or The Lorica

I bind unto myself today
the strong Name of the Trinity,
by invocation of the same,
the Three in One, and One in Three.
I bind this day to me forever,
by power of faith, Christ's Incarnation;
his baptism in the Jordan river;
his death on cross for my salvation;
his bursting from the spiced tomb;
his riding up he heavenly way;
his coming at the day of doom:
I bind unto myself today.
I bind unto myself the power
of the great love of cherubim;
the sweet "Well done" in judgement hour;
the service of the seraphim;
confessors' faith, apostles' word,
the patriarchs' prayers, the prophets' scrolls;
all good deeds done unto the Lord,
and purity of virgin souls.
I bind unto myself today
the virtues of the starlit heaven,
the glorious sun's life-giving ray,
the whiteness of the moon at even,
the flashing of the
lightning free,
the whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,
the stable earth, the deep salt sea,
around the old eternal rocks.
I bind unto myself today
the power of God to hold and lead,
his eye to watch, his might to stay,
his ear to hearken to my need;
the wisdom of my God to teach,
his hand to guide, his shield to ward;
the word of God to give me speech,
his heavenly host to be my guard.
[Against the demon snares of sin,
the vice that gives temptation force,
the natural lusts that war within,
the hostile men that mar my course;
of few or many, far or nigh,
in every place, and in all hours
against their fierce hostility,
I bind to me these holy powers.
Against all Satan's spells and wiles,
against false words of heresy,
against the knowledge that defiles
against the heart's idolatry,
against the wizard's evil craft,
against the death-wound and the burning
the choking wave and poisoned shaft,
protect me, Christ, till thy returning.]
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.
I bind unto myself the Name,
the strong Name of the Trinity,
by invocation of the same,
the Three in One, and One in Three.
Of whom all nature hath creation,
eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
praise to the Lord of my salvation,
salvation is of Christ the Lord.

The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:19ff presents a holy pragmatism, and is a challenge to any church to take up it's missional identity.

For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law) so that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I might by any means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.

That's a pretty radical statement. Can you hear Paul's desperation and his willingness to do just about anything to bring the proclamation of the gospel in a way that people can actually understand and get it? Paul's example is part of what drives City Church's philosophy of ministry. Paul is committed to what we might call "seeker comprehensibility". Paul was always trying to remember what it's like not to believe. He never assumed people knew what he was talking about, but rather became "like them" in order to reach them. I have to believe that in order for Paul to do this, he had to actually come alongside people, befriend them, know them, hear their hopes, dreams, failures, fears, loyalties, and present the gospel in ways that showed he had listened. I think Paul might tell us that faith sharing begins with listening and not with talking.

We celebrate St. Patrick for many of the same reasons. Like Paul, Patrick was willing to do just about anything to proclaim the gospel to people in ways that they could understand as well. In a day and age when the church had been seduced by political intrigue and power, Patrick led with weakness, his own, and became accessible to those he sought to reach. Patrick was able to take the story of the gospel and apply and mold it around the religious artifacts and expressions of the day in such a way that people were able to "get it". Take a moment to click on this link to see how Patrick engaged his culture with the gospel. And then consider how we might more and more take up a holy pragmatism to engage San Francisco.  Reference Article >

Paul, Patrick, us... we are all to follow Jesus in this of course. Becoming like them to reach them? It's the way of incarnation. I love how this passage of Scripture ends. "I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings." Paul is telling us something about living lives of missional identity. It's how we actually share in it's blessings. The story of a God who incarnates, takes on our flesh, becomes like us to reach us, is to be our story as well. And in so doing, we share in the blessing of what God is doing in redeeming, renewing, and restoring the world He has made.