The Real Saint Patrick

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!  Everywhere I look people are wearing green and are decorated with shamrocks.  Saint Patrick‘s day is one of those holidays I’ve never fully understood.  Why does everyone wear green?  Why do we celebrate the holiday?

A couple of years ago (by means of a Veggie Tales video) I started learning the details of the real Saint Patrick.  We only have a small amount of historical information about the real Saint Patrick.  The story line goes basically like this.  Patrick was born in Britain around 387AD to wealthy parents.  At age 16 he was kidnapped by some raiders from Ireland who were raiding the family estate.  He lived in Ireland as a slave tending sheep and working outdoors.  Legend has that while working in the fields he received a vision from God and it was in Ireland Patrick became a Christian.  Patrick escaped his captivity and returned to Britain at age 22.  When returning to his hometown he studied Christianity for 15 year in preparation for his ordination.   Afterwords he was sent back to Ireland to minister to Irish Christians and for missionary work to the Irish community.

What amazing story.  What a story of forgiveness!  Think about how hard this might have initially been for Saint Patrick.  Going to preach mercy and grace to the very people the invaded your house, stole from your family, put you in shackles and enslaved you for 6 years.  But we don’t hear of hatred, resentment, and anger.  We only here of the good news of Jesus Christ!

We need more people today like Saint Patrick.  Willing to minister to those who hurt them the most.  Willing to go through pain, suffering and humiliation all to preach Christ to those who don’t know of God’s glory in Christ. 

And my last rant for the day, I still don’t get the holiday of Saint Patrick’s Day.  Rather than celebrating the Irish, we should celebrate Christ.  Rather than green beer, we should celebrate our communion with God.  Rather than pinching those not wearing green, we should offer forgiveness and grace to those who have wronged us.  That’s what Saint Patrick would have done.

The Lost Sheep

Risk is a part of life.  Everywhere we go and everything we do involves risk.  Driving, flying and eating and drinking involves risk of the unknown.  Take for example the food that we eat.  Even with the cleanest kitchen, there’s a risk of food being contaminated and we could become sick from eating that food.  Risk is everywhere.

One of the key things that stands out to me in the parable of the lost sheep is the risk the shepherd takes while searching for the one lost sheep.  He leaves the 99 behind in search of one.  Our current business culture says that is not a profitable risk.  Chasing after one sheep while leaving the 99 in the open field could be financial disaster.  What if a wolf or some other predator came attacked the 99 while the shepherd was out searching for the one lost sheep?  “The risk is too great!” some would say.  With all the risk involved in searching for the one missing sheep, most would say leaving the 99 behind would not be a wise risk.

Not only that, what is gained from searching for the one lost sheep?  The best case scenario is that he brings back the single lost sheep.  There is no return on the shepherd’s investment.  He just starts off with the same number of sheep that he started with.  The investment world would see this as a poor investment. 

Aren’t you glad that our Father in heaven in not concerned about numbers, risk and investments as the business world around us is?  He’s concerned about the one sheep that returns.  Heaven rejoices when one is lost then becomes found.  Jesus says it plainly, “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”  (Luke 15:7).  For Jesus, it’s not about the investment but about people.  People are the investment.  The risk of leaving the 99 behind was not too great a risk for the one. 

You are the one lost sheep that Jesus was willing to risk it all for.  Not only that, we are called to care for the one lost among us, just as God cared for us.  Who can you risk it all to bring back to God?  Who can you reach out to?  Who has God put on your heart to share the glory of God revealed through Christ on the cross?

Storms and the Stars

Last night several thunderstorms came through the Atlanta area.  We even had a couple of Tornado warnings in the area because the storms so bad.  One of the warnings came across the radio and Ty said to me, “Dad, there’s a tomato warming.”

After all the storms had passed I walked out to the end of my driveway to bring the trash dumpster back to the house.  The ground was saturated.  Huge puddles of water still remained from the torrential downfall of rain that had happened hours before.  While walking back to the house I couldn’t help but to notice the sky full of stars.  There were only a couple of clouds scattered here and there but for the most part it was STARS. 

Just by looking at the sky, you would have never thought earlier in the night we had thunderstorms and tomato warmings.  Everything was quiet, clear and pleasant.  Looking at the ground you were quickly brought back to reality to realize that rain did come.  It was a strong contrast between two worlds.  One being the still sky and the other the after effects of a storm.

I find many parallels from the storm and sky to current life on earth.  We all find our selves in the storms of life.  Battered, beaten, worn and completely drenched from the rain.  We find ourselves cold, wet, and uncomfortable in our own skin.  This translates in real life to trouble in relationships, jobs, health or other storms that life brings.  But I think the tragedy of it all is that even after the storm has passed, we remained focused on the puddles, the soggy ground, the branches that have fallen and other negative effects of the storm.  Rather than looking down, we should look up to the sky.  There we see, the storm have passed, the clouds have broken and peace has been restored.  Focusing upward also helps us remember that the sun is always faithful to rise the next morning.  

We cannot prevent life’s storms.  What we can do is know that storms are temporary.  They pass.  Then the clouds break and gives way to sunlight.  Not only that, we can control where we focus.   I think this is very nicely wrapped up with some lyrics from the song Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s a light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundantly and free!

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face.
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.