The picture above is from a very special beach on the Isle of Iona. It’s called the White Strand of the Monks, and that name dates back to the year 806, when a band of Viking raiders descended on this beach. They found here the monks of Iona, men who had given their lives to prayer, learning, and the daily rhythm of worship. Some had come from far-off places, drawn by the vision of Columba and the community he founded. Their lives were simple, hidden, unremarkable by worldly standards — yet they were devoted to Christ.

Here, on this sand, their earthly lives came to a violent end. Sixty-eight were slaughtered in a single day. We do not know their names. We do not know their stories. But God knows. God remembers. And the Church remembers, too — not because of the cruelty of their death, but because of the witness of their lives.

Standing on the shore this morning, we were reminded of the cost of discipleship.