If I were to ask you to choose one item that represents America, what would it be? Let me be more specific. If I asked you what you would consider to be the symbol of the United States since the Revolutionary War, what would you say it is? Well, you may have said a lot of things, but since I’m writing this book, I’ll tell you what I chose: The American Flag.
Since the Revolutionary war, the American flag has been the symbol of freedom, unity, liberty and justice in our country. Betsy Ross claims to have sewed the first American flag and the design of 13 stars and 13 stripes became the first official flag of our country on June 14, 1777. Although it has endured several alterations in its appearance since then, its meaning and symbolism has remained. It symbolizes that we are independent. We no longer have to live under the rule of tyranny and monarchy. We are a democracy and enjoy all of the liberties that come with that.
Now, if I asked you to choose one item that represents Christianity, what would it be? Let me be more specific. If I asked you what you would consider to be the symbol of Christianity, what would you say it is? This is a little more difficult to answer. You could say the cross. But that only tells half of the story. You could say the manger, but that only tells half of the story. How bout we find a common theme. No, not wood! I mean Jesus. No other symbol reflects Christianity more than Jesus Christ. Our country was founded on the things that the flag stands for and our Religion was founded on the things that our Savior stands for. If you’d allow me, there are a few pieces of Scripture that seem interesting to dissect a little. Let us indulge ourselves in it:
Matthew 2:1-2:
“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the East to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."
The birth of Jesus is full of symbolism. The gifts that were brought to Christ all symbolized something. The gold represented Kingship, a symbol of power. Frankincense represented priesthood. It was a type of incense used during religious ceremonies. One symbol that isn’t as famous is the star in the east. This star was a phenomenon. It was a star that wasn’t present before the birth of Christ and wasn’t present after the birth of Christ. It was strategically placed so the wise men knew where to travel.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. I forgot to mention Myrrh. No, I wanted to save this one. Myrrh was an ointment and was used to embalm the bodies of the dead. This symbolized his future death. Alright, so Jesus’ birth is now tied into his death. In fact, lets read about his death in detail: Isaiah 53:5
“But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed.”
Jesus wasn’t only nailed to a cross, He was completely tortured. The very thought of his back being beaten by a whip that contained glass, bones and metal hurts my heart. 40 times was He whipped across His back. Scripture describes these wounds as “stripes.”
As we examine the symbol of our country, we think immediately of the stars and stripes. Now, when we examine the symbol of our faith, we immediately think of the star and the stripes.
Remember the reason for this book is to help us realize how we can begin a revolution in our hearts. How about this idea: Invite Jesus to live in it! We want Christ to be the center of our hearts, let Him find a dwelling place in it! July 4 is when we celebrate our nation’s Independence. America won the Revolution and now is a free country. The day you accept Christ as Savior becomes your “dependence” day. A day when you finally become dependent on a Savior and enjoy spiritual freedom from the tyranny of a devil and Hell. August 27, 1995 is the day that I celebrate my Spiritual Dependence. I was sitting in fifth grade Sunday School and my best friend’s dad was the Sunday School teacher. Mr. Hoyt talked about the love of a Savior and how His death on the cross was so I could have eternal life. I accepted Christ in my chair after class with Mr. Hoyt praying with me. A revolution began to occur in my heart. Granted, I wasn’t an alcoholic or sex addict. I didn’t cheat on the wife that I didn’t have nor did I cheat on my taxes. (However, I had sinful problem with walking through the convenient store and loading my pockets with the miniature Reeses Cups that were on the shelves.) The fact is, I didn’t have to be the worst kid on the block in order to need a revolution. God knew who I’d be in the future. Also, my need for a relationship with the Savior was as great at that time as it is for a man on death row convicted of murder.
You want to get to the point where your heart turns to the Savior immediately rather than to yourself during a crisis, have a relationship with Him! Think of the star and stripes. Our country turns to the American Flag to reflect our freedom, we should turn to our Savior.
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