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| Hoosier United Methodist News |
November 2001 |
Mini homily:
The full-time fan
By Dave Buckner
The other day I passed a car going in the opposite direction that had an American flag on its radio antennae, an Indianapolis Colts football flag sticking out its window and a Purdue Boilermakers vanity plate on the front bumper. I turned and said to my wife, Kristyn, "Now that guy's a fan. He's a fan of America, a fan of the Colts, and a fan of the Boilermakers. He's just a full-time fan!"
This guy's car carried a message about his loyalties. In that moment a song surfaced from the Vacation Bible School archives. You may know it. The little song that says, "There is a flag flown high from the castle of my heart, from the castle of my heart … " You see, in medieval times, when people lived in kingdoms ruled by kings who lived in castles, there was a sign to the people that the king was home. All they would have to do is look to the king's castle to see if the kingdom flag was flying. If it was flying, the king was home.
I wondered, what flags am I flying? I mean, when people see my life, what flags do they see that portray loyalties? Can people, just by moving in my circles, lean over to their spouse and say, "Now that guy's a fan of the Kingdom of God?" Sometimes I think my life looks a little too much like "the fan's." In other words, I've got so many flags flying it's hard to tell where my loyalty is. Some would say, "That's life, get used to it!" I think I would rather not. I think that I would rather simplify so that there is one flag that flies from my heart and life.
Imagine if the citizens of the kingdom would have looked up to the castle and seen the flags of several kingdoms. It's confusing. No, I'm going to take a flag inventory and bring down the ones that have been flying for too long. One has a dollar sign on it. Seems there are several with sports insignias. But the biggest one of all, the one that's been flying the longest and yet gets replaced with a new bigger one all the time, is the one that has my picture on it. They're all coming down and a red, white and blue one is going up. No stars and stripes, just a white flag, with a blue field in which a red cross sits. And, just as a reminder, I'm going to check the pole daily to make sure I haven't hoisted any co-flags. And, as to the Kings' flag, I'm going to let it fly in the sky, let the whole world know that the King is in residence here." To the King!
The Rev. Dave Buckner is the associate pastor for youth ministry at Mt. Auburn UMC, Indianapolis East District.
Last updated on 01/14/2004