Thought for Today
Joshua 24:15 Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."
1 Chronicles 29:24 All the leaders and the mighty warriors, and also all the sons of King David, pledged their allegiance to King Solomon.
Matthew 23:16 "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the sanctuary is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by the oath.'
James 5:12 Above all, my beloved, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your "Yes" be yes and your "No" be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.
After ranting about duty and honor yesterday, this morning I was reminded of the Pledge of Allegiance. When I was a young boy, we said the Pledge in unison in school each morning, led by a student over the school’s PA system. I honestly do not remember whether or not we did that in junior high school or high school, but the memory of doing so in elementary school remains vivid in my mind. When was the last time you said the Pledge of Allegiance?
Is our Pledge important? Are we the only country to have a Pledge of Allegiance? Wikipedia tells me that “Only the USA and the Philippines have a pledge to their flag.” It goes on to say, “However, some other countries have ritualized pledges expressing love of country and ideals, without specific reference to flags of symbolism.”
While I am posing questions, what has any of this to do with Christianity or religious faith? In the USA, we cherish the separation of church and state. I strongly support that separation. Religion has a very poor track record in terms of effective civil governance. Theocracies have always devolved into repressive regimes.
Much of my adulthood, however, has been spent in a faith tradition that often incorporates within its Order of Worship a unison Confession of Faith. In the church we attended while raising our children, we often used one of the Church’s historic creeds or some portion of one. Although I was not raised in that tradition and never achieved the ease of reciting the Apostles Creed by rote memory, I did come to love hearing and saying that familiar statement of faith. In much the same way I love reading Joshua 24:15, I am comforted by Christendom’s historic creeds and confessions. When reading or reciting them, I feel a connection with our ancestors-in-the-faith, the long line of faithful believers who have gone before us and preserved our faith.
Is there value for citizens and/or congregants to recite pledges or confessions, creeds or doctrines to which they swear allegiance? Are symbols like flags appropriate items to which we pledge our allegiance? I believe they are, because of what they are symbolizing. I do not pledge allegiance to a piece of cloth. I pledge allegiance to all the patriots who have preserved the freedoms we enjoy today.
Similarly, when I recite the Apostles Creed, I am not stating my belief in words written long ago on paper or parchment. I am stating my belief in God the Father, in the Son of God, Jesus the Christ and in the Holy Spirit. I am acknowledging the long line of faithful believers who have preceded me and in the faithful believers all around me throughout Christendom. Irrespective of our various faith traditions, we share the important truth that Jesus is the Incarnate Creative Word of God. Whether using the Apostles Creed, the Nicene Creed, some portion of the Westminster Confession or any other confession or creed, I find comfort in the family of faithful believers around the world and throughout time, 2000+ years of faith and faith-filled believers.
We all are challenged continually to answer the call of Joshua, to “choose this day whom you will serve.” I find it helpful for me to think about my own pledge of allegiance to my faith through the use of the historical creeds and confessions of my faith. Just as I am reminded of my country through the Pledge of Allegiance, I am reminded of my choice of whom I serve through those creeds and confessions.
Stay safe, choose wisely, trust God,
Pastor Ray