No Longer I, but Christ

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake, I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ. Philippians 3:7-8 ESV

“May the road rise to meet you, May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, The rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of his hand.” I offer this traditional Irish blessing to you as a greeting on Tuesday (March 17) as you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. It is the one day of the year that totally disregards your Ancestry.com results. You may have traced your roots, but on St. Patrick’s Day, all of that goes out the window so that you can claim your Irish heritage.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower wrote, “Everybody is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, but if your name is Eisenhower, you’ve got to wear something green to show it.” The city of Chicago must have taken President Eisenhower at his word and decided to dye the Chicago River green. Around the world, shades of green appear everywhere, in hair, clothes, drinks, and food. “I do so like green eggs and ham! Thank you! Thank you, Sam-I-Am.” (Dr. Seuss, Green Eggs and Ham)

St. Patrick’s Day is more than dying your eggs green, wearing green clothes, or eating corned beef and cabbage; it is a day set aside to commemorate a once enslaved teenager in Ireland who would later return to the same country as a missionary. Maewyn Succat was born into a wealthy family in what is now Kilpatrick, Scotland. He was captured by Druid raiders and sold into slavery as a shepherd.

Though born into a Christian family, he wrote in his spiritual autobiography, “It was there that the Lord opened up my awareness of my lack of faith. Even though it came about late, I recognized my failings. So I turned with all my heart to the Lord my God (Joel 2:12), and he looked down on my lowliness (Luke 1:48). (From Confessio 2)

Maewyn Succat escaped his captors and made his way to a monastery in Gaul (France). There, he entered the priesthood and took the name Patrick. He would return to the very people who had enslaved him with a singular zeal to share about God who had completely set him free.

Millions will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on Tuesday, having fun, but most will forget the real story behind the name. Patrick was a devoted servant of God, known for his faith and deep prayer. He was totally abandoned to Christ, and his faith and prayer life would transform a nation. It was a life that would serve as an example of surrender and as a testimony to the generations that followed. I think Patrick would have identified with the ideas that Oswald Chambers expressed centuries later: “Salvation is not merely deliverance from sin, nor the experience of personal holiness; the salvation of God is deliverance out of self entirely into union with Himself…In your abandonment we give ourselves over to God just as God gave Himself for us, without any calculation. The consequence of abandonment never enters into our outlook because our life is taken up with Him.”

Patrick escaped from his captors and could have returned to his life as Maewyn Succat. He might have chosen a much easier and more comfortable life than that of a 5^th-century pioneer missionary. He could have taken an easier path as a priest rather than going back to those who had enslaved him for years. Yet, what he chose was a life of total abandonment to do the will of God. Through his work, he inspired a generation in Ireland to be faithful, overseeing the launch of 300 churches and helping over 135,000 people come to faith.

“The thing that tells in the long run for God and for men is the steady persevering work in the unseen, and the only way to keep the life uncrushed is to live looking to God. Ask God to keep the eyes of your spirit open to the Risen Christ, and it will be impossible for drudgery to damp you.” (Oswald Chambers)

Patrick lived out what Paul wrote to the churches in Galatia of the only thing that truly matters, complete surrender to Christ. “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 ESV

There are several variations of St. Patrick’s Breastplate (song), but I hope this portion of the longer versions will be both an encouragement and blessing to you as you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

 I arise today, through God’s strength to pilot me…

Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
~ St. Patrick

May this day, as all days, be filled with Christ. God is great!