Sermon Tone Analysis

*St.

Paddy Engages Ireland*

*Acts 17:22-34*

*/March 15, 2009/*

 

 

*Prep: *

·         SP: CT, Confessions, skim anthology (including Durant).

·         Skim printed old sermons.

·         Acts 17:16-34

 

 

Opening SCRIPTURE: Acts 17:16-17, 22-34

 

 

*Intro*

 

This Tuesday is St. Patrick’s day, so I did some research and it turns out that he is not the patron saint of binge drinking and green food coloring.

·         We think of him as an Irish, Catholic saint who chased the snakes of Ireland, but none of those are true!

We are a little more than half way through our series on community we are going to take a break to look at another part of our mission statement: “engaging our culture.”

I have said before that there is a constant *tension* between “*community*” and “*engaging* *Culture*.”

As we grow in community, there will be a constant *temptation* to stay there.

·         This is how the Christian subculture is created – we want to be with those who are like us.

This morning, we *first* going to learn more about the life of St. Patrick, because he was a remarkable man who engaged Ireland and changed it forever, and *then* from his life we will learn some *lessons* about “engaging our community.”

*The Life of Saint Patrick *

 

·         *Born* around 415 AD, less than 400 years after Chris, a century after Christianity became legal.

·         Was a *Roman*-*Briton*: Lived on the edge of civilization.

·         His *father* was a deacon and town council member, but he was not a Christian.

·         At 16, he was *captured* by Irish raiders and sold into slavery.

·         *Ireland* was the *uncivilized* world, thoroughly dark and *pagan*, practiced *child* *sacrifices*, ruled by chieftains.

·         He was bought by a chieftain, and was a *shepherd* for 6 years.

·         In this time, be *became* a *Christian* and was *thankful* to God for his *sufferings* because brought him to Jesus.

·         After 6 years, he heard a voice saying that his *ship* was *ready*, so he walked 200 miles and found a ship.

·         After returning to his family, he had a *vision* of an *Irish* *man* to come back to them to share the Gospel.

·         He first *received* *training*, became a priest and bishop.

·         In Ireland, quickly *founded* a small *church*, then went to his *old* *master*.

·         He was greatly helped by knowing the *language*, *traditions*, and about the *druids*.

·         He would *focus* his efforts on the *kings*, knowing the people would follow, and had “*power* *encounters*” with the *druids*.

·         Patrick *died* in his late 70’s, traditionally on March 17th.

·         He *converted* and *baptized* *1000’s*, ordained *priests*, founded churches, and *changed* the *nation*.

·         He was one of the most *successful* *missionaries* ever to live, and his work *inspired* countless missionaries after him.

·         After reading his story, *Grace* said that we are Christians *because* of *him*, and she may be right.

Lessons from St. Paddy

 

There is no doubt that Patrick was one of the great fathers of our faith.

I personally loved learning more about him.

In his story I found several *lessons* that help us *engage* our *culture*:

 

*/1.

/**/He never forgot his mission/**/./*

Patrick spent about *thirty* *years* in Ireland.

In fact, he never went home.

He never forgot that the reason he was there was to bring *light* to a *dark* *place*.

It’s a little *harder* for us to remember that we are on a mission field, because the *natives* seem so *tame*.

But it is vital for us to remember that to be a Christian means to be a *citizen* of *another* *world*.

We should *never* feel *completely* at *home* here.

*1 Peter 2:11-12 *  11 ¶ Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.

It can *easy* to just *go* *along* with all that is happening, forgetting that we are in the midst of a *war* *zone*, where *sin* wars against us and every one we love, seeking to destroy them.

So Peter calls us to *remember* and be *committed* to the *mission* of bringing people to the life and salvation that are in God:

 

 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

We still live in a *pagan* *world*, *sacrificing* themselves and their families to the *gods* of *money* and *status*.

·         Too often we just *join* *in*, rather than showing the *better* *way*.

Our goal is to be “*in* the *world* but not *of* it.”

In other words:

 

1.

Not living in *Samaria*: *INdistinguishable* from the world.

2.

Not living in *Jerusalem*: So *disconnected* as to be useless.

3. Living in *Babylon*: *Making* a *difference* in the world.

BTW: This week in *CNN*, it said that there are *less* *Christians* in America.

I believe we’ll probably watch the *percentage* people calling themselves *Christians* continue to *drop*.

·         This just might be a *good* *thing*.

The *most difficult* *people* to reach with the Gospel are those who *think* they *know* *God*.

But things will also get *harder* for us.

*/2.

/**/He engaged them by speaking their language, understanding their culture, and finding points of contact/**/./*

Saint Patrick bore many *similarities* to *Paul*.

He was a great *missionary* and *apostle* to the unreached.

He *refused* *pay* for his service and even his *dream* was similar to Paul’s.

·         He was also very effective at *engaging* the *culture* and using it to preach the Gospel.

It is said that he used the shamrock to explain the *Trinity*, which is how the shamrock became the *symbol* of *Ireland*.

This may or may not have happened, but it is true to his method.

·         For instance, *converting* the *kings* was very *astute* in his situation, but *wouldn’t* work in *ours*.

Rather than *rejecting* the culture (which has much evil in it), he *worked* with it.

This was the example he got from Paul:

 

*Acts 17:16-17, 22-23 NIV*  While Paul was waiting for [Silas and Timothy] in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.

So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.

Paul was *distressed*, but his response was not to tell them they are all going to *hell*, *boycott*, or *wave*-*signs*, but to *respectfully* *reason* with them in hopes of winning to truth.

22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens!

I see that in every way you are very religious.

For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.

Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.

·         He goes on to quote from their *poets*, and speak to them in from their *own* *culture*.

Likewise, we are to be like *missionaries* to our *culture* – learning their *language* and *habits* so that we can *share* God’s love to them.

As a church, we believe that we are not called to *isolate* ourselves from this world, but *engage* it and *translated* the *truths* of the Gospel into an idiom they understand.

*/3.

/**/He confronted the vital differences/**/./*

*Catholic* *missionaries* have understood importance of engaging the culture and relating the Gospel in *relatable* *terms* (EG *Easter* and *Christmas*), and Christianity has been *trans*-*cultural*.

·         Yet, they have sometimes gone *too* *far*, to where the *substance* of the Gospel has been lost (cf.

*Cora* *Indians*).

While Patrick understood and respected the Irish culture, he also knew that they were *bound* by *fear* and *superstition* and sought *free* them.

Power encounters

 

Patrick was as fully *convinced* that the *power* of the *druids* was *real*, but he brought news of a *stronger* *power*, and he sought to demonstrate God’s power.

·         This frequently involved *boldly* *confronting* the druids, one great example being his first Easter in Ireland.

Patrick also sought to confront both the *spiritual* powers and the *immorality*.

For instance, he spoke out strongly against *slavery*, the first Christian to do so.

Likewise, remember that Paul was *distressed *by the sinfulness of Athens.

But he doesn’t respond by *ignoring* it, nor being *frightened*, rather in manner *fitting* to the *situation*.

·         Paul used both *reason* and “*power* *encounters*” as *appropriate*.

As *similarly* for *us*, there are many things in our culture that we know to *false*, *misleading*, and *dangerous* to body and soul, and we shouldn’t *ignore* those things, but we have to respond in *manner* *fitting* within our *context*.

·         It’s vital to keep the Gospel first – if a person has no relationship with God, don’t expect them to act like they do.

*/4.

/**/His character and love were his greatest assets/**/.

/*

 

A frequent point in the stories is that his *love* and *humility* were his *greatest* *assets*, not the miracles God did through him.

He approached the Irish as an *equal*, rather than as *savages*.