Happy St. Patrick's Day!
I've been getting my preschoolers hyped up about it for weeks, and this morning tied green ribbon in their hair or around their wrists to keep them all from getting pinched. :) We listened to Celtic music all day (Michael Card's Starkindler ). We did mosaics of green shamrocks, and talked about how Patrick used them to explain the Trinity to his Irish flock-- one God, three persons, just as there is one plant, and three parts. Of course the illustration breaks down, but if it didn't, it wouldn't be talking about a Mystery of our Faith, now would it!?? Anyway, the kids loved it. I also stood by the door of my choir classroom and pinched every middle school boy who walked in without green... many of them escaped via green duct tape or green marker, since our school uniform doesn't have much green in it.
So, why do I love Patrick enough to tell his story to a bunch of preschoolers, and to be a bit ridiculous about the color green once a year? It's not just because I love all things Irish... though that doesn't hurt. :) For Christmas, you may recall, Ryan gave me an unassuming little book about Patrick's life, in his own words as far as they exist. Patrick was more a man of action than writing, and back then paper wasn't exactly growing on trees (hehehe), but he did leave a Confession, and a letter, and perhaps some poetry as well (it's been attributed to him and there's no real reason to doubt it is his, but he didn't sign his name to it). Remember that "confession" comes from the Latin word confesso, or "I believe," as in the Latin version of the Apostle's Creed-- "I believe in God the Father..." Patrick's Confession is his testimony, his life's account of what he believed and how he lived it out. Ryan read the book first on a plane trip, and couldn't put it down. I started it the day after Christmas, and by the time I finished it, I wanted to name our second son (if we ever have one) Patrick.
Why? Let me let him tell you, in his own words:
Speaking of his captivity as a slave in Ireland in his youth (he was kidnapped by Irish pirates at age 16):
"...the Lord opened up the understanding of my unbelief so that at length I might recall to my mind my sins, and that I might be converted with all my heart to the Lord my God, who hath regarded my humility, and taken pity on my youth and my ignorance, and kept watch over me before I knew Him [...] Wherefore, I cannot keep silence- nor would it be fitting- concerting such great benefits and such great grace as the Lord has vouchsafed to bestow on me in the land of my captivity; for this is the return we make, that after our chastening or after our recognition of God, we should exalt and proclaim His wondrous ways before every nation which is under the whole heaven."
"... this I do most certainly know, that before I was humbled I was like a stone lying in the deep mire, and He that is mighty came, and in His mercy lifted me up and indeed raised me aloft, and placed me on the top of the wall. And therefore I ought to cry aloud so that I may render something to the Lord for His benefits which are so great both here and for eternity, that the mind of man cannot estimate them. [...] Moreover, it is fitting that I spread everywhere the name of God without fear, confidently; so that after my death I may leave a legacy to my brethren and my sons whom I baptized in the Lord-- so many thousands of men."
You can see how he viewed His Savior in this line:
"...I who neither knew the number of my days, nor savored God?"
He is utterly God-centered, always speaking of God's mercy and the delight he himself had in Him. He is Bible-saturated, quoting & referring to Scripture constantly. He is Trinitarian, rooting his every belief in the Father, the Son & the Spirit-- his faith is the simple uncluttered faith of a Bible believing man, not confused by ritual or rite (though we know he used both, they were definitely secondary, appearing nowhere in his writings), and unfettered by years of tradition. We read of no prayers to anyone but Christ, no thanks to any patron saint, no remarks honoring anyone but His Creator, Mediator & Savior. His is a pastor's heart, loving his flock deeply and desirous to see them grow in the Lord. His greatest wish was to die among them, as a martyr if the Lord was so pleased.
He is also incredibly humble, in the same paragraph remarking of how he has "baptized so many thousands of men," and trained elders from their midst, and referring to his own ""mediocrity." HAH! If that's mediocre, then I'm an utter failure!
" [...] daily I expect either murder, or robbery, or enslavement, or the occurrence of some such calamity. But none of these things do I fear, on account of the promises of Heaven! I have cast myself into the hands of God Almighty, for He rules everywhere, as the prophet saith: "Cast thy care upon God, and He shall sustain thee." ...And if ever I accomplished anything good for the sake of my God whom I love, I beg Him to grant me that I may shed my blood with these exiles and captives for His name [...]."
This last quote, from the end of his confession, makes me shout internally every time I read it "I cannot WAIT to meet this man in Heaven!!":
"I testify in truth and in the joy of my heart before God and His holy angels that I never had any motive except the Gospel and its promises for ever returning to that nation [Ireland] from whence previously I had barely made my escape."
Rejoicing at the Grace of God which can make such faithful men out of pagans,
--Christina
No comments:
Post a Comment