A QUESTION OF FAITH
With Derek Marvin Chair of Churches Together, Pastor, Trinity Lane Church
ST Patrick’s day is the 17th of March and although he is usually associated with Southern Ireland, he was probably born in Scotland and later spent lots of his time in Northern Ireland, especially around Armagh.
About the age of fifteen he lived in Wales and was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken to Ireland for six years and kept as a slave, herding sheep. During this time he came into contact with some early Irish converts to Christianity and became a Christian himself. When the opportunity arose he escaped back to Wales where he lived for a while again.
One night Patrick had a dream from God who told him to go back to Ireland and preach the gospel there. Imagine his feelings about that! After kidnap and escape, would you want to return to the land of your kidnappers? However Patrick had grown in faith to such a point that he entirely trusted God in the matter, so back he went! There are many myths and legends surrounding Patrick. What is certain is that he was such a strong Christian that when he preached about how Jesus gave up His life for us on the cross, many became born-again Christians and lived godly lives from then on. The irony is that Patrick effectively became a shepherd again, but this time, of his flock of new Christians.
Some stories tell of Patrick healing the sick and even raising the dead as Jesus did. One account explains that Patrick banished all the snakes from Ireland by driving them in to the sea. It might have happened this way or it may be referring to the idea that the devil is often characterised as a serpent and it was he who was pushed out by the massive number of people becoming Christians and rejecting sinful ways. Another story concerns the famous emblem of the Shamrock. St Patrick was teaching about God and explained how God is one person who has the three-fold nature of Father, Son (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit. This is a difficult idea and people struggle with it. So Patrick picked a stem of shamrock and explained that although there it is a single plant stem, it carries three leaves representing the three members of the Trinity.
St Patrick is a great example of a bold Christian who helped transform a country. Are we fellow Christians willing to follow in his brave footsteps, and declare and explain our faith to those we come across in life’s path?