St. Patrick - Missionary to Ireland

With March 17th, just around the corner and our "open house" St. Patrick's day party this Saturday, I've been doing a little research on Patrick. Here are a couple of thoughts from what I have learned...

St. Patrick is undoubtedly the most famous missionary ever to be sent to Ireland. While there are many famous stories and legends surrounding the life of Patrick, there are two lessons we can draw from his circumstances that every believer can take inspiration from.

At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family’s estate. He was transported to Ireland where he spent six years as a prisoner. He later escaped back to Britain (after a 200 mile walk to the nearest seaport), only to return to Ireland as a missionary fifteen years later.

I doubt that Patrick knew what God had in store for him when he was kidnapped from his family and was held for six years in bondage. However, during his captivity, he became familiar with the Irish/Celtic language and pagan belief system. This knowledge helped him find broader acceptance and allowed him to be more effective when he returned to share the gospel. The important thing we can learn here is that God, in his divine providence, can prepare you to serve Him in ways that you can’t even imagine – often during times of great suffering and strife.

Patrick used his familiarity with the Irish language and culture and chose to incorporate traditional ritual into his lessons of Christianity instead of attempting to eradicate native Irish beliefs. For instance, he used bonfires to celebrate Easter since the Irish were used to honoring their gods with fire. Legend has it that he used the shamrock, a 3-leaf clover, to highlight the concept of the Trinity. He also superimposed a sun, a powerful Irish symbol, onto the Christian cross, so that the Irish would more fully understand the significance of the cross (we know this as a celtic cross today).

The important thing to learn here is to be able to understand the culture you are in and to be able to share Christ in a way that means something to people. For example, I have heard the phrase “the Bread of Life” that we are so familiar with be translated in to “the Rice of Life” in different cultures where that makes more sense. Certainly the integrity of the message should never be compromised, but every effort should be made to present the good news in a way that is true and relevant.

Missions is simply sharing the love of Christ with others – no matter where you live. The mission field begins right outside your own front door. I encourage you to look for ways to apply these lessons from the life of Patrick as you go forth in to the fields that are ripe for the harvest.