From to time I hear or
read of a Baptist pastor removing the flag of the United States from a church’s
worship center. They sometimes declare their motive. A Christian church
worships Jesus and not the United States. Or they rationalize an overzealous
understanding of the separation of church and state.
Seventy years ago in
Vacation Bible School we pledged allegiance to the United States flag, to the
Christian flag and to the Bible. No one of my limited knowledge challenged the
appropriateness of the practice. And in our minds there was not a problem. We
knew Jesus was Lord, and allegiance to our nation was important, particularly
in those years of the Second World War.
We sing the “Star Spangled
Banner” at sporting events and pledge allegiance to the flag at various clubs, conferences
and other gatherings. Doing so in church mimics the patriotism of the society
and does not compromise the core meaning of the service. The focus is still on
Jesus Christ.
We live in a country where
we have freedom to worship as we please. This is a privilege people in many
parts of the world do not have. A flag in the room where we worship should
remind us of the freedom the church enjoys because we live in the United
States.
We are indeed blessed to
live in a nation where we can worship freely. And all who worship are a
blessing to our nation because “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.”
(Psalm 33:12)
Grace and peace.
Mel--good work. It seems that one week as they cleaned up the church they took the flags out and left them in the corner of the vestibule. The next Sunday and for weeks there was a great uproar in the church. "Where is the flag?" The flag. So the Pastor took the big Pulpit Bible off the pulpit the next Monday and took it to the office. Six months later he told his congregation the Sunday after someone misplaced the flag--people were furious. Six months has passed and not a one of you has said a word about the missing Bible. Hmm. Keep writing. Roger
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