Show Your True Colors: Raise Your Flag

Sermon preached by Pastor Larry C. Brincefield on July 4, 2004

Title: Show Your True Colors: Raise Your Flag or “Raising the Flag of Faith”

Text: Matthew 5:16

Introduction

1. Vexillology is the study of flags…

• I don’t know about you…but that’s a new word for me…

• I learned it this week while preparing for this sermon.

• Vexillology is derived from the Latin word vexillum,

• a term used by the Romans to refer to a piece of fabric hung from a horizontal crossbar on a pole. (show picure)

• That seems to be one of the earlier references to flags in history…

• Today, flags are very common.

• Every country has a country flag…

• Every state in our country has a state flag…

• Families even design their own family flags.

• Some flags are decorative with fancy designs or pictures…

• Others have special meaning, like our American flag.

• Recently, many people have been putting the flag at half-staff—honoring the death of President Reagan.

• Patriotism seems high right now…

• We the continued fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

• We have flags on decals that we put on our cars…

• We have flags printed in our newspaper…

• We even have flags on our clothing…

• In fact, the tie I’m wearing this morning has the colors of the flag in it.

2. Raising a flag is our way of showing what we stand for…

• When we raise the American flag…

• It is showing support for America…

• It is saying, “I’m proud to be an American”.

• It is a way to “show our true colors”.

• This morning, I encourage you to “show your true colors: raise your flag”

Read Text: Matthew 5:16

Body

1. Raising the flag at Iwo Jima

A. This picture is the most reproduced photograph in history. Let me tell you the story behind the picture.

• This small island, smaller than Manhattan...

• Was very strategic..

• It was Japanese soil…

• located mid-way between Japan and American bomber bases in the Marianas Islands.

• No foreign army had ever occupied Japanese territory in 5,000 years.

• We were able to hit Japan with long range bombers…

• But the short range fighters that protected the bombers didn’t have long enough range to protect the bombers as they flew over Japan…

• As a result, Japanese fighter planes were able to attack our bombers pretty much unchecked.

• Iwo Jima had 3 airfields…

• And being able to use this island as a stopover point was essential.

• The Japanese knew of the strategic nature of this island…

• And their plan was to make it too costly in the terms of human lives for the Americans to take

• The Japanese had built 1,500 rooms underground…

• Connected by 16 miles of tunnels!

• The Japanese strategy called for “no Japanese survivors”…they planned not to survive…

• They planned for each Japanese soldier to kill 10 American soldiers.

• The US Airforce pounded Iwo Jima with the longest sustained aerial offensive of WW2.

• But because of the underground rooms and tunnels…

• The bombing had little effect.

• 22,000 Japanese soldiers were underground…

• Prepared to die to protect Japanese soil from being invaded.

• The US sent more Marines to Iwo Jima than to any other battle,

• 110,000 Marines in 880 Ships.

• The convoy of 880 US Ships sailed from Hawaii to Iwo Jima in 40 days.

• After the Navy pounded the Island…

• The marines landed…

• But they were unable to dig foxholes in the loose volcanic ash…

• They were sitting ducks for the hidden Japanese gunners.

• The battle was very unique….

• One hundred thousand men fighting on a tiny island

• for 36 days Iwo Jima was one of the most populated 7.5 miles on earth.

• The marines had to fight for every inch of land…

• Suffering high casualties…

• With the Japanese soldiers fighting from below ground…

• The Americans rarely even saw their enemy.

• Easy Company…the company that raised the flag in this famous photograph had a 75% casualty rate.

• In 36 days of fighting there were 25,851 US casualties (1 in 3 were killed or wounded).

• Of these, 6,825 American boys were killed.

• Virtually all 22,000 Japanese perished.

• More US Marines earned the Medal of Honor on Iwo Jima than in any other battle in US History.

• The Marines’ effort provided a vital link in the U.S.chain of bomber bases.

• By war’s end, 2,400 B-29 bombers carrying 27,000 crewman had made emergency landings on Iwo Jima.

• At the time that Easy Company raised the flag…

• The fighting had gone on for 4 days…