Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.
I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through a confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of creation.
The words above are a portion of the Prayer of St. Patrick also known as the Breastplate of St. Patrick. It’s what literary scholars have identified as a ‘protection prayer’ in which the petitioner invokes all the power of God as a safeguard against evil in its many forms.
I’ve always had a love for words and language and I appreciate the rhythm and phrasing of this prayer. It flows off the tongue and settles easy in my ears when read aloud.
Even more impactful to me is the central message of this prayer. It calls on those praying to remember that Christ is not only with us but in us and working through us. It recognizes that he who is within us is more powerful than the one who is in the world. Because of the indwelling of Christ and the Holy Spirit, the world sees and hears us differently. We behave differently. We see the world differently. We respond to the needs of the suffering and the marginalized differently.
This Palm Sunday we’ll read the story of Jesus’ Triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem. The crowds waved palm branches and shouted “Hosanna!” which literally means “save now!” In a way, the shouts of “Hosanna!” are, like the Prayer of St. Patrick – a protection prayer. It’s a cry for help and salvation.
As we finish up our Lenten worship series entitled “Freeing Jesus,” based on the book of the same title by Diana Butler Bass, we’ll examine together how we can rediscover the presence of Jesus in our lives. How might we be strengthened in our inner beings with the power of Christ?
I look forward to worshipping with you.
–Pastor Kevin