Hope in Community

The historic story of Christ, the outside story of Christ, suddenly emerges as the inside story of yourself …’

 – George MacLeod

In a world often marked by turbulence and uncertainty, where do we find the courage to keep walking toward the light?

The Iona Community affirms that our faith is ‘rooted in hope: lived in community’. This is not a fingers-crossed optimism, but a gritty, determined commitment to the transformative power of love and justice when joined with that of our neighbour. In this collection, a new generation of theologians and writers, members of the Iona Community’s Young Adults Group, volunteers, and those who have lived and worked at the Abbey, invite us to walk the road from the gates of Jerusalem to the empty tomb. 

Through fresh reflections on familiar scriptures, they explore the ‘feet-on-the-ground’ gap between our hopes and their fulfilment, weaving the outside story of Christ with their own lived experiences of intentional community.

From the humble defiance of Palm Sunday to the ‘tender messiness’ of foot-washing on Maundy Thursday, and from the stark solidarity of Good Friday to the radical hope of Resurrection, these voices offer a call to action. They connect the ancient story of Christ’s passion with contemporary struggles for justice, drawing parallels between Jesus’ outcasts and today’s refugees, between the despised of first-century Palestine and the marginalised in our own communities.

Ruth Harvey is Leader of the Iona Community. Contributors include Dr. Victoria Turner, Evie Nieboer, Indigo Maynard Watts, Annie Sharples, Jack Woodruff, Molly Boot, William Gibson and Lakshmi Piette Walker – young adults who have lived in community at Iona Abbey and are members of the Community’s Young Adults Network.