landed in the 700s. In addition, archeologists found a cave in Iceland with Celtic-style crosses carved into the walls. The tour leader who took us around to see several sites in Iceland mentioned this to us.

Now, my third consideration for this morning is the church today. For centuries, church sanctuaries have been modeled after upside-down boat hulls. I believe this is because many of the first disciples fished for a living; therefore, we are the disciples in the boat today. So, you could say that churches are like boats.

For so long, we have thought the point of the church was to invite people in. Don't get me wrong; I do hope you'll invite friends to worship with us. However, one of the ideas I came away with after three months away from the church is that we need to get out of the boat. Just like the original twelve disciples, like Columba and all those who followed and got out of their boats, we need to be out in the community, letting people know who we follow by showing our love for God and others by what we say and do. We must get out and share the message of doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God.

Granted, getting out of the boat and sharing about Christ in today's world isn't particularly easy, especially now that we live in a post-Christian culture and a deeply divided nation. Rest assured, it wasn't easy either in Jesus's or Columba's time! Jesus faced a mighty, entrenched superpower in Rome and had to fight against the established religion and leaders of the day. Columba lost his standing and position as a priest in Ireland and was forced to find other lands to do ministry. He had to learn new languages and new cultures. Today, we face a church split over the interpretation of scripture and the message of Jesus, as well as a population surrounding us that cares little for churches at all. And yet, the message still applies. Get out of the boat.

Over the next few weeks, I'd like to share some ideas on how to equip us to reach out and share the Good News in a difficult time such as this. Next Sunday, I'll preach about demonstrating our faith through our actions, which I feel we are good at. Then, I'd like to share some ideas on some new ways we modern-day disciples can build one another up in Christ.

In the meantime, as you walk out of this upside-down boat hull later this morning, consider what message you share about Jesus to others. What stories can you tell about your faith? How do you demonstrate faith in acting with your neighbors and family members?

May God be with us as we leave the boat later this morning, looking to change the world forever. We have a story to tell and God's light to share. For we are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, God's own people called to proclaim Christ's excellent message. Alleluia! Amen.