Arriving at the church recently you might have noticed another change. Something I had visualized a long time ago finally became a reality. I had mentioned to some people around me that I hoped someday to have three flagpoles in front of the sanctuary. Some who heard me never forgot and through generous giving of finances and labor placed three flagpoles with their accompanying flying banners to greet me on the morning of my recent birthday. What a wonderful surprise! Thank you.
The American and Colorado flags are immediately recognizable, but the white flag with the green pine tree and the words, “APPEAL TO HEAVEN,” is less familiar. This flag has in the last few years captured the attention of Christians in America. It has become a banner for those who realize that our nation must appeal to Heaven for the healing of our land. This very flag, with its simple yet inspiring phrase, was the vision of George Washington and his staff. It was created to fly from the masts of some of the first ships of the Revolution. The pine tree depicted on this flag was the white pine of the East Coast. England had forbidden the colonists to harvest this majestic tree without its permission. These trees are known to grow as tall as 230 feet, and they were perfect for the masts of the fleet George Washington was building in 1775. This pine tree became an emblem of freedom and a symbol of the fledgling nation’s new military. The words, “APPEAL TO HEAVEN,” echoed the freedom lover, John Locke, who first coined the phrase. The idea was that if among the affairs of men, anyone needed justice, but there were no available resources, no judicial courts, nor any sympathetic advocates, one still had the opportunity to “appeal to heaven.” This flag reminded its observers that everyone can and should yield themselves to the will and power of the sovereign God–that in the resurrection of the Savior there is always the hope of deliverance, even when it seems all has been lost.
Two and a half centuries later, we’re blessed to remind ourselves here at CCC that the odds were stacked against us in the founding of our nation, but through prayer and submission to God, our nation was birthed against impossible odds. America became a good and righteous nation that feared the Lord, that modeled liberty, and that became an influential player in the rebirth of the nation of Israel. As you drive by the church or walk up to the sanctuary, please pray for our nation—but not without hope. Pray with confidence in God that what He sovereignly birthed so long ago, He can rebirth again with liberty, spiritual vitality and national righteousness.