Journey through Advent 2

Our second journey this Advent is to think of the journey of the shepherds.

They were quietly watching their sheep in the fields when something dramatic happened - the skies were filled with angels singing and praising God. They were told to go to Bethlehem and see a baby.

We read in Luke's gospel

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

It was hard work being a shepherd, you  were out in the fields all day protecting your sheep against any danger. Shepherds were not very important people, they had no influence in the society of the time. Can you imagine how they felt when angels appeared to them and told them this news. They put aside their fear, they trusted in what the angels told them and they went to Bethlehem to see this amazing and wonderful thing, to see this amazing and wonderful child, born not in a palace but lying in a manger.

This advent let us remember those who live on the outskirts of our society, those who have no influence, let us remember that the child was born in the manger for them.

The Salvation Army has teamed up with Shakin Stevens towards the re-release of his classic hit Merry Christmas Everyone. Shaky has re-recorded the hit and renamed it as Echoes of Merry Christmas Everyone, with the proceeds of sales for this year going to The Salvation Army.

Journey through Advent 1

This Advent as we journey towards Christmas I thought we could think a little on the various journeys that were made at the first Christmas.

The first journey to pause and think about is the journey that Mary and Joseph made. They journeyed first to Bethlehem to be registered there because of the decree that Caesar Augustus issued. We read in Luke’s gospel:

“And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be registered with Mary, his betrothed,^[b] who was with child. ⁶ And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. ⁷ And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”

This would not have been an easy journey, the road would have crowded with other people also going to Bethlehem, it would have been hot, dusty and Mary would have been tired and soon to give birth. They would not have had many possessions with them. Then when they arrived at Bethlehem they could not find a room to stay in.

Their next journey was a frightening one, we read in Matthew’s gospel

“Now when they (the wise men) had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” ¹⁴ And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt ¹⁵ and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

Again not an easy journey to make, with a young baby this time. They fled not knowing what awaited them, they fled with little possessions. They made a journey from danger to safety, trusting in the Lord.

As we think about the preparations we are starting to make for Christmas let us also think about those today who are making journeys to safety.  Let us remember those refugees who are fleeing for their lives, from places torn apart with war and destruction, refugees who are hoping for a safer life. They are fleeing with little or no possessions to a place they do not know, let us remember to pray for them this Advent season.

 

Celebration at Glasgow City Centre Corps

Last weekend it was celebration time at Glasgow City Centre Corps with the opening of its new community church. The oldest and youngest members of the corps cut the ribbon at a day of thanksgiving for the whole community in Anderston.

When the Salvation Army first expanded from England into Scotland the first corps was in Anderston in 1879. Now the corps enter a new chapter with the opening of their new building.  The building on Houldsworth Street features a modern glass front, generous grounds for a community garden and facilities for local residents which include a cafe, a larger open plan hall and a prayer space.

Captain Matt Butler says "We are now in a great position to continue to deliver our Sunday worship and our popular God's Groovy Gang children's ministry. We are also excited to be exploring the opportunities to start new programme and activities and we have a fantastic cafe space that we are looking forward to opening in the New Year.  It's been an incredible journey to get to where we are with this new building. Our thanks and blessings go to all those who worked tirelessly to bring us such an incredible space."

Majors Russell and Catherine Wyles, Divisional Leaders joined with the corps for the celebrations. Major Russell Wyles says "we recognised the needs of the community in Anderston. This new centre will give us an exciting opportunity to demonstrate our belief of changing people's lives within communities and enhance the already strong ties we have with local residents."

How are we doing?

The Salvation Army in the UK is currently emphasising TIDE – Transformation, Integration, Discipleship and Effectiveness. On the matter of effectiveness, it was the management guru Peter Drucker who said some years ago: ‘The Salvation Army is the most effective organisation in America. No-one even comes close to it in respect to clarity of mission, ability to innovate, measurable results, dedication and putting money to maximum use’.

Looking at each of these points, can we ask ourselves ‘how are we doing?’

• Clarity of mission. Jesus was very clear about his purpose. His opening words in Mark 1:15 were ‘The time has come. The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news’. He was announcing the good news of the kingdom – not just in words, but in deeds as the rest of the chapter shows. Our mission is also to bring the kingdom near in word and deed. Every corps and centre should be clear about this, should encapsulate it in a mission statement, and ensure that every activity is aimed at achieving it.
• Ability to innovate. The opening shots of the American War of Independence were fired at the battle of Concord in 1775. The British troops insisted on marching down the road in formation, while the American militia men hid among the trees and took pot-shots at them. The British lost the battle because they failed to adapt to the terrain. Our social and cultural terrain is constantly changing and so we need to innovate to remain relevant and effective.
• Measurable results. Acts records that 3,000 were saved on the Day of Pentecost and the Lord ‘added to their number daily’. Every few chapters we read that the word of God spread and the church grew. These were measurable results. That’s not to say that everything good can be measured. Much valuable ministry cannot be estimated in terms of numbers or tangible outcomes. But effective ministry and mission will have some measurable results, whether it’s in terms of attendances, membership or numbers of people helped. 
• Dedication. Back in the 1980s Roy Castle presented Record Breakers. At the end of every show he would sing the theme song: ‘If you want to be the best, if you want to beat the rest, dedication’s what you need’. Yes, it is what we need even if we aren’t planning on breaking any records. Dedication sometimes goes unrecognised and unrewarded, but it is vital for our effectiveness. 
• Putting money to maximum use. Whether we’re entrusted with money given by our own members, by the public or by government agencies, we have a responsibility to be good stewards. Careful planning, budgeting, accounting and spending are all part of this. Money is a kingdom resource – let’s use it wisely and well for the kingdom’s sake.     

So, how are we doing?

Lieut-Colonel Jonathan Roberts

All Scotland Discipleship Weekend

Over 100 people from all over Scotland gathered at the Macdonald Aviemore Hotel the first weekend in October for the All Scotland Discipleship Weekend. It was a time of praise, worship, teaching, and challenge on how to live your whole life for Christ.

The teaching throughout the weekend was based on the Whole Life Discipleship material from the London Institute of Contemporary Christianity (LICC). Neil Hudson led seminars on Introduction to Whole Life Discipleship and Going and Growing as Disciples; Ruth Walker led a seminar on God in the Workplace; Rev Gordon Kennedy led a seminar on The Whole of Life for Christ and Lieut-Colonel Robert McIntyre led a seminar on Prayer and Whole Life Discipleship.

The seminars were well attended and provided lots of interesting and thought provoking ideas and discussion.

Whole Life Discipleship is about living every minute of your life for Christ, being a 24/7 Christian and not just a one hour on a Sunday Christian. Have you ever thought about where you spend most of your time in the week and have you thought about living for Christ in this time, your work time, your family time, your leisure time.

It is good to meet together on a Sunday and be the ‘Gathered Church’ but think how effective we can be as the ‘Scattered Church’ every day in our work place or our leisure time and in our families. We need to learn to live effectively as Christians in these places.

The concept of one degree shifts was talked about a lot – the idea that a small change can, over time, bring about a significant change in direction. We were challenged as to what one degree shift we can make in our lives to influence others for Christ. Can we pray for our colleagues at work, for our boss, do our lives demonstrate our belonging to Christ. Do we smile and talk to the check out girl in the local supermarket, to the bus driver.

There was also a separate childrens and youth programme and the young people shared with everyone what they had learned over their time together.

For me this slide sums up the weekend:

Street Drama

This week we have been involved in a series of street dramas to raise awareness of human trafficking.

The joint initiative, organised by The Salvation Army’s Scotland Office and the Scottish Churches Anti-Human Trafficking Group, took place during the Edinburgh Festival's Just Festival – and sees market stalls in different locations around the city selling ‘people’ as commodities – based on real life stories of human trafficking victims.

Lieutenant-Colonel Jonathan Roberts, The Salvation Army’s Assistant to the Secretary for Scotland, said: "Human trafficking is taking place all around us; in our local communities and perhaps around the corner from where we live. We want people to know they can play a role in stamping it out.

"The Salvation Army has a long history of supporting victims of human trafficking and pressing for their legal protection. In England and Wales we have provided support services to more than 2000 adult victims of human trafficking in the past four years.”

The street drama is the idea of Keith Turton, The Salvation Army’s drama co-ordinator. Keith said: "We think of slavery as people being chained up and in ropes. That may have been the case hundreds of years ago but nowadays it’s much less obvious to the casual observer.

"And so the idea is to have a market stall where we will pretend to sell human beings. We will have a rail of clothing that depicts the work that people do. You can dress these people up to show how they are seen as just commodities.

“It’s a dramatic way of highlighting the issue of trafficking and it’s a way of saying: ‘people shouldn’t be bought or sold.’”

Hazel Watson, Convener of the Scottish Churches Anti-Human Trafficking Group, added: “All human beings have intrinsic value and have the right to live with dignity in freedom. This drama, shocking as it is itself, is a way of highlighting the reality of human trafficking that is far more shocking. We can all play our part in efforts to combat this horrendous crime.”

The Salvation Army, along with the Scottish Churches Anti-Human Trafficking Group, has contributed to the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Bill, which is currently going through the Scottish Parliament. The Bill will create a specific offence of human trafficking for the first time as well as increase the maximum penalty for offenders to life imprisonment.

Lt-Col Roberts added: “The Salvation Army welcomes this new legislation being introduced by the Scottish Government because it aims to keep victims central, both by tackling offenders and supporting victims.”

The Scottish Churches Anti-Human Trafficking Group will also be using the UN Gift Box initiative to raise awareness of human trafficking. The initiative is created by Stop The Traffik and the United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Trafficking (UN GIFT). Two large, walk-in boxes have been created to symbolise trafficking and will be dotted around Edinburgh to provide information and first-hand accounts and pictures from victims inside. Each box highlights a specific aspect of human trafficking – be it forced labour or sexual exploitation.

Seeking Justice where you are

Two new publications by Salvationist authors highlight the importance of seeking justice in local situations through community organising.

Marching Towards Justice: Community Organising and The Salvation Army

This is a good introduction to community organising by Majors Kerry & Nick Coke and Lieutenants John & Naomi Clifton. It is based on their own experiences in Stepney and Ilford. It is a 48-page booklet divided into three sections:

1. History. Examples of TSA's justice-seeking activities in the past.
2. Methodology. An outline of the four steps for community organising: visitation, power analysis, training & development, and public action.
3. Stories. Examples of community organising by TSA in Ilford, Stepney and Camberwell.

The document can be downloaded free here: http://www.theology-centre.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Marching-Final.pdf
There is also a blog associated with it: http://matchfactory.org/

Just Mission: Practical Politics for Local Churches

This is written by Dr Helen Cameron, Head of Public Affairs at THQ. It goes deeper and wider than Marching Towards Justice and is a helpful handbook for anyone wishing to address social justice issues in their community. It emphasises that justice-seeking goes alongside evangelism and social action in the mission of God. It outlines eight steps in the process of justice-seeking and includes helpful case studies.

1. What is the burning issue?
2. Building the team
3. Building the case for change
4. Engaging with the Christian tradition
5. Identifying who you need to speak to and what you will ask
6. Making contact
7. Amplifying your voice
8. Evaluating your impact

It is not free - it costs £19.99 - but is a good investment! http://www.scmpress.co.uk/books/9780334052296/just-mission