Oh, to be Irish. It is said that we all tend to be of the green on March 17, St. Patrick’s Day.
St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland and Northern Ireland, is joined by Saint David, Saint Andrew and Saint George, the patron saints of Wales, Scotland and England respectively.
According to Wikipedia, “patron saints, because they have already transcended to the metaphysical, are believed to be able to intercede effectively for the needs of their special charges.
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family or person.”
Without going into the merits or deficiencies of the efficacy, the effectiveness, of patron saints suffice it to say we all have someone we can go to who will intercede in heaven for us.
We read in 1 Timothy 2:5 in the Bible (New King James Version): “There is one God and one Mediator between God and men the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all.”
Have you been to the cross?
We all have either been to or at least observed at distance, whether great or small, Christian services of worship at Easter.
Good Friday Christian worship is centered on the cross upon which Christians believe and confess Jesus Christ, God’s Son who was very God and who came in human flesh, died for the forgiveness of their sins.
We all have erred; there is no one perfect by any means. If you don’t believe this to be true consider your neighbor and that family member, remembering they consider you as well. We say things we shouldn’t; sometimes we don’t speak up when we should.
We do things we shouldn’t; sometimes we don’t do the things we ought to. This we know is the condition of our being.
We say good things and do great things, but not always.
The question is where do we go for forgiveness and to whom do we go for help when times are tough, when we’re up against a wall, when guilt is beating us down, when the end is before us and we don’t know what to expect of it, etc.
We know from the Bible that we can go to God “our help in ages past” and also a very present help in trouble at hand.
When we go to God for help, we can go in the name of Jesus for “there is one God and one Mediator between God and men the man Christ Jesus.”
We are thankful, and should be, for the great men and women of history and of today.
Where would the world be without them?
We are thankful God loves us so much He showed His love towards us in that He sent Jesus, whom we worship and remember this day and on through Good Friday and Easter, which will soon be upon us.
Pastor Allan Walker, Qualicum Baptist Church