Deb heard about the women's center from our mutual beloved Michelle Trehey. This amazing Wisconsin warrior had never met me, never been to San Francisco - but she single-handedly sewed about 12 beautiful, iridescent and fire-colored worship flags for the women of The Well (our BJM women's center has a name!) to use. I brought them, in their beautiful carrying case, across the country in my trusty-but-crammed toyota (along with another 8 "timbrels" she also made - rings that hold lengths of brightly-colored ribbon or tinsel...when you wave them, they're like shining rainbows!).
Wednesday, they arrived "home" to the BJM women's center. Our staff women unpacked them. Ooooohs and Aaaahs everywhere. "Gold....what does the color gold mean?" (purification, abundance)
Then, someone said, "This one looks like fire! We want fire! Let me have the fire one!" Everyone began to wave flags. Blue symbolizes revelation. Red, redemption and both orange and red are fire colors. (God's heart is ON FIRE for the Tenderloin!) Green....new life, growth, creation....White for purity and being washed clean and made whole. Purple is royalty. I can't remember what silver symbolizes...except that it's shiny and beautiful!
Lindsay took her flag out on the sidewalk. I joined her as children from the local school walked by on the way to the playground. The big kids laughed and passed under the flags like a parade. "Flags...wave them at me!!!" they yelled. The little guys were scared and moved closer to their teachers. So, we said, "They're just pretty flags. We won't wave them at you. You can just look." So, we waved tham toward the street and the little guys passed by...not exactly convinced, but not frightened either.
Why flags, you might wonder? WHAT are they doing waving flags at people? (and what does this have to do with God and the Tenderloin???)
Today at church, a guest speaker spoke about leading a team of worship folks into a garbage dump in Romania where violence is an every-day, everywhere occurrence. He referred to battles in the Old Testament. When God sent Joshua to conquer a city called Jericho, he was told to send the worshipers and musicians first, followed by the warriors.
"Let's see," the speaker said. "They've got AK-47s and bullets and we've got harmonicas, tamborines and a bunch of dancers waving flags." Yep. The battle for the garbage dump was ushered in by dancers waving flags! (now, all we need are harmonicas and tamborines....).
Worship establishes the atmosphere. It says, "This is who we are. Our beautiful God owns this place - not the drug dealers on every corner or the pimps or the massage parlor owners. Our God. The God who loves. He has already conquered these streets. And, He is so unafraid of evil that he sends us - the flag-wavers - to lead the troops.
I was thinking of all of you reading this. You might be fortunate enough to be part of a flag-waving, dancing, worshiping church. You may want to go out a find one out of sheer curiosity (or because you wonder if I'm running on all pistons out here or what....). You may be perfectly happy without the whole flag business. But, know this. When you worship our beautiful Jesus, your heart is like a banner. Like a flag waving in front of the world. Your heart-flag declares one thing we know is always true - here in the Tenderloin or at City Church where Deb and Michelle wave their own flags :).....or wherever you are.....that God IS. That God loves. That He has already won the battle and everything - the cities and the streets and every small town. Every human being is carried in His heart.
So, tomorrow, I'm going to pass out flyers for Nail Day (YEAH....my first Nail Day back in SF!). And, I'm going to be praying as I go...."How beautiful your street is, God.....How beautiful your daughters are, Father. How blue your sky is. How amazing your people are.....How much you love the 'other' dancers in the strip clubs....." And, I'll be waving my heart-flag everywhere.
PS: Yep, we'll definitely take those flags to the street! I'll let you know how it goes!
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