Preparation and Distraction (Part 3 of 4 - 'A Journey into Danger' Matthew 2:13)

Just Like a KFC chicken; not every journey has a happy end...

This the third and penultimate post in this Advent series of 'Preparation and Distraction' we're nearly there; the gates of Bethlehem are coming into view...

If anyone here is a fan of great fantasy literature by authors like Raymond E Feist, Michael Moorcock and of course Tolkien or, for that matter TV shows like Star Trek you will understand how thrilling, a story of an epic journey can be. 'A Journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step' or so the old saying goes. All these old stories have that in common...mostly ordinary men, women (and of course Hobbits) taking that first step of faith into adventure, danger and legend.

There was one such couple that I'm sure you've heard about, that went on a memorable journey, a long planned and prepared for journey, a journey that took place; oh, about 2000 years ago!

This ancient journey to Bethlehem is one that truly catches our imagination. as we prepare ourselves for the imminent arrival of Christmas, we remember this journey. It's almost strange that we don't hear more about the journey itself. Any avid readers would expect such an important journey to be filled with misadventure and action...but this comes later; a vengeful King Herod, the slaughter of innocents and ultimately an epic dash to freedom...the Holy, first family and their escape to Egypt.

When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him." - Matthew 2:13

So we have the makings of a great story; a journey, a villain, mortal danger. All we need is a mighty hero riding into battle to save the day...this hero does things differently; this hero will live His life in the shadow of service and sacrifice; His, is a journey to pain and suffering and to glory...This is Christmas, this isn't just some flowery story of shepherds and angelic choirs. This is a story of one greater than all of us, more wonderful, more worthy, better in every conceivable way; living to serve and to sacrifice for the least.

As we continue the relentless march towards Christmas, as our preparations and distractions reach fever pitch in this, the third week of Advent... Remember the journey that the Holy family took, a journey as we said, of service and sacrifice. I urge you to reflect on your own journeys and what God is asking of you and remember that God will be with you; or to put it another way:

'The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.' - Psalm 23:1-4


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'This Army's for Life, not just for Christmas'

Christmas is once again round the corner, parties are being planned, Christmas cakes are being baked, Mariah Carey is coming out of hibernation, and the Salvation Army is hitting the streets...but did they ever leave? That's the question.

Depending on where you are in the world your experience of the Salvation Army will be different; those in America will have spotted the red kettles and bell ringers appearing, in the UK it will be brass bands, Christmas carols and concerts, less public perhaps will be Christmas toy appeals, soup kitchens, lifehouses etc while caroling last week I repeatedly heard the phrase: 'it's not Christmas until you've seen the Salvation Army'.

But is that all we are, a Christmas movement?...I say not a chance; just this week some parts of the UK have seen some of the worst rainfall in many years and towns have been flooded; emergency services have risen to the challenge...but in the background serving their communities and these emergency services, providing support is the Army... Again while caroling I spoke to people who many years ago found themselves in need of help and someone who is currently being helped by the Army and both were linked by a common sense of gratitude.

An imperfect Army
Before I get carried away, I will say that the Army is far from perfect, because unfortunately, it's populated by imperfect human beings like me, who will fall and fail, but by the grace of God we will carry on...sometimes we must seem weird and old fashioned, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

One of the criticisms that the Army faces is it's attitude towards members of the LGBT+ community. So I thought it was important to take a moment to try and address that.

To start with here's the international mission statement of the Salvation Army:

"The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church.

Its message is based on the Bible.
Its ministry is motivated by the love of God.

Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in his name without discrimination."

Source: https://www.salvationarmy.org/ihq/mission

The mission statement is very clear and concise and confirms that we aim to meet social needs without discrimination. What does muddy the waters a little bit, is that lots of people don't realise that the Salvation Army operates almost as 2 distinct organisations...the Church side is very much like any other Church in the way it's organised, it based around protestant theology and attitudes/practices albeit with our own 'branding' and 'style' for want of better words...there has been issues around the acceptance of the LGBT+ community as full members, clergy etc and although we have made strides in inclusion, we're not there yet...of course no one is forbidden or discouraged from attending because of their sexuality...at least not on ideological grounds, I do accept that individual members and ministers may hold and display discriminatory views, but that attitude is not sanctioned by the Salvation Army's mission statement, official practices or theology, we have always been a Church for the 'whosoever'. But again I recognise that discrimination unfortunately does still happen within the Church.

The second side of the Salvation Army is the social services side... sometimes the Church and social services sides are referred to as two wings of the same bird...but, although they complement and support each other, they are quite different. The social services side is responsible for 'lifehouses' (hostels), charity shops, soup kitchens etc. This is the practical side of service, helping the homeless etc... discrimination from this side, again does happen, although not in my experience, but I will accept my experience is limited. Official guidelines are totally against discrimination of any kind, and any such discrimination is totally against policy, and ideology, as an organisation officially, and in the vast majority of instances we do not discriminate when help is required. Again, I recognise that discrimination happens, and I'm appalled, saddened and angry about it, and I'm truly sorry for those that have fallen short of the standards of the Salvation Army and more importantly God's standards. But this is the individual or location that discriminates and needs to be challenged, corrected and if necessary punished at that level, and in that location. Please don't tar all of us as an organisation, with how these misguided individuals behave.

Beyond Christmas

The Army is far more than just a Christmas distraction...as a Christian Church and organisation we aim to take the love of God with us wherever and whenever we go, and this applies to all Christian denominations.

We all seem to come out of the woodwork at this time of year... We have our carol services and other events and try and capitalise on 'Christmas spirit' but the truth is, we should be doing this all year round; it almost seems like we hibernate from January until November... Now I know this isn't true, Christians and Churches around the world are active 24/7, it seems though that this time of year is the only time we have 'permission' to be Christians. Maybe take the time to contact your local Church, or minister. Or visit their websites and I'm sure you'll be surprised just how much the Church as a whole makes a difference to their local communities and the world as a whole...not just at Christmas but 365 days a year.

So please remember that despite mistakes, failures and weaknesses, we stand with the rest of the Church against injustice and hatred in a fallen world. We all, as Christians, carry with us the love and power of God so please keep in mind that: Anglican's, Roman Catholics, Baptists, Methodists and of course Salvationists as well as every other denomination and Christian fellowship which there isn't space to mention; are for life, not just fpor Christmas!

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'Preparation and Distraction' (Part 2 of 4 - 'hands up if you love bubble wrap' Exodus 32:1-4)

'When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, "Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don't know what has happened to him."
Aaron answered them, "Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me."
So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron.
He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt." ' - Exodus 32:1-4

'Hands up if you love bubble wrap!'

Like many people I have a borderline obsession with the amazing invention that is bubble wrap! Very little in life is as satisfying as popping the little bubbles and hearing that reassuring 'pop'. If someone brings me something wrapped in bubble wrap it will have to be something truly spectacular to take precedent over the popping of these bubbles.

Does anybody else get distracted by packaging at the expense of a gift? I think many of us can easily fall into this trap... I worry if sometimes the Church has fallen into this trap. We sometimes can be guilty of putting ceremony and traditions ahead of the Gospel and our soul saving mission. This can be even worse at Christmas with the carol concerts, rehearsals for various events etc not to mention the present wrapping, Christmas card writing and all our other personal preparations; we can be so focused on these trappings that we can lose sight of the greatest gift of all, as the Israelites did when they lost sight of the LORD and instead became distracted by the Golden calf made by Aaron.

No matter how shiny the packaging, the truth of Christ is that all of the extras in Christianity are unnecessary. All that matters is the Love and power of Christ and His care for us and His desire to welcome us into His kingdom. The extras can be great and beautiful and I'm not recommending a return to puritanism, but if these things: the concerts, the stained glass windows, coffee rotas and everything else we surround ourselves with, cause distraction and distance from God they must be removed...that aside though, enjoy them, let them add to our sense of wonder and togetherness...recognise their place but don't risk throwing out the bubble wrap with the bath water!



Look out for part 3 of 'Preparation and Distraction' next Sunday


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Preparation and Distraction (Part 1 of 4): Preparing the Way

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."
This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.' " Matthew 3:1-3

This is the first of a four part series focusing on the season of Advent as we prepare our hearts and homes to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus. This first week is about 'preparing the way' I'm intending to publish the other parts on the remaining 3 Sundays in Advent.

I must admit that I love Christmas, the lights, the movies and of course the food... I love the fact that Jesus' name is everywhere, talked about and sung about it's fantastic that often without even realising it people are glorifying Him.

Of course many who do not believe in Christ seek to remove Him from Christmas, to pervert a wonderful time of year...but what upsets me more is when we as Christians somehow through our own busyness and rush to prepare concerts and Christmas fetes etc manage to remove Christ and replace Him with all the trappings of the season. Sometimes our busyness and stress become the cornerstone of this time of year.

Advent is one of the busiest times of the year...there's presents to buy, decorations to put up food to cook, family to invite... The list is endless; some people start getting ready months in advance others like myself are a lot less organised and rush around at the last minute and usually forget most of what I need to do...what should be a time of celebration and togetherness can become a time of stress and arguments, additionally, for millions, Christmas comes and goes and leaves them no richer, no happier and still mired in sorrow, they see a world celebrating while they are left in the cold either literally through homelessness or figuratively through loneliness. I don't say that to make people feel guilty but to help us recognise that in the midst of our joy, there is still darkness and need in our world.

I love the picture above, and I would love to say that's how I prepare for Christmas...Through prayer and meditation; but often it can be an afterthought, but remember, the things that we do and how we do them can sow seeds in others...Will you sow seeds of joy and hope or will you be just another stressed out shopper on the high street fighting over the latest bargain or 'must have' item? Our mission is still to 'prepare the way for the Lord' we cannot save anyone...It is Christ who does that, but by our actions we can show people what it is like to be with Christ; we can plant the seed and give God room to grow and work in their lives.

So to finish, let me ask how will you prepare yourself and your home for Christ and for Christmas? Will you fight, argue and stress over decorations and food and all this inconsequential stuff? Or will you help 'prepare the way for the Lord' by praying for and ministering to those who need Christ even more at this time of year, will you be a stumbling block or a road sign? Finally remember that our hearts and souls are far more precious and important than our homes so however much time we spend decorating our homes, we should spend far more time preparing them.



Look out for part 2....of 'Preparation and Distraction' next Sunday