This past week, we went to another college here in Dublin to do a prayer walk - Trinity College. The moment I stepped foot on campus, I got the familiar feeling that I was walking on the grounds that belong to great minds of today and from the past. It is always awe-inspiring to stroll around that main square and ponder the history of the place.
The strong presence of tradition was tangible. It was almost intimidating because this place does not belong to us. What we feel when we think about cultivating a missional environment on that campus is a sense of intrusion on our part. It can be an incredible challenge when God has us enter a place that has been claimed by tradition and prestige. Any entrance that we make to the campus may be perceived as a threat to the heritage there.
However, there is something so hopeful about that heritage that I felt while walking the campus that day. Long ago, there were men who felt that the Word of God was sacred...something to be cherished. They felt so strongly about this that they gave their lives in order that it might be preserved. Their work, the interpretation of the four Gospels (that we now call the Book of Kells), was taken to Trinity College so that it would be protected. This godly heritage is now on display there and viewed by thousands of people every year.
The true traditions of Trinity College are older than we realize. These traditions were inspired by God and were once prized by people of influence. Our prayer for this campus is that it will once again experience the zeal for the truth of God’s Word that was once so prevalent there. May its distant heritage be awakened once more.
