White Martyrdom

I remembered something about Celtic monks that I thought I'd share - some of you may know much more than I about this history, but my point has to do with servant-leadership:

I read an article some time back addressing the leadership of the Spirit. It made comment about the "white martyrdom" of the ancient Celts. White martyrdom is a commitment to live a sacrificial life that will result in one's ultimate death, rather than a "red martyrdom" of being killed in some bloody way for the faith. Ascetic monks who lived in the desert were white martyrs; people who were missionaries in places so far-flung they would never make it home were white martyrs.

Around the 800's Irish monks would embrace white martyrdom by setting sail from the coast in round, brown leather boats, called coracles, that had no rudder. The idea was that they would let the ocean currents (guided by the hand of the Holy Spirit) take their little boats and deliver them to wherever it was the Spirit wanted them to work - hence, they needed no rudder, sail or helm, other than the Spirit's hand. Because of the way the currents flowed, they would likely never return home, and certainly could not turn around and go back intentionally, so they would die at their ultimate destination.

It isn't exactly an example of leadership, but I do think it is a good example of the mindset of a servant-leader - and the sacrificial sense of genuine leadership - and the way we have to trust the Spirit in leadership. Without the leading and aid of the Holy Spirit, our best efforts at leading a church are really nothing more than can be done on the ocean in a round boat. In both cases we might die, but with the Holy Spirit we at least have a chance of doing the Kingdom's work instead of our own."

Pastor Craig