In the maritime world, flags are a means of communication or an expression of intent. Before the telegraph and more advanced electronic communication, flags were the only means of ship-to-ship communication. Even with modern electronics, flags are an essential part of communicating, albeit more out of etiquette than necessity. The use of flags is a combination of international law and maritime tradition.
Correctly speaking, vessels wear flags, whereas people fly flags on their vessels. Each flag has a specific meaning as well as an appropriate location where it is worn. Ship flags carry a message based on their height, placement, order, size, and color. Reading ship flags is an art that takes skill and practice.
The ensign flag
The most senior flag on any ship is called the ensign (or national ensign flag). This flag represents the country of the ship’s registry, the identity of the ship’s country of origin. It is flown at the highest point and as far to the stern as possible. No flag is worn higher on the halyard (ropes that hoist the flags) than the ensign flag; all other flags are subordinate. The ensign is the ship’s primary identity.
The ensign flag represents the power and protection behind the ship. To attack a ship flying the Stars and Stripes is to attack America. The War of 1812 was started, in part, over Britain’s disregard for our sovereignty when it boarded American ships and commandeered our sailors. When terrorists attacked the USS Cole on the 20th of October, 2000, as it was refueling in Yemen’s Aden harbor, it was considered as much an attack on the sovereign nation of America as the attack on the Twin Towers a year later.
A ship flying the flag of its country is an extension of that country’s sovereignty. It is a small mobile piece of the country it represents. Even the personnel of a ship are considered extensions of that country.
The ensign flag represents a ship’s:
- Home country/country of allegiance
- Shield of protection and source of power
- Primary authority
- Sovereign extension
Ships were identified by a line of sight before there was radar. A crew member perched in the crow’s nest high on the mast would scan the horizon for the presence of other ships. The first visible evidence of a ship was the mast. Upon sighting, the ship’s captain wanted to know how many masts (size of the ship) and whose flag she flew (sovereignty). Upon identifying a ship’s ensign flag, other ships respond based on their relationship to that country. It could be a response of friendship, neutrality, or hostility. During our Revolutionary War, America’s small navy would much rather sight a French ship than an English one.
Besides the ensign flag, there are numerous subordinate flags such as organizational, ceremonial, awards, and informational flags. A dressed ship will display an extensive array of these flags at one time. One of the more critical subordinate flags is a courtesy flag. This flag is usually the national flag of the host country in whose waters a visiting ship is sailing. Ships sailing into the port of a foreign country will hoist their courtesy flag as a way of saying the ship will respect the laws of the host country while in their port. However, a courtesy flag is always flown lower than (subordinate to) the ensign flag. To place one’s ensign flag beneath a courtesy flag was a sign of conquest. A visiting ship enters a foreign port by raising the courtesy flag, not by firing its canons.
When a ship is captured (vs. sunk), it wears the ensign of the conquering country. When we surrender to Christ, we replace our ensign flag of self-authority/ego (under the control of the kingdom of darkness) with the ensign flag of the kingdom of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), signifying that we are now under the sovereignty of another.
Raising a new ensign was the theme of much of the New Testament teaching. Paul taught that one of the mysteries of the new faith in Christ is that now there is a standard flag under which every soul sails. All other flags are subordinate.
Unity under the ensign
Christ came to create a new identity where both Jewish and Gentile identities were subordinate to Christ and his kingdom. Paul taught that other identities such as male, female, slave, and free were all subordinate to Christ’s ensign. Not only did Christ form a discipleship team with various personalities, but he would now form a spiritual fleet with ships of various classes, sizes, shapes, and colors, all sailing in unity under his ensign.
I… implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling … being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit… one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all (Eph. 4:1-6).
All other identities become secondary flags worn beneath his kingdom flag. We could include in that list identity flags of our church, denomination, ethnicity, politics, nationality, and organizational memberships. What gives cohesion, power, and unity to Christ’s kingdom is that all personal flags are worn beneath his ensign.
When we are sighted as we sail our course through life, what flag do others see in the top position on our mast? Could we be wearing, as our ensign, a secondary flag?
Response to our ensign flag
As previously stated, when two ships meet at sea, they will respond to each other based on the relationship between the two ensign flags. It will either be a response of friendship, neutrality, or hostility. When Paul said he was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16), he was saying he wore his ensign flag of Christ regardless of what others thought. He was aware that people would respond in a variety of ways.
Even today our ensign flag of Christ is welcomed by some and opposed by others (2 Corinthians 2:15-16). Either way, we should never lower it to appease others or make the gospel more “acceptable.” Realizing this, New Testament writers encouraged believers to boldly raise their flag and, in fact, expect hostility.
As we sail in foreign waters, let’s keep our personal, secondary flags beneath the ensign of Christ. Many ships, one fleet, many ceremonial flags, one ensign.
For Reflection
1. What are some practical ways to raise our ensign of Christ without confusing it with the secondary flags of our church, denomination, politics, ethnicity, etc.?
2. How should we respond when people react to our ensign of Christ with hostility?
What a great post. Admittedly, I’ve struggled at times with flying secondary flags as the ensign flag. I love, however, the fact that no matter how different our secondary flags are, the ensign flag of Christ unites us all in a way nothing else can.
Loving the sailing imagery and parallels!