How’s your life lamp burning?

Usually St Patrick has a pretty good turnout for the commemoration of his death day. He was the Brit who is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland. Although he’s long gone, we have inherited a prayer attributed to him, a prayer of deep meaning – ‘St Patrick’s Breastplate’. Essentially the prayer is one of protection, as body armour is designed to provide, but there are also strong calls to being within the verses. Here’s a section:

Christ, as a light illumine and guide me.
Christ, as a shield overshadow me.
Christ under me; Christ over me;
Christ beside me; on my left and my right.
This day be within and without me,
Lowly and meek, yet all powerful.
Be in the heart of each to whom I speak;
In the mouth of each who speaks unto me.
This day be within and without me,
Lowly and meek, yet all powerful.
Christ as a light; Christ as a shield;
Christ beside me on my left and my right.

You can see the thorough job St Patrick is doing, intentionally putting Jesus Christ all around as his armour. Did he write this in a time of fear or threat? We don’t know but perhaps Bible verses like John 8:12 inspired him:

“I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

John 8:12 (NLT)

So what does this mean for Jesus to be our light? To understand that we also need to understand Jesus’ words in Matt 6 about the eye of the body. After all, it’s the eye which lets the light in.

“Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!”

Matt 6:22-23, (NLT)

So our eye is the filtered view we have of the day, the world around us and even ourselves, especially ourselves. And it is forever fuelling our mind and soul. This is happening whether we realise it or not and it’s from this storehouse we act and believe.

Do you remember those eerie black lights in clubs and at embarrassing school discos? They lit things up but nothing looked as it would have done under sunlight. The true nature of objects was obscured in the other-worldly wash of ultraviolet light. In a similar way, the words and thoughts we surround ourselves with, the images and media we immerse ourselves in will wash us in their illumination, whether that is true light or darkness. It is these things which over time can deform our world view, our life view. And our life lamp grows dim.

In these days of worldwide anxiety and fear how is your life lamp doing?

We all worry. How many times have you heard “I’m not worried but…”? And we know we shouldn’t. Strangely though, we still feel entitled to be worrying as if it were going to help the situation. What are we like! In reality worry is simply a weed which feeds on half-truths, doubts and down-right lies. The Unknowns, the Perhapss (I know it’s not really a word but it does the job), the Maybes and the Conjectures that come our way. And none of it has even happened yet.

But I’m thankful Jesus knows me, I mean really understands how my human frame often reacts. And so with that full understanding of us he says:

“… I tell you not to worry about everyday life”

“And why worry about your clothing?”

“So don’t worry about these things…what will we eat… drink… wear?”

Matt 6:25-34 (NLT)

What’s more, he says “don’t worry” not just because it stresses us out but because he has it covered. The Creator of all has it covered.

“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

Matt 6:31-34 (NLT)

Jesus, is imploring us ‘Choose me. Choose my light, truth and follow me. Let me form your worldview, not your worry.’ Jesus is also saying that no darkness can stand up to his light when we choose him. That weed is going to wither up.

St Patrick knew he needed his own life’s lamp to be fuelled by pure truth, to be protected by glory and be led by the unchangeable peace that Jesus offers. I am struck and challenged by the thought of Christ all around me; I imagine a ‘holy glow’ like that Moses literally brought out to the Israelites after his face times with God. Jesus is calling us to have his light front and centre as our guide, the light of the world as our inward peace and outward fuel. Inward to sustain and outward to proclaim.

What is our life lamp being fuelled by? Do we have a lamp which drives away darkness, any darkness and kills the weeds?  

Why not echo those words of St Patrick as a prayer of protection over your mind like the helmet of salvation in Ephesians 6:10-24? Let them remind you of Jesus’ promises to never leave nor give up on … you.

The Lord is my light and my salvation — so why should I be afraid?

Psalm 27:1

Phil