During the 1990's I had the privilege of working as the Director of Anglican Renewal Ministries. This was a national organisation that had been established to encourage charismatic renewal in the Church of England. During the 70's and 80's, the Anglican church worldwide was experiencing a powerful renewal of the Holy Spirit. However, many in the Church of England were cautious. The expressions of this Pentecostal renewal seemed to be at odds with the Church of England's much valued traditions. Emotional freedom, dancing in the aisles, speaking in tongues and long sessions of singing were distinctly uncomfortable to those used to enjoying an Anglican life that prided itself on being biblically 'decent and in order.'

There were many who viewed this renewal as the lunatic fringe at best, and at worst, a damaging influence that threatened the life and values of the church. To be fair, some charismatics in their enthusiastic espousal of new freedoms, were throwing out much of the inherited Anglican culture, and their churches seemed to have very little in common with 'regular' Anglican life. 

God loved equally the traditions of our church, and this modern, spontaneous inflow of charismatic life.

It was early on in my time with Anglican Renewal Ministries, that I felt a strong sense that God loved equally the traditions of our church, and this modern, spontaneous inflow of charismatic life. Moreover, I could see clearly how the two could be friends and serve each other. I remember hearing an album called Officium which was produced at that time by the Hilliard Ensemble and the Norwegian saxophonist, Jan Garbarek (ECM 1993). I found the mix of the disciplined, medieval choral music and the extempore jazz music of Jan Garbarek's saxophone utterly beautiful.

The old, well-established disciplines of our ancient church and this new spontaneous life of the Spirit could exist in beautiful harmony.

The album felt like a parable of what I was hoping to see in the church: the old, well-established disciplines of our ancient church and this new spontaneous life of the Spirit could exist in beautiful harmony. The fact that the saxophone was a wind instrument felt particularly significant. 

So I started searching prayerfully for models of renewal where the ordered and the spontaneous flowed naturally together in the life and witness of the church. During my explorations, I came across a Scripture that seemed to me to be full of significance for my quest. It was Isaiah 51, which begins 'Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and the quarry from which you were dug.' It is a prophetic word of encouragement spoken to a people in exile. It is a chapter of renewal, but it begins with an encouragement to look back. In Isaiah's case, it was an encouragement to look back to Abraham and Sarah. But I felt there was a principle in this text that was relevant to my search. I saw that some renewals begin by investigating how God worked in the past, to draw from the wisdom of our spiritual ancestors to gain inspiration for the present day. And the quarry I felt led to explore was the emergence of a church in Ireland and Britain from around the end of the fourth century onwards, that is sometimes referred to as the early Celtic church.

I got hold a copy of the Venerable Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People.  Written by Bede in the 8th century, the book contains many accounts of the life and witness of this dynamic church that was inspired by an extraordinary move of the Spirit. During this time, thousands of Christian communities were established all over Ireland and Britain. What greatly appealed to me in these stories was the natural integration of compassionate evangelism, a holistic healing ministry, a radical engagement in society (that included the first movement to abolish slavery), forms of prayer that were both formal and extemporary, a profound love of Scripture depicted in such volumes as the Lindisfarne Gospels, an affirmation of women's ministry, and charismatic experience that displayed a very natural and effective use of the gift of prophecy. I had found the model I was looking for!

All this was 30 years ago, but I am as enthusiastic about this early church now as I was when I first discovered it. In the last twelve years or so, I have joined my good friend, Russ Parker, in leading pilgrimages to the sites of these early Celtic witnesses in Ireland and Britain. At each place, we tell the story of faith, and we pray for our pilgrims, often using water from the ancient wells. I never cease to be moved by the way God reaches out with his blessing on our pilgrims in these places that feel alive with the memory of faith.