Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Are you wearing green? I remember how critical it was to remember to wear green when I taught kindergarten. There was nothing a student loved more than being able to pinch his teacher without getting in trouble. We fully embraced all the major and minor holidays in the kindergarten classroom. In fact, we made sure to read Dr. Seuss’ book Green Eggs and Ham on St. Patrick’s Day and then we would cook green eggs and ham to have for our snack that day.
There are all sorts of crazy traditions that take place on St. Patrick’s Day, but there are some interesting facts about the man you may not know. Did you know St. Patrick is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland? Did you know the shamrock is associated with St. Patrick because he used it to explain the Trinity to the people he ministered to in Ireland? He is credited for driving snakes from Ireland. Now it is thought there were never snakes in Ireland, but symbolically he did strive to drive the pagan practices from the nation and usher in Christianity. In Ireland today, St. Patrick’s Day is intended to be a day of spiritual renewal and prayer for missionaries worldwide. It is a national holiday and typically only restaurants stay open, but everything else closes for the religious holiday.
Very few people in our country seem to know the origin of St. Patrick’s Day. It has become a day known for loud celebrations, wearing the color green, eating corn beef, and drinking beer.
Today, you have the opportunity to be a missionary in your own land and share what you know with those around you. After all, in Acts 1:8 we’re told to be witnesses at home and abroad. So many of us forget about the command to share the Truth locally, but recognize those who travel abroad to share Jesus as missionaries. St. Patrick spent his life sharing the message of Jesus with those in his homeland. Why not take the challenge to do the same?