The Hinge: International Theological Dialog for the Moravian Church
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outcropping or calling the circle for silent meditation under those majestic hemlocks enriched our spiritual experience with the triune God and complemented our life in the church. For some who felt marginalized by institutions, which they experienced as out of touch with the life and ministry of Jesus, it was a tenuous lifeline to a faltering faith; for others it was a cautious first step into the possibility of the existence of God. At that time we knew little of the history of Celtic Christianity. We were simply seeking something more palpable and powerful in our experience with God-ChristHoly Spirit. What we knew of the Celtic peoples’ affinity with the natural world and their understanding of the presence of the Creator in that world spoke to us. We were eager to protect pure water sources and endangered wildlife against the encroachment of developers who seemed driven largely by greed without regard for God’s assignment of earth’s stewardship to humankind. I think we were also drawn to what we believed was the Celtic sense of identity as part of the clan; of belonging to something greater than oneself. While our actual knowledge of the spiritual culture we were embracing may haven been initially sketchy, we were young, bright, and curious. Many of us over time did learn much more about the Celtic journey from polytheism and paganism to monotheism and Christianity. And while our early praxis may have been founded in naiveté and a romanticized notion of the noble savage, it still nurtured and strengthened us in our search for a more meaningful faith experience and influence how we have tried to live the Christian life for the greater good of God’s creation. So my answer to Sister Power’s question is “yes.” Even with our most meager understanding of the Celtic people and their traditions, God acted and I believe continues to do so. In spite of our limited engagement and largely uninformed use of Celtic Spirituality, many continue to have powerful relational experiences with God. Yet God’s generous gift of God Self does not absolve us of the responsibility to study and grow in relationship with out Lord and in the wisdom of the faith of our spiritual ancestors. May it be so. The Rev. Judith Justice retired from fulltime pastoral ministry in 2012 after many years of service in North Carolina and Florida. She continues to be actively engaged in missional and social justice concerns that call the Church to action in the world.