Newsletter 

Pr. Jon's April letter - - - - - - -

“No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. 

You cannot serve God and wealth.”  (Matthew 6:24)

As with anytime of the year, I get the chance to talk with many people, from many backgrounds, with many different experiences, and with many different troubles.  But one thing is the same throughout: they are all brothers and sisters in Christ, and they all have the free will that God has given them to have their own opinions, questions, and beliefs.  And since we all are different, we all have our own personal issues that we hold in a higher priority in our lives.  One of those issues that has come to my attention is about the American and Christian flags.

The presence of our nation's flag in the worship space stirs deep passions for many people. Our nation's flag reminds us of the freedom that we enjoy and the price that many have paid to protect that freedom. For many Americans, the flag evokes memories of a time when many people shared what were thought of as "basic values." For other Americans, the flag is a more complex symbol--a reminder of both things that we as a people are proud of and things of which we are ashamed. For those for whom the flag is a positive symbol, its presence alongside the cross seems good and natural. For those for whom the flag conveys a mixture of positive and negative associations it is troubling to see our nation's flag, standing in the worship space alongside the symbols of our faith.

Our Christian commitment requires us to move beyond our feelings, both positive and negative, about our nation and community, and to ask only what our faith requires us to do. We must move the focus from ourselves and how we see things, to God and how God would have us see things. We look to God's Word as it is revealed to us in scripture, and seek to apply that Word to our situations, including this issue of the flags.

In scripture, we find many verses that speak to the question of a national flag in our worship space. The God whom we meet in the Bible is a jealous God, a God who demands that he alone is to be worshiped, a God who demands all of our allegiance (Exodus 20:5, Exodus 34:14, Deut. 6:15, Psalm 78:58, etc.). The scriptures present us with the picture of a God that will not share our loyalty with any other being or cause, no matter how noble. We discover that God's intentions are that his people be one in him, and that the divisions between people be bridged with Christ's peace. In scripture we discover that Christians must be able to take a stand with or against human institutions depending on whether they serve or oppose God's cause. We learn that our identity is found in Christ and not in the labels and experiences of this world.  We cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24).

Which leads us to a conundrum we have in the world. What do you think of when you see our nations flag?  Do you think of the times when you had to say, “I pledge allegiance to the flag” in school growing up?  Or how about the Star Spangled Banner that is played before almost all sporting events of all caliber? The flag is a symbol that by its presence asks for our allegiance, our loyalty. That poses a serious conflict, because as Christians we believe that we owe allegiance only to God.

In a world that makes so many claims on us it is difficult to live as if we only owe loyalty to God. When the cross and flag are juxtaposed in our worship space, when our symbols suggest that something other than God is worthy of our allegiance and love, then we move dangerously close to promoting idolatry. Luther, in the Large Catechism says, "... god is that from which we are to expect everything good to which we are to take refuge in all times of need." A god is whatever we trust and believe in. "Therefore I say that your god in reality is that around which you entwine your heart and on which you place your confidence."

Many people do "entwine their hearts" around the nation and the flag and place their confidence in them. For these people the flag and the country has become an idol, something that claims a place with God in our hearts. God commands us in the first commandment that we have no other gods.  But that isn’t to say that the flag, and what it represents, is not important and should not be respected.

Many of those in our worship spaces, including St. Matthew, are veterans of a war, or have first had experience. These people know the price of freedom. We cannot help but honor them for their commitment and their sacrifice. For them, and for most of us, the flag is an important symbol. But to say that the flag is important to us does not imply that it belongs in the place where we worship. The issue of flags in the church is a matter of our faith. It has nothing to do with patriotism or with modern trends in the church. It has nothing to do with not appreciating the sacrifices that brave men and women have made for our freedom. It has to do with our ability to properly honor God.

It has only to do with our faith and the question: do our symbols reflect our faith or do they communicate something that conflicts with our faith? A national flag in the worship space is a symbol that demands allegiance to our country in the very place where the Word proclaims that only God is deserving of our allegiance. A flag represents the divisions that exist between peoples in the place where we proclaim that all people are one in Christ. 

So the flags of St. Matthew, given to the church at the 75th anniversary of church itself, 1967, have been moved out of the sanctuary and into the fellowship hall.  As Pastor, I see the need for to respect our history and the people who have fought for our freedom to worship, but not in the way that defies what God directs of us.  I know that this stance may make some people upset and angry.  But I ask, should we misrepresent our faith in a one True God by putting a symbol of a nation (any nation) over our worship of a God who calls us to feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and visit the prisoner?

As a disciple of Christ, I hope to continually be a witness to God’s love and mercy on me, and share it with others around.  And part of that is the acceptance, love, and care for all of God’s created: creatures, land, and people.  For I feel that St. Matthew church is God's house where we worship only God, love only God and serve only God.

-       Pastor Jon Wendt