DAY 236
Faith in the Midst of a Pandemic
A series of daily reflections for people of faith
by Rev. Robert Bayley, Interim Pastor
Patuxent Presbyterian Church, California, Maryland
pastorrobert@paxpres.org
Week Thirty-four Thursday 5 November 2020
“I Pledge Allegiance”
“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America,
and to the republic for which it stands,
one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
Allegiance – how do you ‘pledge allegiance’ to a country increasingly struggling to live up to its commitment to being ‘indivisible’ in the growing presence of tribalism along partisan lines? ‘Allegiance’ comes from an old Anglo-Norman noun ‘liege’ meaning servant.
In these tumultuous times we are given the opportunity to consider what it means to pledge allegiance to this country, to be willing to serve it in some way, to be loyal to it - for without such commitment on the part of the citizenry, we will slowly, imperceptibly descend into a nation unable to sustain itself in any substantive expression of values or altruism. The absence of allegiance to this country will increasingly equate to a severance of the invisible ties that bind us together, rendering us unable us to see ourselves in each other, unwilling to care for each other. Commitment to serve a nation and to serve God’s kingdom can coexist in the heart of believers.
Reflective question: In what ways as a Christian can you express allegiance to your country?
Reflective Scripture: Jeremiah 29:7 - “Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
Reflective hymn:
“I Vow to Thee my Country” – Cecil Rice (1859-1918)
The hymn for today is a highly popular, patriotic hymn in the United Kingdom. I somewhat envy my British cousins across the pond – and I have many there and have visited some, because they have the patriotic equivalent of a hymn of commitment – we do not. The second verse balances the first with a commitment to heaven and concludes with words from Proverbs 3:17.
- I vow to thee, my country, all earthly things above,
Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love;
The love that asks no questions, the love that stands the test,
That lays upon the altar the dearest and the best
The love that never falters, the love that pays the price,
The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice.
- And there’s another country, I’ve heard of long ago,
Most dear to them that love her, most great to them that know;
We may not count her armies, we may not see her King;
Her fortress is a faithful heart, her pride is suffering;
And soul by soul and silently her shining bounds increase,
And her ways are ways of gentleness, and all her paths are peace.
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