Going Green

No this post is not about the global climate crisis. It is St Patricks day and even before leaving home, am aware that people out there are dressed in green, eating green food, and drinking lots of green drinks. You would think that Australia was settled by more Irish than English! The love of green is all around.

And so, for the record, I am not wearing green today!

But I am going to allow myself to reflect on the main guy today. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was an interesting guy. Originally welsh, he went to Ireland following a vision that called him there. It should be noted that he was stolen at the age of 16 and forced to work in Ireland as a slave. So I doubt that he had fond memories of the place. But he knew the call of God.

Wading through the myriad of stories, it is clear that he worked outside of the strict boundaries of the Roman Catholic church (funny that they still made him a saint!) and baptised thousands of people. He refused to be bought by the wealthy, and lived a simple life. The fact that Irish still celebrate his life today is testimony to the impact that this Roman British missionary had on them.

Going deeper? Am I willing to serve people who have wronged me in the past? Am I obedient to the call of Christ to tell the world about Jesus? Am I able to overlook wealth and riches for the greater gain of Christ's call?

Food for thought.