By: Lucy

Read: Numbers 26:1-51, Luke 2:36-52, Psalm 60:1-12, Proverbs 11:15

You have shaken our land and split it open.
Seal the cracks, for the land trembles.
You have been very hard on us,
making us drink wine that sent us reeling.
But you have raised a banner for those who fear you –
a rallying point in the face of attack.
(Psalm 60:2-4)

Relate: Today is St. Patrick’s Day. When you look up the meaning of the somewhat random holiday in mid-March, you may get mixed messages. St. Patty’s Day began as a religious holiday. Mr. Patrick, the famous saint, became known for his mission of bringing Christianity to the Irish. However, now the holiday is most commonly known as a secular and sometimes debaucherous celebration. The main festivities associated with today’s holiday are parades, dying things green, and drinking. A whole lot of drinking. And what does excessive drinking generally lead to? Accidents and deaths. 

React: St. Patrick’s Day might be one of the best examples of human brokenness. We have twisted religion, we’ve sinned against the one true God, our creator. Psalm 60 says, “You have shaken our land and split it open… making us drink wine that sent us reeling.” Our world is broken, and this “drink” does not necessarily only refer to getting drunk and acting in debaucherous ways, although we definitely see that on St. Patty’s Day. This “drink” could be a metaphor for the way humans indulge in whatever gives them pleasure. But God…

God sees our brokenness and indulgence. David didn’t need to tell him about the twisted behavior of humanity, because he already knew. David says that God has “been very hard on us,” and the world is hard. For a Christian, a light in a world of broken darkness, St. Patrick’s Day and other crooked celebrations should be hard. We should be able to see the darkness they cause and arise from. And yet we are still called to dwell in this hard world and be a light. We are the “rallying point.” Christians are called to raise God’s banner and not cave into a world of broken sin, but be someone who people can see and say, “Hey, that guy celebrates differently.” Hold your banner high, and who knows, someone dressed in green, drinking green beer, might just see.

Respond:

Dear God,
Please help me to respond to this broken world and its celebrations in a way that is noticeably different from the rest of the world. I want to reflect your light in everything I do, even though everything around me is crooked and broken. Father, thank you for making me whole, and please help me to hold your banner high and bring others to your love.
Amen.