Farewell to Iona

My time volunteering at, exploring, and experiencing Iona concluded last Wednesday, Sept. 4. It's been almost a month since I posted last in this blog, so this will certainly be an admittedly poor summary of my final weeks on Iona.

The friendships which developed over the course of my seven weeks with the Iona community took on a unpredicted fullness and depth as my time remaining on Iona dwindled. Due to the fact that relationships on Iona come and go within such a short span of time (volunteering for two or three months is really not very long!), I think that our community refused to take any time spent together for granted. However, it was not a case of needing to charge every moment as full of meaning, significance, or fun as possible (something of which I am certainly guilty in much of my life). Instead, the small group of staff members at Iona simply embraced the time and the relationships which we given, neither taking them for granted nor expecting too much out of them. It was a beautiful and simple experienced of simply allowing the moment, the community, and place to be and for us as a community and as individuals to receive the gift of our all-too-brief time together in a beautiful, deeply spiritual place.

On my last Friday with the community I had the chance to lead the evening service. It was a time where I was able to share what I had learned on Iona, particularly through the inspiration of Richard Rohr's wonderful book "Immortal Diamond". Some fascinating insights emerged, and I will include the short reflection I gave in another blog post. In summary, though, Iona revealed to me, through nature, worship, community, and myself, that God is so close to the world. In fact, our deepest selves, when all of our selfish or fearful motivations are stripped away, are so tightly interwoven with the sacred union of divine and human. This is what Jesus was able to fully recognize and fully embrace, enabling him by the Holy Spirit to live with perfect love, wisdom, and justice. And this is what is available to us too! And that is the only way we will be able to give the love that we long to give.

Iona will, I am sure, continue to affect and challenge me. I'm now in Toronto, getting into my first week of classes at The Institute for Christian Studies, and I hope to continue to reflect on what Iona has revealed and continues to reveal to me about myself, the world, and how God is so close to all creation. I don't know how else to put it, at least for now. God is so close. So close. Not identical with. But nothing can separate God from creation either.

I think that spiritual insights will enjoy being prodded by the philosophy and theology which I'm about to dive into here at ICS. I hope to continue this blog and explore those connections. I'll post my final Iona reflection for anyone to read who is interested; let me know what you think.

I'll close this blog with an Iona blessing.

May God, who is present

in sunrise and nightfall,

and in the crossing of the sea,

guide your feet as you go.

May God,

who is with you when you sit

and when you stand,

encompass you with love

and lead you by the hand.

May God, who knows your path

and the places where you rest,

be with you in your waiting

be your good news for sharing,

and lead you in the way

that is everlasting.

- A blessing from Iona