I have been pondering something for the past several weeks that I will share with you tonight. I sing a hymn before I kneel for my morning prayer. Over the past months, I have felt as though American citizens are fighting a war. The contention is between Democrats and Republicans, but the war is between good and evil.
Socialism is evil and leads to communism,
which is an even greater evil. The problem is that there are open supporters of
socialism in Congress trying to move our nation away from our constitutional
government and into a socialist one. This feeling that we are at war has
weighed heavily on my heart and spirit, and I have heard numerous other people
remark that we are fighting a spiritual war as we strive to save America from
those who wish to “fundamentally transform” it into a different type of
country.
I have long made it a practice to sing a
hymn prior to kneeling for my morning prayer. Lately, I have been drawn to
military-sounding hymns. I have chosen to sing hymns such as “Onward, Christian
Soldiers” (Hymns, 246), “We Are All Enlisted” (Hymns, 250), and “We
Are Marching on to Glory” (Hymns, 225).
A couple of weeks ago while singing “We
Are All Enlisted,” I had a learning experience that I would like to share with
you. I sang the first verse that goes as follows:
We are all enlisted till the conflict is o’er;
Happy are we! Happy are we!
Soldiers in the army, there’s a bright
crown in store;
We shall win and wear it by and by.
Haste to the battle, quick to the field;
Truth is our helmet, buckler, and shield.
Stand by our colors; proudly they wave!
We’re joyfully, joyfully marching to our
home.
The second and third verses make it
clear that the “army” is composed of Christians who are fighting against the
world and for the Savior. The soldiers are fighting for the kingdom of God. However,
I want to discuss something in the first verse.
I came to the line “Stand by our
colors; proudly they wave!” I tried to imagine the colors that Christians would
wave, and my first thought went to the Stars and Stripes, the flag of the
United States of America. I immediately thought that the “colors” would be red,
white, and blue but realized that a Christian flag would not be the Stars and
Stripes.
I began pondering the idea of a
Christian flag. I love the American flag, and I know that America is the
promised land that was held in reserve for people who will serve Jesus Christ.
However, I do not believe that the Savior’s army would be carrying the American
flag. So, what kind of a flag would Christians carry?
I thought that red, white, and blue could
be the colors on the Savior’s flag because red stands for love, white stands
for purity, and blue stands for loyalty. However, I distinctly understood that
the flag would look different than the American flag. I began to consider the
design that would go on the Savior’s flag. Many people may expect that a
Christian flag would have a cross on it, but I do not believe that there would
be a cross on the Savior’s flag.
I am a member of The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints. Members of this Church believe in Jesus Christ and
are Christians. However, this Church does not use a cross on its buildings, web
sites, literature, or anything else. We believe in a risen Christ, a Christ who
lives and leads His Church, and we believe that the cross is reminder of the
Savior’s death. Therefore, I did not consider a cross.
I considered having a picture of Christ on
the flag and debated the colors for His robe and other clothing. I thought
about the colors for several days and could not decide on a color scheme. The
matter sat at the back of my mind for several days. Suddenly one morning, I
knew exactly what should be on the Savior’s flag.
Heavenly Father, through the Holy Ghost, reminded
me that the emblem for the Savior’s Church was revealed to His Prophet, even
President Russell M. Nelson, several years ago. When this thought entered my
mind, I immediately understood why the emblem would be perfect for the Savior’s
flag. I am still contemplating the colors for the Savior’s flag, but I know
without doubt what the main design should be.
In his April 2020 General Conference talk,
which was given in a special Saturday evening session, President Nelson
introduced a new Church symbol, which signals “the central place of Jesus
Christ” in His Church. In a Church News report on the meeting, Jason Swensen wrote the following description:
Aptly, the symbol includes the name of the
Church – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – contained within a
cornerstone. As taught since Biblical days, Jesus Christ is the “chief corner
stone” of His Church (Ephesians 2:20).
“At the center of the symbol is a representation
of Thorvaldsen’s marble statue the Christus,” said President Nelson. “It
portrays the resurrected, living Lord reaching out to embrace all who will come
unto Him.
“Symbolically, Jesus Christ is standing
under an arch. The arch reminds us of the resurrected Savior emerging from the
tomb on the third day following His Crucifixion.”
The new symbol, he added, should feel
familiar to all identifying the restored gospel with the living, resurrected
Christ.
“The symbol will now be used as a visual
identifier for official literature, news, and events of the Church. It will
remind all that this is the Savior’s Church and that all we do, as members of
His Church, centers on Jesus Christ and His gospel.”
President Nelson did not include a
flag in his list of items, but he could have. Swenson included a picture of the symbol in his article, and you can see it here. At this point, I am thinking
about a flag made of royal blue with the emblem in white on it – similar to how
the symbol is shown and signaling that soldiers in the Savior’s army are loyal
to Him.
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