When I came into my office today I took a few minutes to read as I try to start most mornings with a little jump start for the brain. Today since it is St. Patricks day I pulled a wonderful book of Irish folk Lore from my shelf. The story of St Patrick is one that not many people in our area know but it is an amazing story. I would try to retell it here but I don’t think I could do it justice. There is one part that I love and will go into for a minute but make a point to check out the whole story some time.

One of the many incredible pieces of the story comes at a time when at a young age he was kidnapped and sold as a slave. He spent many years in servitude and grew to understand much of the culture he was intrenched in. After much time he began to see that their lives were missing an important port and that his was as well, he had forgotten his faith. At that point he made it a point to pray as much as he could. He would pray night and day as he labor for his master. Some of the stories say he prayed without ever stopping. Some say he prayed hundreds of times a day for everything big and small he did. No matter how the story is told it’s very clear that opening up this channel of conversation with God changed his life in a huge way.

Later in life through many years and many adventures he came to serve God as a Bishop in England. From there God put on his heart to return to the Irish people with the word of God and he established the first Christian community there in Ireland. St. Patrick’s story is one of a normal person who made prayer the center of his life and through that Changed much of the world he knew.

So this St. Patrick’s day as you take time to put on a little Green or perhaps sit down for some cornbeef and cabbage remember St. Patrick’s commitment to prayer and maybe, just maybe it’s time to make a commitment of your own.

Pastor Andrew