A Christian Saint Patrick's Day Celebration

How do we celebrate Christian festivals such as Saint Patrick's Day? Green beer and drunkenness seems to miss the mark. Shamrocks, green clothing (and food), and a thick Irish brogue are harmless fun, but they don't represent the heart and substance of what God did through Patrick. Here's a few suggestions for a Christian Saint Patrick's Day celebration.

First, celebrate together. The Christian feasts were meant to bring Christians together for communal celebration. Today, we have privatized so many of these community events. Easter, Christmas, and yes, Saint Patrick's day were originally meant to be shared experience. Over time we have transformed these festivals into private, family gatherings. Family originally found its meaning in community, but in our increasingly privatized world that has been turned around. We often speak today about family being the basic building block of society, but Scripture teaches that the community of God is that basic building block. You don't necessarily need the whole community to celebrate a feast day, but ideally you want to share the celebration with a group.

Community is a central element when celebrating the work God did through Patrick. One of his central beliefs was that the community of God needed to live out its life in public. There should be no wall - culturally, socially, or physically - between God's people and the world. While Christians could not engage in the sins of the culture, they needed to stay as close to the world as possible in order to reach those far from God.

This leads to the second and overriding theme of the holiday, mission. Saint Patrick's Day is all about evangelism. This is a holiday based on a missionary after all. Patrick created outreach communities where every member saw themselves as witnesses to the gospel. This is an important Biblical concept. Evangelists evangelize, but Scripture tells us that it is their job to teach every Christian how to share their faith (Eph 4:11). This implies (strongly) that every believer shares the responsibility to love those far from Christ by sharing the good news of Jesus.

This is also a holiday that should focus on Scripture we often ignore. Scripture does not just command us to share our faith, but to actively change our lives to reflect our mission.

"Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings." (1 Cor 9:19-23)

I know I am repeating myself here, but this Scripture is at the heart of this celebration, and this is one of those passages that is often thought to be too dangerous and challenging to teach on. The result is often a water downed, judgmental, self-protective Christian life that is labeled as somehow being radically holy while disobeying God. Saint Patrick was an Englishman who became Irish to reach the Irish, and God was pleased. His feast day should remind us of what is important to God rather than what is convenient to us. Jesus is the inconvenient truth who brings inconvenient change that results in a glorious life.

Have a great Saint Patrick's Day.