The California Collection/TheCaliforniaCollection.cdr/his092/patrick.lzh/PATRICK.TXT

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ISS:Facts vs. Myths what St. Patrick's day could mean  by Alan B. Christensen

   Phil. 1:21; Col. 1:18; I Thess. 5:8-9

   NEXT MONTH on the 17th, millions of people the world around will
remember in one way or another, a man who lived almost 1600 years ago.
Born in South Scotland, he was given the name Sucat, which in Latin
became Patricius. Later, he was generally known as Patrick.

   Patrick was the son of a deacon of the Celtec church, which was the
church of that day in Roman Britain. And his grandfather was a
presbyter of that church. Thus, Patrick was a third generation
Christian. A man of profound humility, He was used mightily by the Lord
as a fearless preacher of the Christian gospel in Ireland.

   But instead of being remembered as a fruitful evangelist, he has in
recent centuries been celebrated mostly for what he did not do. I would
like to share with you some facts about this man because his life
provides an incredible demonstration of humility, fearlessness and
dependence upon God that cannot help but challenge our lives.

   ST. PATRICK'S DAY SHOULD NOT further myth at the expense of truth.
Our Lord Jesus Christ is Light and Truth. As His followers, we need to
always distinguish between fact and fable. And about this man Patrick,
there is more myth and legend than one can imagine, much of which
apparently originated from a book written about 350 years ago by John
Colgan entitled "The Seven Lives of Patrick".

   For example, many places in Ireland and elsewhere will be decorated
with shamrock on March 17th because Patrick is thought to have made the
comparison of its three leaves with the Trinity. There is not a hint of
this at all in any of Patrick's writings.

   The man Patrick was supposed to have been responsible for the
miraculous exodus of snakes from the Emerald Isle. In point of fact,
there simply were no snakes there. And it is widely circulated that
when he went to glory, his reception in heaven was so great that there
was light for twelve full days. That is pure fable.

   Facts. Behind all this myth is the real man, who is as amazing as
the legend is. How can we find facts about this man? In the providence
of God, Patrick has left behind three significant writings. One was his
lengthy letter to a man called Coroticus; the second is called "My
Confession Before I Die"; and the third was a hymn he wrote, known as
the Lorica or Breastplate, and part of which is included in our hymn
books as "Christ Be Beside Me".

   In these writings, we find a man who would surely despise all the
current fuss about him. In his confession, he wrote, "And now for me,
life is Christ." It was based on Philippians 1:21, which he had chosen
as his life verse and which reads, "For to me, to live is Christ and to
die is gain."

   Patrick was a man who was tried and tested. Through it all, he
became convinced that life could be meaningful and fulfilling only when
it is centered on Christ.

   Foster an unscriptural view of sainthood.

   Most people, I suppose, are under the impression that St. Patrick
became a saint because he had done much for the church and had
faithfully served the Lord. Patrick would vigorously denounce such a
view, because the reasoning is not at all Biblical.

   In John 17:15, the Lord prayed: "My prayer is not that you take them
out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are
not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth;
your word is truth."

   The word "sanctify" comes from a root word that means to separate,
or tear apart. In Latin, the corresponding word is "sanctus", from
which we get the word "saint". Thus, the word "saint" essentially means
one who has been separated from something, and from the Biblical point
of view, that something from which the saint is separated is the
ravaging, destructive effects of sin. Thus, according to the Scripture,
everyone who has been so separated is a saint.

   Who does the separating? God does; He makes saints. He puts Christ's
robe of righteousness on those sinners who repent and put their faith
in the Lord Jesus. And that was how Patrick became a saint. That's why
he began both his Lorica and his prayer to Coroticus with these words,
"I, Patrick, the sinner"; he reposed his faith in Christ, His Savior.

   Give any man the glory that belongs to Christ.

   The way St. Patrick's Day is observed these days, everything focuses
on the mythical man. But even if the real man were the center of it,
Patrick would still have refused the honor. In Colossians 1:18, we
read, "so that in everything he (meaning Christ) might have the
preeminence". A simple way to test anything Christian is to see if it
makes Christ preeminent. Christ Jesus is preeminent in all Christian
doctrines and teachings. He is preeminent in creation, in redemption,
and in worship. He is preeminent in history and will be in the new
heavens and new earth. Never is a man to be placed in the position
where he receives the glory and the Lord does not. It is Jesus who made
Patrick the person that he was. Yet, you don't hear anything about
Jesus on St. Patrick's Day.

   ST. PATRICK'S DAY COULD point to the salvation Patrick enjoys.

   In the three writings that we have of Patrick, there are 113
references to Scripture. He was quick to write, "I bind myself this day
forever to His death on the cross for my salvation."

   Patrick knew that he was a sinner and that only Christ could save
him. His Lorica was based on I Thessalonians 5:8-9: "God did not
appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord
Jesus Christ. Since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled,
putting on faith and love as a breastplate."

   So, when the unsaved celebrate St. Patrick's Day, we could use the
occasion to share with them how Patrick escaped eternal damnation and
found eternal life through the blood of Christ.

   Remind us of God's faithfulness.

   When Patrick was a boy of 16, he was seized by pirates and taken to
Ireland, where he was then sold into slavery to a Druid chieftain. For
six years, he tended swine.

   He writes, "It was while I ate the bitter bread of that hateful
servitude in a foreign land that the light divine broke upon my
benighted soul and I called to remembrance the holy things I had been
taught in my home. I was 16 and knew not the true God, but in that
strange land the Lord opened my eyes and I was converted."

   With God's help, he later managed to escape and reunite with his
family.

   Encourage us to examine our relationship with God.

   At the age of 40, Patrick returned to Ireland. There, he preached
Christ crucified and risen to his former captors, including the Druid
king, and, because he defied a pagan tradition, was finally martyred.

   Patrick wrote, "If I be found worthy to give my life for His name
sake, unfalteringly and very gladly there I desire to spend it, if only
the Lord should grant me the privilege." You see, he remembered the
Lord's promise found in Matthew 28:20, "I will be with you always." Do
we consider it a privilege to give our life to Christ?

   Humility and trust. Patrick wrote, "I have a Creator who knew all
things before they came to pass...I am very greatly a debtor to God who
has bestowed so great grace upon me." Do we come before our Creator
with humility, recognizing that we are debtors to our Redeemer?

   When Patrick and his assistants were advancing toward the Irish
sovereign after having defied the pagan custom, they sang the Lorica.
"I bind unto myself today the strong name of the Trinity." They went in
the strength of the Lord; they remembered these words from the lips of
Jesus, "If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit;
apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). Do we recognize our
inadequacy and acknowledge our total dependence on Christ?

   APPLICATION

   What kind of a day will St. Patrick's Day be for you? Hopefully, it
will be a day you take advantage of to proclaim the Good News of Christ
to the misguided, a day you tell others how faithful God was in saving
the sinner Patrick, and a day you are encouraged to serve Christ by
Patrick's selfless dedication to the Lord's work.

   Rev. Alan B. Christensen is pastor of Hope Church, 240 Wolfpit Road,
Wilton, CT 06897.