Table Fellowship

Sunday on Iona felt like a real Sabbath Day, saturated with worship, singing, laughter, and walking. We woke to the sun beaming through our window and started our day with a light and typical McLeod Centre breakfast of tea, toast, jams, and porridge (I confess I skipped the latter). The highlight of the morning was a communion service in the Abbey which included not only week-long pilgrims like us, but island residents and day visitors. I found myself wondering how many times and in how many ways has this ancient ritual of bread and cup been shared in this space? The generous Invitation to the Table that was read spoke powerfully and generously to me about the meaning of the Eucharist: The table of bread and wine is now to be made ready. It is the table of company with Jesus, And all who love him. It is the table of sharing with the poor of the world, with whom Jesus identified himself. It is the table of communion with the earth, in which Christ became incarnate. So come to this table, you who

have much faith and you would like to have more; you who have been here often and you who have been away for a long time; you who have tried to follow Jesus, and you who have failed; Come. It is Christ who invites us to meet him here. Our big meal moved to Sunday mid-day andwe feasted on beefstew, vegetables, “crunchy and toasties” (potatoes) and puffed pastry which got crumbled in to create a pot pie effect. The afternoon found many of us wandering the island for more exploration, and while most of our group headed to the Great Sing in the late afternoon (a participatory introduction to the music of the Iona Community), I landed on the top of a nearby hill that gave me a vantage point to see the entire island. A pleasant and stiff wind was blowing as I sang my heart out to the iPod song playing in my ears, “10,000 Reasons.”

Our night concluded with Tea (supper),a short talk on the history of the Iona Community, and two back to back worship experiences. The first is called The Quiet Service, a counterbalance to the full liturgy of the morning, and the silence was so thick and delicious in the candlelit Abbey you felt enveloped in it. There was an option that many of us took advantage of to stay for a time of singing and prayer in the Taize style and it proved to be a gentle

and ethereal ending to a full and rich day. Well almost, as we weren’t quite done yet. Most of us stayed up for an international card game of Flip (the 2 Dutch taking on us American horde – unsuccessfully, I might add) and the laughter, trash-talking, and Chips Ahoy cookies (thanks to Phuong and the Bethesda Giant!) sent us to bed with smiles on our faces and the glow of community in our hearts.