10/05/2026
Today we placed 1,200 Israeli flags on our church grounds as part of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews’ Flags of Fellowship. Each flag represents a precious life lost in the October 7, 2023 massacre.
But for us, planting these flags carried an even deeper spiritual significance.
Scripture tells us that as Gentile believers, we have been “grafted in” and now share in the nourishing root (Romans 11:17). Paul immediately reminds us, “do not boast over the branches” (Romans 11:18). And the Gospel came first to the Jew, and then to the Gentile (Romans 1:16).
We are family.
And God's family has faced persecution throughout history. The Jewish people have endured hatred and persecution for generations, and followers of Jesus around the world continue to suffer for their faith today. We should remember that ultimately we have a common enemy. Scripture reminds us that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood” (Ephesians 6:12). Our enemy seeks to divide, deceive, destroy, and turn God's people against one another.
None of this means that any of us are without sin or brokenness. Jew and Gentile alike are fallen and desperately need Jesus. We don't honor people because they are perfect. We love and honor the family of God while remembering that every one of us stands in need of His grace.
At a time when so many voices around the world are rising against Israel and the Jewish people, we wanted these 1,200 flags to say something very simple:
We remember. We stand with you. We are family. And we have not forgotten that we have been grafted into a family God began long before us.
There was something deeply moving about seeing those flags covering our grounds. We believe God was with us as we remembered those who were lost and honored the family into which, by His grace, we have been grafted.
