What if the photo at Iwo Jima was staged?

When you gather pictures for the church directory or write up a bulletin article asking people to participate in the soup kitchen meal prep you are in many ways mediating your ministry. Like the media does.

You are portraying something that is or something that you hope is or something that you want to become. Like the media.

What if I told you the photo of the flag raising at Iwo Jima was staged?

When I first heard that, I was incensed.  The photo represents to me a turning point of the war. A moment when good overcame evil.

I'm really not sure if the photo was staged or not.

I have learned some a few things about the flag raising at Iwo Jima.

The photo was taken before the battle: not after. Many of the men pictured in it were killed in the battle.

There were several photos taken of the flag and at least one was staged or posed.

There were two raising of the flags.  The photo of the first one wasn't very inspirational to look at.

And none of it really matters in terms of what the photo means to me as an American.

It's about good overcoming evil.

Some of the pictures in your directory or the stories of you ministry may or not be staged.

Some of the stories I read in the Bible may or not be historically accurate.

And none of it really matters in terms of what those pictures or stories mean to me as a person of faith.

It's about love overcoming fear.

The way in which we are made by as we participate in the sharing of our faith touches in some way every thing we do. Our context, our history, our scriptures, and our experiences.  Do they lead us closer to God and to each other?  How we embrace that and each other is what really matters.