To the Saints (just like Patrick)

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to ya!  Do me a favour and Google something like, “Irish toasts” or “Irish jokes.”  Don’t blame me for the inappropriate ones you will see, but there will be many which will put a grin on your face and a giggle in your heart.  A great thing about St. Patrick’s Day is how it lifts everyone’s spirits - even without lifting a glass of Guinness.

The story of St. Patrick is well known - he was a Christian missionary to Ireland in the fifth century, long before there were the various splits and denominations of today.  Tradition credits him as the one who drove all the snakes from Ireland.  Although he is venerated as “Saint” Patrick by Catholic, Lutheran, and the Anglican Communion (Church of Ireland) churches, he has never been formally “canonized” (the process for being acknowledged as a saint).

That is a good thing.  We tend to elevate “saints” as special people who have accomplished extraordinary things.  However, that isn’t a biblical concept.  Within the Bible, “saints” are merely people who have committed themselves to living by faith, having been reconciled to God by His grace.  

There is always a tendency to elevate the good and the great amongst us.  Jesus warned His disciples against valuing people based on performance or prestige.  What really matters is our heart condition - something only God can see.

Operating by their own sense of importance, the disciples attempted to protect Jesus from the distraction of noisy children who were interrupting Him from the important business of preaching and teaching (Matt. 19:13-14). Jesus corrected them, noting that the Kingdom of God belongs to those who have the hearts of children.  Not much later, the mother of two of Jesus’ disciples appealed to Him so her sons would be given positions of honour (Matt. 20:21).  This created no small aggravation amongst the other disciples (who also wanted the prime positions and were upset that someone else asked first).  According to Luke, just hours before Jesus went to the cross the disciples were still arguing about which of them was the most important.  In response, Jesus taught them this famous principle of life in the Kingdom of God:  “The greatest shall be the least, the first shall be last” (Luke 22:24-27).  “Follow my example,” said Jesus, “and serve one another.”

The author of Hebrews gives us a list of people - saints - some of whom are known to us, some of whom surprise us (what is Jepthaph doing in that list?), most of whom are anonymous.  They are described as people who were willing to accept suffering and discomfort because of their confidence in that which was yet-to-come, the now-but-not-yet dynamic of the Kingdom of God.  They didn’t fully understand everything, but they fully trusted God.  That is the hallmark of a saint: those whose faith allows them to endure what is beyond our imagination, people “of whom the world was not worthy.”

It is not surprising that one of the Apostle Paul’s favourite words for addressing followers of Jesus is “saints,” literally, “holy ones.”  This is not a reference to spiritual accomplishments or prestige.  It is an acknowledgement of the work of God in all those who respond, through faith because of God’s grace, to the good news that we can be reconciled to our Creator God.  

Saints have not attained an advanced level of spirituality which makes them elite.  Saints are regular people who still stub their toes, bruise their shins, fall down and need to get back up (sometimes with the help of others).  Saints aren’t perfect.  They can still cause offence and be offended.  They make mistakes and struggle against sin.  They - we - get discouraged, overwhelmed, and intimidated.  We need to be reminded of our hope, of God’s faithfulness.  We learn to love the unlovable, to forgive, to be reconciled in our relationships as God has reconciled us to Himself.  It is a reality with which even the great Apostle Paul struggled.  

We are saints by God’s grace and love.  This means I can use the “Romper Room” principle of sainthood:  I see Saint Teresa, Saint Gord, Saint Lindsay, Saint Heather, Saint Robert, Saint Steven, Saint Jeffery, Saint Lisa, Saint ______ (insert name here).  Believe it or not, when I look into the mirror, I even see Saint Graham.  I know, right?

Enjoy being on common ground with “Saint” Patrick today.  However you may feel, if you have faith in God,  you are a saint.  See this day through the lens of God’s grace with the eternal hope that is ours:  faith in the faithful God.