A British Take on an Irish Holiday in America
Written by Ken Livingstone
A Baptist Minister from England, visiting Living Faith for 3 months with wife Sharen
A Baptist Minister from England, visiting Living Faith for 3 months with wife Sharen
Last weekend, Sharen and I stumbled across the Wantagh St. Patrick’s Day Parade. We knew something was going on from the unusually busy traffic near our temporary Wantagh home. So, we followed the hundreds of people dressed in green and wearing silly hats to watch the parade along Wantagh Avenue. It was great to be able to share in such a fun and popular occasion.
But it made me wonder what all the fuss was about. After all, St Patrick’s Day is barely mentioned in the UK. And even in Ireland, despite the day itself being a national holiday, public celebrations are modest compared to what happens here. It felt like the parade we saw (and the corned beef and cabbage dinner a friend had cooked for us the previous evening) were not so much a religious festival as part of a celebration of all things Irish, for a people whose roots reach across the Atlantic.
The celebrations also got me thinking about St. Patrick himself. Because, while Ireland’s rivers aren’t dyed green to mark the day (as they are in Chicago, for example), when we consider the impact Patrick had for the kingdom of God, maybe they should be!
Patrick was actually English, born in the fifth century and not far from where Sharen and I live in northern England. When he was 16, his life took a major turn when he was captured by Irish pirates, taken to Ireland and enslaved there. This seeming disaster for the young Patrick was actually the pivot point in his life. For it was during this time that he turned to Christ. After six years in captivity, Patrick escaped his captors and returned to England, where he continued to follow Christ.
Some time later he had a vision in which some Irish people implored him to ‘come walk among us’. He went, believing he was being called to preach the gospel among the people of Ireland. For the next thirty years, he established monasteries there, expanded literacy among the people and effectively converted the country to Christianity.
As I consider the little that’s known of the life of Patrick, I’m struck by the fruit that was borne of Patrick’s adversity. Would he have turned to Christ had he not been enslaved? Maybe, but he certainly wouldn’t have had that seed planted in him that would later turn his heart towards the people of Ireland. And what of his obedience? His preparedness to go back to the country that had treated him so harshly as a slave? I can’t help but think how different his life, and the history of Ireland, might have been had he not responded to that call.
St. Patrick is associated more with the Catholic Church, and has therefore, along with other key Christian figures from history, been mostly ignored by the Protestant churches – to our loss, I would suggest. After all, Patrick lived more than a thousand years before the Protestant church emerged – during his time there was just Church.
So, whether you’re one of those people who wears a crazy green hat on St. Patrick’s Day or you choose to ignore the whole thing, let me encourage you to let this man’s life inspire you in your walk with Christ! What difficult situation do you find yourself in that perhaps is the seed of a future gospel opportunity? Is there a particular group of people or community that you feel drawn to where you could have influence? What dreams do you hold in your heart that could be the spur towards fruitful ministry?
I close with some beautiful words attributed to Patrick:
Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me, Christ within me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ at my right, Christ at my left,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks to me,
Christ in the eye of every man that sees me,
Christ in the ear of every man that hears me.
But it made me wonder what all the fuss was about. After all, St Patrick’s Day is barely mentioned in the UK. And even in Ireland, despite the day itself being a national holiday, public celebrations are modest compared to what happens here. It felt like the parade we saw (and the corned beef and cabbage dinner a friend had cooked for us the previous evening) were not so much a religious festival as part of a celebration of all things Irish, for a people whose roots reach across the Atlantic.
The celebrations also got me thinking about St. Patrick himself. Because, while Ireland’s rivers aren’t dyed green to mark the day (as they are in Chicago, for example), when we consider the impact Patrick had for the kingdom of God, maybe they should be!
Patrick was actually English, born in the fifth century and not far from where Sharen and I live in northern England. When he was 16, his life took a major turn when he was captured by Irish pirates, taken to Ireland and enslaved there. This seeming disaster for the young Patrick was actually the pivot point in his life. For it was during this time that he turned to Christ. After six years in captivity, Patrick escaped his captors and returned to England, where he continued to follow Christ.
Some time later he had a vision in which some Irish people implored him to ‘come walk among us’. He went, believing he was being called to preach the gospel among the people of Ireland. For the next thirty years, he established monasteries there, expanded literacy among the people and effectively converted the country to Christianity.
As I consider the little that’s known of the life of Patrick, I’m struck by the fruit that was borne of Patrick’s adversity. Would he have turned to Christ had he not been enslaved? Maybe, but he certainly wouldn’t have had that seed planted in him that would later turn his heart towards the people of Ireland. And what of his obedience? His preparedness to go back to the country that had treated him so harshly as a slave? I can’t help but think how different his life, and the history of Ireland, might have been had he not responded to that call.
St. Patrick is associated more with the Catholic Church, and has therefore, along with other key Christian figures from history, been mostly ignored by the Protestant churches – to our loss, I would suggest. After all, Patrick lived more than a thousand years before the Protestant church emerged – during his time there was just Church.
So, whether you’re one of those people who wears a crazy green hat on St. Patrick’s Day or you choose to ignore the whole thing, let me encourage you to let this man’s life inspire you in your walk with Christ! What difficult situation do you find yourself in that perhaps is the seed of a future gospel opportunity? Is there a particular group of people or community that you feel drawn to where you could have influence? What dreams do you hold in your heart that could be the spur towards fruitful ministry?
I close with some beautiful words attributed to Patrick:
Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me, Christ within me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ at my right, Christ at my left,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks to me,
Christ in the eye of every man that sees me,
Christ in the ear of every man that hears me.
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4 Comments
Lovely read, lovely bloke (Ken that is) although StPatrick was probably just as lovely!
What a wonderful and inspiring blog! You taught me something today… thank you Ken!
Excellent Blog, I learned something new today. Yes, he was a follower of Christ our lord. Thanks for the info.
Pretty amazing at what one life can do! Thank you Ken for sharing your perspective on this day. I hope you write another before you leave us :)