Scripture: Isaiah 60:17 – “Instead of bronze I will bring gold, instead of iron I will bring silver; instead of wood, bronze, instead of stones, iron. I will appoint Peace as your overseer and Righteousness as your taskmaster.” (NRSV)
Today is St. Patrick’s Day, the festival celebrating the patron saint of Ireland. In the United States, St. Patrick’s Day is a secular holiday celebrating Irish heritage and culture. Some of this is authentic: for example, I always make an Irish Stout Beef Stew on St. Patrick’s Day, since it smells better that corned beef and cabbage. Some of it is inauthentic: I am looking forward to a cup of Lucky Charms hot chocolate for dessert. But it is a chance to celebrate a culture in the United States. I wish there were days like St. Patrick’s Day or Cinco de Mayo, which has become a de facto salute to Mexicans, that celebrate different cultures as part of the American whole. It is better than seeing Americans as a people divided by ethnic, regional, or ideological differences.
One great part of Irish culture is their poetry; after all the symbol of Ireland is the bard’s harp. And one popular piece of Irish poetry is the Irish Blessing:
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
It is a call for prosperity and for an appreciation of the joy that life can bring. It is also a prayer, for it is not just the speaker who is blessing, but also God. Naturally, there are many blessings and promises in the Bible, and the one that caught my attention today was from the book of Isaiah. In the list of many promises, the prophet says, “Instead of bronze I will bring gold, instead of iron I will bring silver; instead of wood, bronze, instead of stones, iron. I will appoint Peace as your overseer and Righteousness as your taskmaster.” This uses very evocative imagery. It calls for an “upgrade” to the materials we find around us, from wood to bronze and from iron to silver. It claims that instead of bondage to harsh masters or employers, they will by supervised by peace and righteousness.
Such a wonderful thought! When you are at work or toiling at home, I hope that you, too, have peace and righteousness as your middle managers. The prophet’s words were not spoken in a vacuum, but to a people trying to rebuild their lives after the humiliation of the exile and the destruction of the homes and property. To know that God is with us not just when the sun is smiling, but when times are hard, is comforting and empowering.
So, enjoy St. Patrick’s Day with good food and good drink, good music and as good company as your can find given the circumstances. God bless you all!
Prayer: May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand. Amen.
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