lent 2023 day 29

 


The drive to work takes me past the depot where the road gritters live and then past the hospital - both of these places have had striking workers standing outside them in the past few weeks.  Today there was no visible picket line, but the roadside was still festooned with flags displaying the logos of various trades unions.  As I drove past them I heard this verse in my head ' we will lift up our banners in the name of our God'.

Those who know me well know that Im partial to a bit of banner waving 😀 I love the sound of a flag swishing through the air in worship - it brings out the warrior in me and I always feel as though Im at the forefront of the battle when Ive got a swishy flag in hand.  I have friends who dance with flags as part of prophetic, creative worship.  Ive seen flags set up in prayer rooms to provide a focus for intercession.   But today I felt my thoughts being taken in a slightly different direction.   I was thinking about what flags represent in the secular world.

Here in Northern Ireland flags have been weaponised.  They fly from lampposts and are hung from windows to  declare the allegiance of a particular street or area to a political party or sectarian cause.  Flags are marched down high streets behind flute bands in defiance of ' the other side'. Its sad.  I cant see it changing any time soon, although there is a bit less union jack bunting around the place than there used to be. The flags outside the hospital are doing something similar - they are a shorthand for a political statement.  They say 'We are workers.  We are banding together under this flag (trade union) and planting it in this public place because we want to make a statement.'  The statement is nearly always a protest.  We all know the hospital is full of  underpaid nurses, but we tend not to think about them until we see the flags out drawing our attention to their cause.

Last week I found myself reminiscing about March for Jesus.  The very old among you might remember those days back in the 1990s when churches got together to fly the flag for Jesus.  I was part of one which took over the middle of Edinburgh during which thousands of Christians of every type and hue came together to worship and pray and stand together in unity to declare the Lordship of Jesus over the city.  It was epic. 


When I went to look up March for Jesus I was surprised to discover that they are still happening in the  United States.  And possibly also elsewhere in the world.  Im not sure how I feel about them becoming a 'thing' like the Pride marches. But I sense they were definitely powerful back in the day.  We marched under the banner of our God, in unity,  as light in the darkness.  We lifted our voices in praise to Jesus in the places of business and commerce.  We weren't protesting but we were declaring.  We  were visible, joyful, colourful and peaceful.  I seem to remember there were only a handful of police assigned to accompany the Edinburgh march and they were mostly there to direct traffic. Just like the striking health workers outside the  hospital we wanted to let people know who we were and what we stood for. Unlike the nurses and postal workers we werent asking for anything. We were offering Jesus. Hope, love, peace, forgiveness, meaning, purpose, healing. 

We might not have physical flags to wave or banners to stand under right now,  but maybe we do still need to find ways to advertise Jesus to the world. Perhaps these days social media is the way we do it.  When someone scrolls through your timeline are they going to see Jesus?  Does your insta/snapchat/bereal/facebook/watsapp/whatever you use, leak your faith to those who are watching? You dont need to be quoting scripture left right and centre but people should know you belong to Jesus by the tone of your voice, your attitude and the sort of life you are leading.    I remember picking up a copy of Charlie Mackesy's book The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse a few years back. I knew nothing about the author and the book could have been another 'feel good', self-help, new age treatise.  But as I flipped the pages I could smell Jesus.  He was in the words and illustrations.  I recognised Him.  It was much later that I discovered that the writer was a fellow believer.   A friend of mine is an estate agent.  I recommended him to someone who wanted some property advice. After meeting him my friend said  ' Isnt your estate agent such a lovely guy - I could just see Jesus shining out of him!'   He wasnt preaching , he was doing his everyday job. But he was flying the flag for Jesus at the same time.

When people drive past my life I want them to know what I stand for and who I represent. Maybe I should get a fish sticker for my car 😁😁😁 



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