I know I’ve mentioned this one before, but I am not really a flag-in-church kinda guy.

All those years ago, as a student in the USA, it was a shock to see the flag up there in the same neighbourhood as the pulpit, the Lord’s Table and the baptistry. “What is going on?” “Have I missed a sacrament along the way somewhere?” It seemed a short, slippery step from there to nationalism, in which adding the ‘-ism’ turns something good into something idolatrous. And in listening to Trump’s Inauguration address this week, some of those ‘steps’ were self-evident. How Christians align MAGA—Make America Great Again—to the purposes of God is beyond me. Adding Latin America might help! Afterall, as my Latino friends like to remind me, America is bigger than the USA.

Years ago, here in New Zealand, I can remember two churches where the Israeli flag was displayed behind me when I preached. Yikes. I couldn’t do that any more. Not after what I’ve learned about Israeli behaviour over the recent decades, topped-off by this thunderous monsoon they’ve poured on the Palestinian people over the recent months—in response to the comparative sprinkling they’ve received.

Me and a flag-in-church? Yeah-Nah. I don’t think so.

And then I hear the voice of my French teacher resonating down the years: “Always expect an exception”.

There is an exception

Ah yes, like when there are multiple flags displayed in the church—but maybe not up the front!

I love 1 Peter. The church being like a new family, comprising people from all actual families. The church being like a new race, comprising people from all actual races. The church being like a new nation, comprising people from all actual nations. It is with this new family, this new race, this new nation where our primary identity and belonging is found.

“Oh, wow. Preach it. Live it.” Yes, but such are the sensitivities—and the idolatries—around family and race and nation today, I don’t find it to be a message that too many people want to hear, or to live.

Nevertheless, ‘multiple flags in the church’ is one symbolic way forward with one part of this Petrine triad. And it is entering a church in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) a few years ago that immediately comes to mind for me.

My heart leapt within me.

As you can see, there was a fair bit of ‘leaping’ going on in the hearts of others in our group!

Then, just last Sunday, while on holiday with our daughter and her family in Queenstown, we decided to travel down to Invercargill to visit some friends. As it turns out, it was 40 years—to the week—since we commenced an earlier drive to Invercargill (from Auckland), in our little orange Austin 1300, to start as pastor of Georgetown Baptist Church.

I can be a bit sentimental with dates. This occasion was no exception. The heart was already molten as we headed south. We drove into the city, past our old home at 637 Tweed St, and then across to the church at the corner of Centre and Morton Streets. I can’t imagine where my life would be without the kindness and patience shown to me by that church family for those five years (as I tried to express in an Ode to Georgetown). However, the church building is another matter altogether. The architects may love it, as an example of Brutalist (I think) architecture. It wins awards. A group of architects even traveled down from Auckland last year just to see it. Some are even returning next month to do some restoration work.

But as we made our way down Centre St and it came into view, it still looks to me like a bit of a drab box.

But check out that front wall…

Look more closely.

What do we have here?

Multiple flags. Wow. My heart leapt within me.

It is now called the Invercargill Intercultural Church. How cool is that? And in the very same space where, by God’s grace and under God’s hand, we had tried to love and to serve Jesus all those years ago.

That ‘molten’ was now in full meltdown mode…!

We arrived soon after the Sunday church service had finished. I was happy to remain outside, take a few photos and move on—but our daughter, Alyssa, pressed to go in and have a look. Together with Tim, they now have their own brood of pastor’s kids. She wanted to see where it all began for her—and to have her family see it as well. So we went inside and met some of the church family. We loved hearing about the church from Pastor Jordy—adorned as he was in both a Waikato Chiefs rugby jersey and some impressive dreads.

Alyssa was just three years of age when we left Georgetown, singing “Jesus Loves Me” at the farewell with her big brother, Stephen. They were standing barely two meters from where her five year old, Daisy, is standing here—with the mustard carpet remaining unchanged in the intervening years!

A little postscript

Yes, my heart leapt within me when I read this paragraph in Vince Bantu’s A Multitude of All Peoples for the first time. I had been grasping for words like these for years…

Christians who are members of socially and politically marginalized communities must unapologetically express pride and solidarity with their cultural community.  While the extremes of ethnocentrism and nationalism have no place for those in Christ, believers must also be wary of the opposite extreme of leaving no room for biblical expressions of cultural pride.  This is especially necessary for Christian cultures that are oppressed and marginalized.  Positive self-images that are nurtured internally are vital components to advancing communities that have been historically and systematically marginalized.  It is imperative for Christians who come from cultures where Christianity is culturally pervasive to give space for believers who experience cultural alienation from the gospel.  Likewise, it is important for subaltern [ie lower status] cultures to resist internalized theological racism that cautions them against embracing their own culture.  These measures are of greater importance than the fragility, defensiveness, or discomfort they may create for the dominant culture (162).

Here’s looking at you, Palestinian people—among other peoples across our world—but let’s still keep multiple flags in our churches and live towards that new family and race and nation.

nice chatting

Paul