An object lesson for St. Patrick’s Day

Today is St. Patrick’s Day, a time to commemorate the former slave who escaped his masters, only to come back later to bring Christianity to the whole nation of Ireland.  By extension, it is a time to honor all missionaries.

St. Patrick, who lived in the 400s A.D., the time of the early church, was impressive for lots of reasons.  He is the author of the remarkable meditation/poem/hymn St. Patrick’s Breastplate.  It includes these lines, calling on Christ to be present with him in every dimension of his life:

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,

Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

Applying so many prepositions to Christ reminds me of an object lesson that a Danish pastor offered at the conference I spoke at recently.

He was observing that Scripture speaks of Christ being “in” us (e.g., Romans 8:10).  It also speaks of our being “in” him (e.g., Romans 8:1).  How can He be inside of us, when we are also inside of him?

The pastor took a large glass bowl filled with water.  He then put into the bowl an empty plastic bottle, which then filled with water from the bowl.

The water was inside the bottle, and the bottle was inside the water.  It was suspended, laved in water from all sides.

Sort of like Christ in St. Patrick’s poem.