St. Patrick's Breastplate - Coffee & Conversation

This is mostly known in it's abbreviated form

which is really simply a small section of a hymn written from the actual piece of writing

 by Saint Patrick.

Below I will give the full hymn and abbreviated version and explain a little about it all.

A poem apparently written by St. Patrick in the 8th century was in the form of a prayer of protection.

I presume it then received the title of "Breastplate" as that would have been the main protection of the body in a suit of armour.   Then from that I would think of the Spiritual armour we are told to put on in Ephesians chapter 6 v 10-18 where the breastplate is described as the Breastplate of Righteousness and what better protection do we have than the Righteousness of our Lord Jesus.

In the 19th Century it was written as a hymn by Mrs Cecil Frances Alexander who is well-known as the writer of many many hymns of which

 "All Things Bright and Beautiful"

 "There is a Green Hill Far Away"

and

 "Once in Royal David's City"

are probably the most famous.

It was known as the very popular hymn "I bind Unto Myself Today"

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 for ever,

By power of faith, Christ's Incarnation;

His baptism in the Jordan River;

His death on cross for my salvation;

His bursting from the spicèd tomb;

His riding up the 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 the Cherubim;

The sweet 'Well done' in judgment 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;

Or 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 the 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.

Mrs Cecil Frances Alexander (1818 - 1895)

One section of this hymn is what we more commonly find named as St. Patrick's Breastplate today when it is cited in articles and embroidered or cross stitched as a decoration or when it is printed on cards.

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.

A lovely prayer for any of us to make to God 

but in one way I feel that so much is lost when we use just this small section 

we are leaving out 

all those other great attributes and actions of Jesus

His

Birth

Baptism

Death

Resurrection

Ascension

Second coming

and that's just the first verse

You may also enjoy 

 St. Patrick's Breastplate Wordsearch

You can download a free pdf copy of the full prayer

ST. PATRICK'S BREASTPLATE: PRAYER FOR PROTECTION

at the following website

https://parish.rcdow.org.uk/greenford/wp-content/uploads/sites/127/2020/03/St-Patricks-Breastplate.pdf

Reading Through The Bible - COLOSSIANS

Some Books of the bible are very short and some are very long but this one is one of the shortest.

COLOSSIANS  -  NEW TESTAMENT  -  EPISTLE

12th book of the NT 

51st book of the Bible

It starts with Paul wanting to direct the Colossians to learn more about God and to be fruitful in His ministry.

Something for us always to be considering about ourselves.

What is it?

The Book of Colossians is one of the Epistles in the New Testament which means it is a Letter.

How Long is it?

It has 4 chapters.

When was it Written?

It is generally thought to have been written between 60 & 62 AD

Who Wrote it?

Apostle Paul - it is the 7th of his letters

Chapter 1 v 1  tells us

"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother"

 

So Paul wrote the letter but was including Timothy who they knew (or knew of) which would mean that Timothy would be in agreement with the contents or knowledgeable of them.

Who was it Written to?

It was written to the the people who made up the church at Colossae as we see in chapter 1 verse 2:

"To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

Why was it Written? 

It was written to give advice about grounding themselves in Christ and to warn the people about false teachers and against the doctrine of Gnosticism.   

The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"Paul writes the church at Colossae a letter about who they are in Christ, and how to walk in Christ."

Teach Sunday School  tells us the following

"The Colossian church was trying to mix Greek Philosophy with Christian Theology.  The result was called Gnostic philosophy.  Among other things it taught that the physical world was evil and Jesus was a spirit and not a man."

One verse which helps to sum up advice on how the Colossians can walk worthy lives is found in

 chapter 3 v 2

Teach Sunday School  tells us the following

"In chapters 3 & 4 he teaches the people about love.  He feels that if they put on the love of Christ they will stop getting distracted by false doctrines."

As Paul saw it, love was the best virtue they could have as we see here in chapter 3 v 14

What specific encouragement is there here that is not covered in most of the letters?

Paul spoke about the role of husbands and wives in  ch. 3 v 18-19

How does it end?

With more advice which is very apt for us today as well

 

Outline of Colossians? 

1. Who we are in Christ (Col 1–2)
   • Christ: our head (Col 1)
   • Christ: our God (Col 2)
2. How to walk in Christ (Col 3–4)
   • Christ: our life (Col 3)
   • Christ: our Master (Col 4)

OTHER BOOKS OF THE BIBLE ARE ADDED REGULARLY AND AN UPDATED LIST CAN BE FOUND AT OUR READING THE BIBLE PAGE 

Saint Patrick - The Church at Saul

A frequently asked question regarding St. Patrick is 

"Where in Northern Ireland will you find a church to commemorate St. Patrick?"

The answer is "lots of places"

 I want to take you to County Down where there is a small place called Saul and there you will find not one of the Cathedral's named after the Irish Patron Saint but a beautiful small church.

As you approach the church up the long narrow driveway

you will see the sign introducing you to St. Patrick's Memorial Church, which is open to the public daily and has a service each Sunday.

It tells us that St. Patrick built the first Christian church in Ireland on this same site in 432 AD

The church is small and beautifully made from light coloured stone.   

Simple & elegant with a very tall round tower.

The adjacent small graveyard is also well looked after and just a few steps away from the arched front doorway to the church.

Even the front of this church is simple and elegant with it's arched doorway and brickwork framing the door and then as you lift your eyes up there is a small stained glass window.

As you look to the front of the church after entering you will not be disappointed because the interior is also elegant and simple and this was a welcoming place to walk into and stand and gaze around, which we did for quite some time.

There are three sections at the front but also there is the wooden stand just off centre which

holds the book of Sunday Service readings and if you look closely you may be able to see that it was open at the readings for the Sunday after Trinity which would fall within the week from 25th September to 1st October.

We were there on 25th September (our oldest son's birthday - it was his choice of where we would visit that day)

The Psalm for the day was Psalm 78 and the reading listed was from Ezekiel 18.

The left section at the front comprised of a simple wooden pulpit.

The right section at the front was the area where the Bible would be read.

In the centre at the front was the altar table and another beautiful simple stained glass window.  This time arched and depicting St. Patrick.

Also in the church there is some information about the church.

Looking from the front back towards the entrance we saw the quaint compact organ for the weekly church services.

The stonework inside and outside made this little church just perfect.

As you can see from the side view of the outside the church is not very long and the windows are narrow yet with the sun shining in through these windows there was plenty of light inside.

It is on this side wall that we find the foundation stone of the new church built in 1933 on the old original site - a beautiful commemoration to St. Patrick.

Other Posts related to St. Patrick can be found on our

 St. Patrick Page 

Reading Through The Bible - ZEPHANIAH

Some Books of the bible are very short and some are very long but this one is one of the shortest.

ZEPHANIAH  -  OLD TESTAMENT  -  PROPHECY

36th book of the OT 

36th book of the Bible

It starts with a declaration that this is the Word of the Lord which came through Zephaniah as we see in chapter 1 v 1

What is it?

The Book of Zephaniah is one of the Minor Prophets in the Old Testament which means it is Prophecy.

It is the 9th out of the 12 minor prophets.

How Long is it?

It has 3 chapters.

When was it Written?

It is was written between 635 & 625 BC

Because ch. 1 v 1 gives us a good deal of detail about Zephaniah the historians can be more sure of the timescale for this book.

"The word of the Lord which came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah."

Who Wrote it?

Zephaniah

The name Zephaniah means "Treasured by God"

The first verse of this book tells us who Zephaniah was

"....... Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah ........."

Teach Sunday School  tells us the following

"Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of King Josiah, the king of Judah from 640 to 609 BC"

The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"Zephaniah was probably a contemporary of Habakkuk, Nahum, and Jeremiah."

"The punishment that he foretells plays out in the books of Kings, Chronicles and Jeremiah."

  

Who was it Written to?

The people of Judah.

The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"Like the book of Joel, Zephaniah takes a “bad news first” approach: he begins with the coming destruction of Jerusalem, discusses the downfall and restoration of the outside nations, and finishes with the promise that Judah and Israel will be restored.”

Why was it Written? 

It was written as a warning about the Day of the Lord 

The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"Zephaniah preached his message during the rule of King Josiah, who had initiated religious reform in all of Judah and some surrounding territories. At this time, the nation as a whole was obeying God’s laws and turning from idols (2 Chr 34:33). Since the land was obeying God, one might ask, “Whom was Zephaniah warning, then?”

His warnings seem to better resonate with the next generation of Judah. After Josiah dies in battle, his sons take the throne for 22 years. They disobey the Lord, they stir up trouble with Babylon, and they disregard the prophet Jeremiah (Jer 36:27–29; 37:1–2). Plus, the priests and citizens defile God’s temple (2 Chr 36:14). 

In light of this, Zephaniah’s message makes sense. "

What is notable about this book? 

Zephaniah mentions the "Day of the Lord" more than any other Old Testament Prophet. 

How does it end?

Although the main emphasis throughout is of warning of what will happen in the Day of the Lord in chapter 3 we do see some exhortation that God is not wrecking only vengeance but that He loves His people especially in verse 17

 

What format does this book take? 

The Overview Bible  tells us the following 

1. Desolation and discipline on Judah (Zep 1)
2. Desolation on the surrounding nations (Zep 2)
3. The Lord’s remnant from the nations (Zep 3:1–11)
4. The Lord’s remnant from Israel (Zep 3:12–20)

You can also see my Pastor's  Bible Study video on Zephaniah

OTHER BOOKS OF THE BIBLE ARE ADDED REGULARLY AND AN UPDATED LIST CAN BE FOUND AT OUR READING THE BIBLE PAGE