Star Filled Skies

Aged 16, Cuthbert huddled closer to the fire, beginning to burn low. It was his turn to stay awake, guard the sheep, keep the fire burning. Leader valley was well known for bandits and beasts, so Cuthbert strained his eyes and ears to discover if there was anything moving. A sensitive soul could pick up even the vibrations of the earth. How Cuthbert wished he were even more sensitive. Silently, Cuthbert made this his prayer, that he might become more open to the God-given powers that were in him, as he gazed silently into the night.

As the fire dimmed, Cuthbert thought of his foster mother, Kenswith, who was forever telling him that he was to be a light in the darkness. He threw another log onto the fire, watching the great rising of sparks with interest. They went higher and higher, even unto the stars themselves, then changing colour and descending. He was confused: the very stars seemed to be descending. The whole of the sky seemed to come alive with light. He strained his ears to hear an angelic song: but nothing. Yet something strange was afoot – not the Northern Lights, for it was in the wrong direction.

The light now seemed to be leaving the earth and rising into heaven. Cuthbert thought of Jacob’s ladder (Gen.28:10-22). Could it be angels ascending and descending? Perhaps they were taking someone to heaven? Cuthbert needed witnesses to see what he was seeing. He shook the other shepherds… but too late, all was gone.

Meanwhile, at Bebbaburgh, the great evangelist Aidan was lying right up against his little church. Even the slightest movement caused him pain. With the aid of a dear friend, he was propped up against the west side of the church because he wanted to look out over Lindisfarne once again. He mouthed the word, “Lindisfarne,” and the pain seemed to lessen. He was heard to whisper, “Pools of light! Pools of light…” and a strange brightness came over his face. For a moment, that same light came over the place where he lay, and then he was still. Aidan the Torch-Bearer had died.

The other shepherds quickly fell back to sleep, but Cuthbert was full of energy, saying to himself: “O what wretches we are. We are so dull and full of sleep that we miss the Glory that is all about us. If only we could open our eyes. Even tonight whilst watching and praying, I have seen some great wonders from God. Tonight surely some holy person has entered into the bright realms of light. Yet here we struggle on in the dark.”

The other shepherds quickly fell back to sleep, but Cuthbert was full of energy, saying to himself: “O what wretches we are. We are so dull and full of sleep that we miss the Glory that is all about us. If only we could open our eyes. Even tonight whilst watching and praying, I have seen some great wonders from God. Tonight surely some holy person has entered into the bright realms of light. Yet here we struggle on in the dark.”

The other shepherds quickly fell back to sleep, but Cuthbert was full of energy, saying to himself: “O what wretches we are. We are so dull and full of sleep that we miss the Glory that is all about us. If only we could open our eyes. Even tonight whilst watching and praying, I have seen some great wonders from God. Tonight surely some holy person has entered into the bright realms of light. Yet here we struggle on in the dark.”

Opening Prayer

Lighten our darkness
We beseech you, O Lord.

Open our eyes, Lord, to see your glory.
Open our ears, Lord, to hear your call.
Open our lips, Lord, to sing your praises.
Then guide us on our pilgrimage of faith,
That with the memory of Cuthbert in our minds,
And the spirit of Cuthbert in our hearts,
may we walk with Him who is the Way, the Truth and the Life and find our freedom in his service;
even our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Lighten our darkness
We beseech you, O Lord.

Closing Prayer

God creates all things,
renews all things, and celebrates all things.
This we believe.

Earth is a sanctuary,
a sacred planet filled with God’s presence,
a home for us to share with our kin.
This we believe.

God became flesh and blood,
a part of Earth,
a human being called Jesus Christ,
who lived and breathed and spoke among us,
suffered and died on a cross
for all human beings and for all creation.
This we believe.

The risen Jesus
is the Christ at the centre of creation,
reconciling all things to God,
renewing all creation and filling the cosmos.
This we believe.

The Holy Spirit renews life in creation,
groans in empathy with a suffering creation,
and waits with us for the rebirth of creation.
This we believe.

We believe that with Christ we will rise
and with Christ we will celebrate a new creation.
Amen.