While Augustine and his associates were witnessing through the south of England, the gospel was flowing through the north too. Columba carried the gospel from his community from Ireland into Scotland and it was from Scotland that Oswald, King of Northumbria, requested a missionary to be sent to his people so that they could learn about the Christian faith.
The first man they sent to him was a man of ‘austere’ disposition. The English refused to listen to him and he returned to the Scots complaining that the nation was so obstinate and uncivililsed that they would not receive the gospel. So the leaders of the Scottish church held a conference to consider what to do. Aidan was at this conference and he pointed out to the preacher that perhaps he had been too harsh with the English, and should have explained the gospel in ways that were easier for them to understand so that they could grasp the truth of the faith, rather than expecting them to be full of faith from the outset. As Aidan spoke, those around the table recognised that he was blessed with discretion, the ability to make a wise distinction between two seemingly similar things. To the original preacher, the obstinacy of the English was proof that they were irredeemably lost; to Aidan it indicated that they needed special care in teaching them the good news about Christ. Aidan chose to hate what was evil but always cling to what was good and overcome evil with that same good.
So Aidan came to Northumbria and Oswald gave him the island of Lindisfarne from which to lead his ministry. Aidan’s English was not very fluent and so Oswald translated his preaching for his thanes and leaders. The church grew and Oswald supported the building of churches and monasteries so ministry could flourish. Oswald and Aidan were a great team, one in spirit and purpose. As Oswald used his earthly power to bless those he ruled, Aidan used his spiritual gift of preaching to advance the gospel. Both men were humble, generous and kind. When poor men came to his door one Easter, Oswald ordered his food to be taken to them and the silver dish to be broken up amongst them. Aidan too, loved to give away to the poor whatever he had received from others. He always travelled on foot and stopped to speak to anyone he met, whether rich or poor. If he met those who were not Christian, he encouraged them to become Christian; if he met Christians, he strengthened their faith and encouraged them in their generosity to others.
Aidan was a man who took God at his word in how he lived and how he prayed. Once when Penda, the savage king of the Mercians, surrounded a Northumbrian city with timber and set fire to it, there seemed to be no way to stop the flames which were fanned by a favourable wind. As Aidan looked at the flames from his island of Farne, he called out in faith and desperation: ‘Lord, see what evil Penda does!’. And as he spoke, the wind blew back on those who had started the fire so that they abandoned their position as it was clear to them that God was protecting the city.’
Aidan and Oswald were a powerful duo who made a huge difference for the Kingdom of God in the kingdom of Northumbria. Each brought different gifts which complemented each other, but both of them embraced the heart of true Christian teamwork which Paul speaks about in Philippians 2: being one in spirit and purpose, doing nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, and in humility considering others better than themselves. Bede says of Aidan that ‘the highest recommendation of his teaching to all was that he and his followers lived as they taught’. Both men embraced the pattern of Jesus, gentle and lowly of heart, choosing not to break broken reeds but mend them. Unity, humility and gentleness are not qualities that we associate with power, but Aidan and Oswald remind us that these are the tools God chooses to use to grow his kingdom, not by might, not by power, but by His Spirit.
