It's Christmas Time Again
I must start all of my blogs by saying, I am sort of working through things. With that said, I need to relate a couple of experiences.
Kettles and The Salvation Army put me in a quandary. I know the need. I wonder though about what they turn us into. The other night as I was helping to count money someone found they had a $100 bill in their kettle and it prompted the humorous $100 dollar dance from one of my co-workers. Obviously, there was joy and we should rejoice when God provides. My concern came as the people who collected the money stood around to see if they "beat the competition."
I know they were collecting because they believe in the cause. I do too. It appeared though that the joy of raising money, replaced the joy of serving, the real reason we raise the money. I was happy that the amount was raised. Many people will be helped through the dollars raised. I respect kettlers for their hard work in bitter conditions. I have even done the dance of joy on a good night.
Secondly, I helped for about 7 hours or so in setting up a toy shop in a small town corps. My wife and I worked from about 9pm to midnight on one night then from about 8am to noon the next day (or later that day). In that 15 hour period, I was overcome by the generosity of people. Gifts and checks poured into the small building. The corps officers were grateful and knew everyone, both donor and people being served. They have had some longevity in this corps. All were treated with grace. Many were embraced and kissed. "God bless yous" and prayers with hurting people abounded during that time, by faithful servants. There was ministry going on.
So here is my dilemma for today. Why just at Christmas do we generate this excitement about funding and service? I know the organization is busy in ministry and fund-raising year round. The cause is worthy. We do much good in the name of Jesus all year long. Does the joy of collecting often replace the joy of service? Is our Christmas service done more because now it is tradition and a good way to be noticed for our good works or more because it is ministry? Is there really a simple answer? Why does Christmas often become a joyless task for so many involved in SA ministry?
The cause is worthy. I know the history. I am wondering about today. It's Christmas time again. I wonder if we have really taken a good look at the why's of service recently. This is coming from a veteran of nearly 50 SA Christmas efforts. Maybe it comes down to personal motivation. What do you think?
Merry Christmas
Kettles and The Salvation Army put me in a quandary. I know the need. I wonder though about what they turn us into. The other night as I was helping to count money someone found they had a $100 bill in their kettle and it prompted the humorous $100 dollar dance from one of my co-workers. Obviously, there was joy and we should rejoice when God provides. My concern came as the people who collected the money stood around to see if they "beat the competition."
I know they were collecting because they believe in the cause. I do too. It appeared though that the joy of raising money, replaced the joy of serving, the real reason we raise the money. I was happy that the amount was raised. Many people will be helped through the dollars raised. I respect kettlers for their hard work in bitter conditions. I have even done the dance of joy on a good night.
Secondly, I helped for about 7 hours or so in setting up a toy shop in a small town corps. My wife and I worked from about 9pm to midnight on one night then from about 8am to noon the next day (or later that day). In that 15 hour period, I was overcome by the generosity of people. Gifts and checks poured into the small building. The corps officers were grateful and knew everyone, both donor and people being served. They have had some longevity in this corps. All were treated with grace. Many were embraced and kissed. "God bless yous" and prayers with hurting people abounded during that time, by faithful servants. There was ministry going on.
So here is my dilemma for today. Why just at Christmas do we generate this excitement about funding and service? I know the organization is busy in ministry and fund-raising year round. The cause is worthy. We do much good in the name of Jesus all year long. Does the joy of collecting often replace the joy of service? Is our Christmas service done more because now it is tradition and a good way to be noticed for our good works or more because it is ministry? Is there really a simple answer? Why does Christmas often become a joyless task for so many involved in SA ministry?
The cause is worthy. I know the history. I am wondering about today. It's Christmas time again. I wonder if we have really taken a good look at the why's of service recently. This is coming from a veteran of nearly 50 SA Christmas efforts. Maybe it comes down to personal motivation. What do you think?
Merry Christmas
posted by Larry at 10:06 AM
7 Comments:
There are a lot of questions that deserve discussion in there, Cappy. To respond to Dave, yours is not the story of every officers kid - you may just happen to be the child of a couple of Marthas! My experience was very different.
As you hit on briefly, Larry, I don't think there are simple answers to these questions. So much is based, I think, less on the "organization" and more on the individual. Simply, almost everything we do as officers/Salvationists comes down to what motivates us. Are there some who are caught up in the numbers, the competition, the "joy of collecting," for better or worse? Most certainly. My sense is that there are many more whose motives are purer. And in those cases, the $100 dance is okay because of what the $100 can mean in the long run.
It's not fair to knock a "tradition" that works - and it still does, so far - just because some people get it wrong.
BD,
No one knocking the tradition. Just trying to think it through a bit more.
Welcome, you blogger, you!
As far as the question goes today...Bah Humbug.
The phrase, "if you can't beat them join them!" comes to my mind. However, in recent I have been heard to say, "if you wanna beat them, join them!" The ship is controlled more effectively by the people on board the ship than by the wind blowing it; they can choose to go against the wind - however difficult, they can do it when they set their minds to it.
It's on an individual basis though; a choice the individual makes. We need all sorts - keep us all balanced, some people to challenge us, some people to ground us, some people to teach us, some people to make us think! (thanks Larry!)
It's the grace thing, the humility thing, the Jesus thing knowing that it is not about the one thing - not just about fundraising, not just about social services, not just about saving, teaching, providing - the balance of all.
We Salvationists work really well in the extremes - I should know - an all of nothing type myself!
Well I'm off to England in an hour or so..don't forget to update so I can comment when I get access to a computer..I don't know what I'm going to do without my wireless internet! ahhh
Well Larry welcome. I may have been one of those waiting around to see the "count". I often wonder if we are the ones in the temple selling. It always runs through my mind around this time. Especially yesterday when I was at my home corps counting money on Christmas Day no less. God is awesome and gives us a mind to question such things. Thanks for bringing this up.
Yeah, I'm with ya, Larry! Like Martha, we can be distracted by so many things, and the "things" that need revisited are motive, purpose, and "what happens to most salvos when the ringing is over?"
I had a wonderful time of meditation today, looking through the bare wintry forest, listening to Phil Laeger's "All I Held Onto." The sounds and the scene spoke the question, "What is making my soul so threadbare and barren this season, over all others?"
The best thing we can do for season, the people we serve, and the "organization" is to be whole people, and that wholeness requires that we ask the hard questions!
Someone said, "Doing is a joyful response to being." When it fails to be joyful, we are in trouble. When we fail to remember the real reason for the season, we too are in trouble.
Happy Christmas (it's not over..over...over!)
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