In the 5th century the Romans, who occupied most of Britannia, finally
pulled up stakes and went home. They had troubles enough of their own to worry
about back in the Mediterranean. Too many flies and not enough soup were on the
Roman dinner table in those days, especially with that obnoxious Attila the Hun
hovering around for a waiter!
(1) So, the native peoples
left behind in Britannia were given a hearty “good luck”, and that was that.
The Britons and Angles
in the south had done the most mixing with the Romans, but the Picts and Gaels
in the north and west were mighty pleased to be rid of those Roman-pests. There
were no Scots or Scotland up there in the north country back then. It was just
an assorted motley crew that roamed and ruled the northern third of Britannia.
Red-headed, short-tempered Picts (so named by the Romans for apparent tattooing)
were known for head hunting, but at the same time carved beautiful images on
tall stones to communicate and commemorate their lives instead of having a
written language. Then there were those feisty Gaels that had come over from
the large, neighboring island to the west (now called Ireland) who had their own
completely different culture and language, a
written language. But,
their heads weren’t that much cooler than Picts, so many a war was fought
amongst them. Then, with the Britons and Angles raising Cain on their southern
side, it was a rare thing indeed to just sit on your back stoop sipping tea and
swatting flies o
n a quiet summer evening. Nonetheless, God does the craziest,
coolest things. He began to bring His Message of His Son, Jesus Christ, through
the Gaels. Sure they didn’t communicate it perfectly all the time, but the
message of Christianity started spreading. Columba came from Ireland in the 6th century, among other
missionaries, and helped to spread the Word of God. Of course God’s Message met
with great resistance. In fact there was actually a face-to-face, spiritual
show-down between the missionary Columba and the druid of a Pictish king! The
druid lost, but Christianity was still slow to spread into the lives of the
Picts and their Pictland, or, as it was sometimes called,
Caledonia.
Albeit loosely, there was some level of amalgamation between the Picts and Gaels
during the next few centuries, especially with the Angles harassing them from
the south. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, don’t-ya-know! Then the 9th
century brought devastation to everyone: Vikings! They came in their swift and
silent Viking ships (knarrs) from the north (Scandinavia) and devoured lands and
people not only in the British Isles, but also in what is now Europe, Russia,
Turkey, Africa and Canada. Isn’t it interesting that God’s message of love and
hope was sent ahead of the storm to provide a source of strength and peace for
what was to come? At the end of this century (with many a twist and turn by
birth, death, betrayal and the almighty hand of God) the Gaels and the Picts
merge for real into one kingdom. In 889 A.D. we have the first written notation
of this united kingdom of
Alba,
which is Gaelic for
Scotland.
Eventually the Pictish language disappears. Gaelic becomes
the language of power and then the language of the common people. All this to
say, God’s sovereignty amazes me. We think we are the ones in control of our
lives, that our free-will rules the day. But, I’m reminded of a proverb in the
Bible:
“The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; He directs it like a
watercourse wherever He pleases.” (Proverbs 21:1) Is your family a loose
confederation of combatants? Have “Vikings” raided your work-place and are
terrorizing your future? Is your old, familiar way of living life disappearing
into the “Highland mists” never to come back? Listen, the Lord God Creator
loves you, and He is sending this message to you:
for being a part of this amazing journey that came from
God’s heart. Over and over God has been showing me that His love and mercy is
to be experienced and sent around the world together. Your prayers,
thoughtfulness, monetary giving and plain ol’ encouraging words and hugs have
made a HUGE difference for me. I expect this togetherness in Christ to
have eternal-hope impact far beyond Scotland. May I say with every fiber of my
being: JESUS CHRIST LOVES YOU! You, as in you sitting right here
reading this. You are not part of a vague collective of human beings randomly
birthed on a accidental, spinning planet. You are the Lord Creator’s design.
Taste and see that the LORD is good! It’s way different than being religious or
a church-goer. You are passionately loved and longed for by the Lord and Master
of the Universe. Open your mouth like a little birdie (Mom always said that)
and taste. Nuff said. (I think I’m waiving the little flowered hankie
again.) 
