The Mexican Flag And The Message Of Truth Within
~ by Karlene Thiessen
In September we got a little creative and hosted 2 “Taste of Mexico” Nights. We decorated the coffee area of our church with curios from Mexico, Zambian chetenge table cloths that passed for Mexican ones because of their designs and multitude of colors and had Salsa music playing in the background. We served some tortillas and salsa, guacamole, Maria cookies, Mazapan, Jarrito’s and Canel’s chewing gum - almost all having been imported from Mexico by one of our local grocery stores. As much as we would have loved for more people to come, we are very thankful for each person that took the time out of their busy schedules to bless us with their presence and to hear about what God is doing in Mexico.
As I was preparing for this event, I had the idea that it would be neat to have little papers, on each table with the Mexican Flag printed on them, for our guests to take home. So I searched online for the flag to cut and paste and in the process, became curious why it looks the way it does. Upon further research, I came across a list of 46 interesting facts about Mexico. One of the facts was taken from the book “Mexico the People” by Bobbie Kalman and it said: “Mexico’s Flag is made up of three vertical stripes. The left green stripe stands for hope, the middle white stripe represents purity & the right red stripe represents the blood of the Mexican people. The picture of an eagle eating a snake is based on an Aztec legend.”
And just like that, I had my answer to why the Mexican Flag looks the way it does. I thought this interesting fact would be good to include so I cut and pasted and as I began to design these little papers, God revealed to me that there was a message of truth, His Truth, within the Flag of Mexico. I know this revelation was from God because I wasn’t studying the Flag to find a way to use it to share the Good News. God laid this on my heart and I can’t take any credit for this insight.
As I copied and pasted the Mexican flag onto my layout page, God impressed these words on my heart, “the Truth of Gospel is in the Flag.” At first I shrugged them off and set about figuring out the task at hand. But the words came again, “the Truth of the Gospel is in the Flag…..just take a moment to think about what you’ve learned and you will see.” This time I stopped what I was doing and looked at the colored Flag which appeared on the page...
HOPE PURITY BLOOD
As I reflected on the image in front of me and the words that I had placed under each vertical stripe...BLOOD….PURITY…..HOPE…...my excitement began to grow and I found myself in awe of the One who was choosing to reveal this message to me!
I began to type what God brought to my mind and this was the result...
“We are excited to join God in the work He is doing in Mexico! To us, the Mexican Flag serves as a reminder of the Good News we have to share. The red stripe represents Jesus BLOOD which was shed so we could be forgiven for our sins. The white stripe serves to remind us that when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, we are washed & covered by His blood, our sins become as white as snow & this makes us PURE in God’s sight. The green stripe represents the HOPE we have in Jesus Christ, who made it possible for us to have eternal life. The Eagle reminds us that our Great & Awesome God reigns! He defeated satan, the serpent, at the cross! He is mighty to save!”
As I finished typing these words, I sat back and marveled at the awesome tool for sharing the Gospel, that God had just given me! Maybe there are other people out there already using the Mexican Flag to share the good news of Jesus, but for me, this was a first time discovery and one that made me extremely excited! What a neat object lesson to be able to use with a Sunday School class or a church congregation, a gathering in the park, with a group of teenagers or one on one with someone I meet on the sidewalk during a National holiday when the Flag is being hoisted from the rooftops and waved in the streets! People feel patriotic toward their country’s Flag. They are proud to see it billowing in the wind and standing guard in places of importance. What an amazing opportunity to be able to hold up a Mexican Flag or point to one and not only celebrate the history of it’s people represented within, but to also share the truth of the One who created these people, the God of Love who sent His Son to die in their place so their blood did not have to be shed, the Son who willingly gave His life so their sins could be forgiven, making them clean in the sight of God Almighty who has crushed satan and secured them a place in Heaven for all of Eternity!
I praise God and thank Him for His insight. I anticipate and look forward to the opportunities He will bring my way to use the Mexican Flag, and the message of Truth within, to share the love of Jesus with those who are searching for The Answer!
Yes, there are others who use the flag this way. :) It's great to have as many tools as possible to share the Gospel!
ReplyDeleteAn interesting side note - you probably know that the Aztecs spoke of the eagle on the cactus that their forefathers saw when they founded Mexico City (Tenochtitlán). But what you may not know is that the snake was a mistake - not part of the original story. Illustrating the story at one point, somebody drew a ribbon in the mouth of the eagle, and someone else later on thought it was a snake - and the change stuck. But originally, there was no snake at all!
Weird but true. :) But the snake does put a great finishing touch on the Gospel presentation.
Hi Jim,
ReplyDeleteI thought that there were others who must be using the flag this way. I just found it exciting because it was all new to me as I had never read or heard anything before about using the Flag to share the gospel! The fact that God takes time to reveal things to us on a personal basis is wonderful! That's because He's a personal God!
Thanks for the interesting fact about the snake. I'm enjoying learning about Mexico and it's culture! I look forward to enjoying it someday when we finally get there! :) And meeting some fellow Canadians will be great too :)
Blessings,
Karlene