A Christian and a Patriot?

I'm a proud Australian. I love this country. I love the fact that I was fortunate enough to be born in this nation and I'm forever grateful that we experience incredible freedom that many others don't ever get to.

I'm also a Christian, which means that I have "pledged my allegiance" to God.

In Exodus 20:3 God says to Israel that "You shall have no other gods besides me." There is one God. We worship one God. We pledge our allegiance to one God, and no other. So can we really be a Christian and a patriot?

I have heard a number of well respected Christian leaders speak on this topic, and every single one of them has essentially said that this is not possible. I've heard many of them give a verbal spray to those churches that feel the need to have a national flag and.or any other kind of identifying flags for churches or regions up front or in the same room/auditorium.

I'm not sure where I stand on this issue, to be quite honest. As I said, I am a very proud Australian. I love this country and I would fight for it if I were called upon to do so. I would fight for the freedom that we are so fortunate to enjoy and I would fight to maintain and protect the privileges that we share. "Join the Army," you say? Well, I was very close to joining the RAAF... but I found myself called by God to join an army of another sort.

I don't think I go quite as far as those well respected Christian leaders, but I do understand what they are saying. We are commanded by God that we shall serve no other gods but Him. By serving our country, we tread a fine line. Does our country become our god? It can if we let it.

Like I said, I'm proud of this country, but I'm also concerned that we are so wrapped up in our privileges and freedom that we forget about the countries beyond and the people that don't share the same freedoms as we do. Surprising as it may seem, there are many within our own communities that don't enjoy the same freedom that many of us share here in Australia.

We are called to seek and save the lost, to stand up for those that are oppressed, hopeless and helpless and to live together in community. As Christians, sometimes we get so comfortable with our patriotic privileges that we forget about our calling from our real leader to love God and to love our neighbour.

While I trust that you have enjoyed your BBQs and gatherings today, the ceremonies and the receptions, the cricket and the tennis... while we remember the great country we live in and think about the journey many have taken to become a part of it... I pray that we will also take the time to think about the part we play in others' lives and whether or not we are really taking our calling seriously, or whether it's just something of an afterthought as we meander through our daily lives.