Day 01
I Arise Today

I arise today,
through a mighty strength,
the invocation of the Trinity…

 Welcome to the first step of our 40-day journey through St. Patrick’s Breastplate Prayer.

 Beginning with the refrain, “I arise today,” we are invited to follow the leading of the Apostle Paul when he calls us to “put on the whole armor of God” (Ephesians 6:10-18). We call upon the Triune God as our source of strength for every moment of every day and we reflect on the numerous means God uses to shield us and guide us as we seek to live faithfully in the midst of evil and temptation.

 Other versions of this prayer say: “I bind unto myself today…”  I am reminded of Paul’s words to the Colossians:

 As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.  Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony (Colossians 3:12-14).

 “Binding unto ourselves” the Three-One God is much like putting on the love of Christ which “binds everything together in perfect harmony.”  When we arise each day, we put on the clothing appropriate for the tasks we face.  We may put on a uniform, a suit, a set of work-out clothes or even a comfortable pair of jeans or sweats.  Just as our clothing is specific to the activities of our day, so arising each day and “binding God unto ourselves” provides us with everything we need for the day ahead.

 We talk a great deal in the Western church about “believing in God,” which often translates to little more than accepting the reality of God’s existence.  In terms of salvation we might expand that belief to accepting the truth of Jesus’ divine nature, his death and resurrection, and the forgiveness of sins through grace. 

 While belief and knowledge are vital to our faith, following Jesus is more about a way of being than a way of thinking. It is about being perfected in love and this requires not merely that we gain more knowledge or greater achievements, but that we learn to live in peace with God, with one another, and even with ourselves.  It is about arising each day in the Three-One God and putting on Christ so that Christ lives through us.

 As we begin this journey together, may we seek to “arise each day” with the Light of Christ upon our paths, to “bind unto ourselves” each day the gifts and the power of the Holy Spirit, and to become ever more dependent on the strength and love of the Mighty Three-One God.

Reflections:

1. What do you think about the statement, “Following Jesus is more about a way of being than a way of thinking?”

2. What is your first instinct when you arise each day? What is the first thought that comes to your mind?

3. How might your day look different if you began by calling upon the mighty strength of God?

Keep Reading - Day 2:Three-One Creator

Back to Top

Day 02
Three – One Creator

 I arise today,
Through belief in the Three-ness,
Through confession of the Oneness,
of the Creator of creation

 Why does the Trinity matter?

Many people call upon the strength of God, or at least some higher spiritual power. Yet Christians insist on complicating the identity of God with the inconceivable doctrine of the Trinity; three persons, yet one God. Are we simply trying to be obtuse and exclusive, or does this three-ness and oneness truly make a difference?

I find it interesting that of all the religions in our world, only three insist there is only One God; Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. All three, though often embroiled in fierce war without and within, claim the same source; the self-revelation of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

 The very existence of even one, let alone three, long-standing monotheistic religions amid an endless spiritual smorgasbord speaks volumes about the truth of this one God and Creator of creation. In a world where people can worship or not worship anything or nothing, why would anyone conceive of monotheism in the first place? Such single-minded worship would have been absurd and unthinkable. No one in the ancient world could have imagined that there might only be one God, unless of course this one and only God reached out to a feeble and limited human being like Abraham who had just the slightest inclination to believe the impossible (Genesis 12:1-9).

 God, by definition, must be self-sufficient. Therefore, God did not need to create. God certainly did not need to create or “give birth to” such selfish free-willed beings who would do so much harm to one another and all of creation.

 That’s where the Three-ness and Oneness thing comes into play. If God’s very nature is Triune, then God did not exist from all eternity as an isolated, independent being. Rather, God’s very nature is relational. This is what it means to say that “God is Love” (1 John 4:8).

 How can there be love apart from relationship? Relationship with humanity, sure; but what about God as Love before humans took their first breath? God is, was, and always will be love, with or without created beings. Therefore, God must be a relational being, existing in an eternal dance between Father, Son & Spirit.

 In this case, God’s nature compelled the creation of free-willed beings in the same way that our relational nature compels us, even the most isolated and independent among us, to long for some form of connection with others. Our desire to be known and to be loved is as inherent as our need for food or water. The same is true with God; Father, Son, and Spirit in eternal relationship; love freely chosen from everlasting to everlasting. This is the very nature of God. Apart from relationship, God would no longer be Love. God could no longer be God.

 Whether in a day or over a thousand years, God created human beings in the Divine Image, to love and to be loved and to share in the eternal joy that is the Three-ness and the Oneness of the Creator of creation.

Reflections:

1. In what ways have you encountered or experienced the relational nature of God?

2. How might the three-ness and the oneness of God affect the way you pray?

3. Considering the nature of the Trinity, what does it mean to you that you are created in the Image of this three-one God?

If you’ve enjoyed these reflections, please consider joining me for the entire 40-day journey available now on Amazon at the link below.

For more reflections and audio sermons, subscribe to my blog.

Back to Top