Made of different cloth
Flags will be flying high in London and across the United Kingdom this weekend. Many will fly them to mark the birthday of a monarch who has made frequent and honest references to her personal faith. Had I been around at the coronation I think I would have struggled with some of the ‘sacred’ aspects of what is a constitutional act. Is it possible, or even right, that anyone should vow to ‘maintain the Laws of God and the true profession of the Gospel’ from on high I wonder? The drive to obey the Laws of God and profess the Gospel comes from internal conviction rather than external compulsion, I think. These are big questions…
However, my eye has been drawn away to another flag hoisted high in the capital city today. It is called ‘The New EU flag‘, an art installation by Slade School student Mariana Bisti. The flag is made from four foil blankets formerly wrapped around the shoulders of refugees on the island of Lesvos. Arriving cold, bedraggled, frightened and in danger of hypothermia – these blankets are symbolic of their first welcome on a new continent. Stateless as they are, Bisti’s flag flies over them wherever they may be.
What are your reflections as you look at the flag, I wonder?
Image: ucl.ac.uk
