“The British are coming! The British are coming! Prepare for battle!” was the watch cry of the Revolutionary Minutemen. The first citizen-soldiers would immediately drop their routine daily labors, pick up their flint lock rifles, and run to the rally point to fight the invading Redcoats. The stories and adventures of the Minutemen heroism run deep and wide in our patriotic roots.
Since that time, the word Minutemen have been used to define a multitude of differing items that are intended to have a quick reaction time. A few of them include the following:
*Minuteman Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) developed in the 1960s;
*Minutemen punk rock band of the 1980s;
*Walt Disney movie called the Minutemen;
*Minuteman Library Network;
*Minuteman Pizza of Columbus, Ohio; and
*The controversial Minutemen Boarder guards.
Minutemen or Minutewomen are also found also in the Bible. The book of Act is full of them. Men like the disciple Phillip giving the Bible study to the Ethiopian; men and women like Priscilla and Aquila correcting future church leaders like Apollos; Paul in front of the Altar to the Unknown God in Athens; Peter and John at the Gate Beautiful with the blind beggar; and so many more.
There are true minutemen and women today who live by the words of St. Peter: “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” (1 Peter 3:15, NIV 2010)
Our cry should be: “Jesus is coming! Jesus is coming! Prepare to meet our Lord!”
Join the Real Minuteman/woman project today!
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