Symbols are important and powerful. When we see a swastika we know what it means. There are associations with Hitler, Nazi Germany, and the Holocaust. We know what a red circle with a slash through it means. Not allowed. We know the cross as a symbol of Christianity and the church.
Symbols are important. Look at how much attention corporations give to their logos. A logo not only identifies a company, it defines the company. Look at the hubbub recently over the new Cracker Barrel logo. They finally capitulated and kept the old logo.
Symbols have power and meaning. One of the most powerful symbols in today’s world is the flag. We witnessed the parade of flags at the Opening Ceremonies of the recent Winter Olympics. One after another. With proud athletes streaming under the waving flags. Each nation’s flag different and representing the people of the country and their culture and heritage. It was a beautiful display.
Flags help to gather us as group, as a people. A flag is a symbol of a common bond to a place. It doesn’t mean the place or the people are perfect but that they hold something in common that is important.
In a section of the novel Orbital by Samantha Harvey, there is speculation that the human experiment on Earth may be coming to an end: “Maybe we’re the new dinosaurs and need to watch out. But then maybe against all the odds we’ll migrate to Mars where we’ll start a colony of gentle preservers, people who’ll want to keep the red planet red, we’ll devise a planetary flag, because that’s a thing we lacked on earth and we’ve come to wonder if that’s why it all fell apart, and we’ll look back at the faint dot of blue that is our old convalescing earth and we’ll say, Do you remember? Have you heard the tales.” [p. 203]
The flag is a powerful symbol and we do not have a planetary flag. We do not have a flag that announces our common bond to this planet. We do not have a flag to gather us as a species. We do not have a flag to remind us that we hold something in common as inhabitants of this earth.
Could a flag make a difference or is it too late. . .
Prayer: In this season, may we rejoice in our oneness with all of humanity. In our religious tradition we celebrate a God that cares for all. A God whose mystery and imagination are displayed in the many different peoples of Earth as well as in nature. May we give thanks remembering all people are a manifestation of the Divine. Amen.
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Devotion prepared by Rev. Kim P. Wells, pastor of Lakewood United Church of Christ in St. Petersburg, FL
The devotions this Lenten season will be based on the novel Orbital by Samantha Harvey. Orbital won the Booker Prize in 2024. It is a beautifully written story about the experience of a group of people orbiting the Earth in a spaceship. They see 16 sunrises and sunsets in a 24 hour period. The book is a reflection on the experience of living together and appreciating planet Earth in a new way.
Lakewood United Church of Christ 