It was 6:25am on a recent Sunday morning. I was one of two people in the church building. I often arrive this early to prepare myself for our corporate worship gatherings. The lights were already on in the sanctuary, so I walked in to set up a few things for my portions of our worship experience. It was at this moment that I found myself overcome with an ill feeling. My stomach began to turn.

No, I hadn’t just wolfed down several donuts from the gas station. The feeling of sickness came due to the aesthetic aspect of our worship space. As I looked up at the front of the room, I saw two enormous U.S. flags draped on each side of the cross. The flags were so large that they dwarfed the cross.

I wish I could say that this was a one-time event. However, this occurs at least three times a year at the church I serve (Memorial Day, 4^th of July, Veterans Day). We have a very patriotic and conservative congregational make up. One would often wonder how a somewhat liberal, unpatriotic guy like me wound up in a church like this.

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