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Address By Bishop Of Down and Dromore For St Patrick's Day
St Patrick's Day address preached in Down Cathedral by Rt Revd Harold Miller, Bishop of Down and Dromore
Look to the rock from which you were cut, and the quarry from which you were hewn. Isaiah 51.1
One of the things we need to re-establish again and again in this country at the end of the 20th Century is our common Christian heritage. All around us, in our deeply divided society we see emphasis being given to our differences, to those things which divide us, in belief and culture; and I believe, this St Patrick's Day, that our one God -the God and Father of our one Lord Jesus Christ- longs to re-call us to the identity we can find in him alone, which unites us.
It has been said over the past few days, and is probably said over the length and breadth of this land every St Patrick's Day, that our patron saint knows nothing of catholic/protestant divisions; he cannot be possessed by any one of our traditions as though he does not belong to the other, and , with that in mind, it is very important to me that, here on the hill of Down, we come today from a variety of Christian backgrounds, but claiming the same Lord, and inheritors of the faith delivered to us by the saints, and not least our own beloved Patrick.
Look to the rock from which you were cut, and the quarry from which you were hewn.
Every March, like, I imagine, most clergy in Ireland, I start to think about what I might say on St Patrick's Day, and very soon, I find myself re-reading The Confession of St Patrick, to get insights into his thinking. This year, the theme I have identified (which indeed I've noticed often before, but not quite put into words) is quite simply 'Patrick's Enthusiasm'. I greatly love enthusaism; I enjoy being with enthusiastic people - people who embrace life, exude warmth, and get a buzz out of what they do. And Patrick strikes me as being like that. Here we find in our patron saint the faith of an enthusiast, who has discovered the love of Christ in the depths of his being; who is empowered by the Holy Spirit of God in his proclaimation of the Gospel, and whose priority in life is to do the Lord's will, no matter what the cost. In his own words in the Confession, he puts is quite simply and starkly: I was full of enthusiasm.
That is the kind of Christianity we desperately need for a new Millennium. None of this wishy-washy 'take it or leave it' faith; none of this formal churchgoing, but a vibrant, life-giving relationship with our Lord which takes hold of our whole being and saves a wretch like me. I will have the joy of welcoming more than 150 young adults to this Cathedral tonight, from all over the Church of Ireland Diocese of Down and Dromore, and I will be looking to them and others like them to inject a sense of vibrancy, possibility and creativity into in the church in the years to come.
Look to the rock from which you were cut, and the quarry from which you were hewn
But back to Patrick, the one whom we celebrate today. Because there are three ways in which his enthusiasm is worked out which we desperately need to re-capture in our lives for our generation. These three ways are symbolized by three 'pictures' we associate with him.
a) Snakes! One of the things I will always be grateful for is the fact that there are no snakes in Ireland. When I was young, I remember a particularly frightening comic-strip in The Victor, which ended with a wee lad asleep in his bed in a Circus caravan, while an escaped snake from the circus crept in through the window. Ever since, don't let me be too near to a snake! Thank you Patrick (even though we know you didn't do it) for ridding this island of serpents.
I don't know how that story grew up, but, in my imagination, I like to think that it might have been something to do with snakes being associated (since the story in Genesis) with evil. Patrick found in Ireland a world of evil, of superstition and of idolatry. It is put like this in one of the St Patrick's Day hymns:
Dark was the heathen island, and groaned beneath the might of sorcerers and wizards till Patrick brought the light.
We need people like that today. People with an enthusiasm to rid this land of evil. It might not be exactly the evils Patrick encountered, but evil is still evil, and part of the task of the Christian presence is to drive out all that is opposed to God's will. In our generation, the great evil which needs to be cast out of Ireland is the evil of sectarianism, which expresses itself in hatred, violence and murder month by month in this province. This evil values people only when the are part of a particular group, or culture; it decides who is right and who is wrong simply on the basis of what foot they kick with, and it makes particular political affiliations into idolatrous allegiances. This land today groans beneath the might of the evil of sectarianism, which has gripped hearts and minds and lives, and we desperately need to know the exorcising power of God to drive out these snakes, and ensure that this land is forever cleansed from them. We are hewn from the rock of Patrick's resistance of evil, and determination to rid Ireland of all that would destroy it. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12.21
2. Shamrocks. It is with great pride that I wear the shamrock today, because it is one of the most wonderful symbols of our faith in the Trinity. Patrick's faith was faith in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. He knew no other faith, and proclaimed no other faith. Near the beginning of his Confession he writes in detail of his faith in the Trinity. This is the heart of Biblical faith; the heart of Christian faith, and our starting-point together, Catholic and Protestant, for outreach and evangelism. It is the Trinity into which we are baptized, and the Trinity which we preach, and the shamrock, even if Patrick never used it as a visual aid, is a constant reminder of that. His famous hymn puts it like this, in Mrs Alexander's words:
I bind unto myself today the strong name of the Trinity.
That may all sound old-hat and obvious. After all, we have all been brought up with seeing the shamrock as the Three-in-One and One-in-Three. But we live in an age when, all around us, people are inventing other gods; gods who have mouths but speak not, have eyes but see not, have ears but hear not, have noses but smell not. For Christians, the year 2000 is not the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, but rather, the enthusiastic proclamation of the trinitarian nature of God, on the birthday of Jesus. I long that we should know what it is to be drawn into the wonder of the trinity- to be engaged with the truth of the fatherhood of God- the love and protection of the creator; to be captivated by the salvation of Jesus Christ, and to sense in all our churches, in our worship and lives, the empowering reality of the Holy Spirit.
We are hewn from the rock of Patrick's faith in the Trinity, and we dare not proclaim any other God. Watch over your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because, if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. 1Timothy 4:16
3. Breastplate. In Ephesians 6, Paul speaks about putting on the armour of God, and the key part of this armour which we remember when it comes to St Patrick is the Breastplate (in Ephesians, the 'breastplate of righteousness'). In a few moments, we will be singing St Patrick's Breastplate. It wouldn't be 17 March without it for me! Indeed, I had it at my consecration as bishop last year. We also sang at the beginning of the service the words:
Be thou my breastplate.
Do you know what a breastplate does? It protects the heart! Go for the heart with an arrow, and you've killed the person off. And what is the most important thing for Christians today to protect if they are to be enthusiastic for the Lord? Answer: their hearts. Patrick was a wonderful young convert to Christ. Just listen to his testimony from his Confession:
When I had come to Ireland, I tended herds every day, and I used to pray many times during the day. More and more my love of God and reverence for him began to increase. My faith grew stronger and my zeal so intense that in the course of a single day, I would say as many as a hundred prayers, and almost as many at night. I never felt the worse for it, nor was I in any way lazy because, as I now realize, I was full of enthusiasm.
and he goes on a little further on to say:
Should I be worthy, I am ready to give even my life, promptly and gladly, for his name.
It is quite simple: Patrick's heart had been captivated by the Saviour. His heart had been won by God. He was in a love-relationship with Jesus. Patrick was one of those people who loved much, because they had been forgiven much. On Sunday last, I was, as bishops often do, confirming. But something happened which I hadn't experienced before. Before the confirmation, one of the candidates, a man in his forties of fifties, told us his story. He told us how his life had been destroyed by drink, about the effect it had on his family, and about his own sense of the hopelessness of life. But, praise God, he told us how, about a year and a half ago, God met with him in the most surprising of ways. By the end of the testimony, he was nearly in tears, we all were nearly in tears. Why? Because God had touched his very heart! Just like Patrick! Keep the breastplate on, to protect your heart and mind from the fiery darts of the evil one. Keep your hearts warm...keep them open to God...don't let age, or maturity or human cleverness dull your first love and make you lukewarm, because this world is in great need of those who will love Jesus first and foremost, and shed his love abroad.
We are hewn from the rock of Patrick's love for Christ, and bless God for his example to all of us Set your hearts on things above, not on things that are on the earth. Colossians 3:1
Three pictures of Patrick. There may have been no snakes, he may never have plucked a shamrock, and he probably didn't write the Breastplate. But these three pictures continue to remind us of what was at the heart of the life of our patron saint -the rejection of evil, the proclamation of the truth about God, and a heart filled with the love of Christ. If in our generation those three things are true of God's people, then this land will be blessed indeed, and under God we will dare to face a new Millennium with a sure and certain hope
Look to the rock from which you were cut; the quarry from which you were hewn.
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