James the Deacon: the one who stayed
It was October 632. The Christian King Edwin of Northumbria had died in battle at Hatfield near Doncaster. He died fighting the forces of the Pagan king Penda of Merica. His death threw Northumbria into crisis. The death of Edwin and defeat of his forces allowed the forces of King Cadwallon to attack the defenceless people of Northumbria on a mission of ethnic cleansing. Men, women and children were butchered as Cadwallon attempted to exterminate the English rom Northumbria and reintroduce its previous inhabitants, the Britons.
Paulinus, the leader of the Northumbrian church who was also the widowed Queen’s chaplain, fled south to Kent. His primary mission was to safely take the Queen, her children and other members of the royal household to safety. Thankfully he succeeded.
James the Deacon, Paulinus’ fellow worker in the Northumbrian church did not leave. He stayed. He stayed in Northumbria preaching the gospel throughout the crisis and beyond. He lived to be over ninety. The Dark Age historian Bede wrote of James’ saintly character and ability as a musician. He states that James was humble in character and steadfast in witness. He continued to preach and baptise as well as to teach, encourage and nurture the Christians of that large kingdom. He must have left a deep impression on the numerous people that he ministered to. Who knows what a difference he made!
James was never famous or celebrated in his own lifetime. For sure, his life would have been more exciting if the missionary minded King Edwin had lived. Who knows what exciting and fruitful missions James could have gone on, but it wasn’t to be. James could have fled with Paulinus to the Christian kingdom of Kent and continued a more fruitful ministry in the more spiritually fertile soil of a stable Christian kingdom. But James just dug in and stayed exactly where God wanted him to be. Sometimes Christians are called to remain the underdogs and in difficult situations because of God’s great love, his heart for the people in those places, those for whom he longs to come to know him.
Are you prepared to be an underdog for Jesus? It may not be glamorous!
John Martin-Jones
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