Luke 2:1-20: Sheep, Shelter Staff See Saviour

 Presented to The Salvation Army Alberni Valley Ministries on Christmas Day, 25 December 2023 and 2024, by Major Michael Ramsay. This is the 2024 version.

To view the 2023 version click here: https://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2023/12/luke-21-20-light-shone-all-around.html

 

Luke 2:1-8: In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ² (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³ And everyone went to their own town to register.

⁴ So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵ He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

⁸ 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.

Last night, like every night, our shelter staff were working at the Bread of Life. We are open all day everyday and all night every night. Our staff all has to take their turn working over the holidays. They had a choice: they could work last night or New Year’s Eve. The people need taking care of every night of the year so we need to have our shelter workers working every night of the year!

 

This is like the shepherds in our text today: they need to be working every night as well. Just like we can’t leave people without supervision they can’t leave sheep without supervision. The shepherds in our story today are working the night shift. They have the job of protecting the lives of the sheep under their care from predators just like our staff have the responsibility to protect the lives of the homeless under their care from predators. Without our shelter, many of our friends would not have a safe warm place to sleep. The shepherds were providing a safe place for their sheep.

 

The text says that an angel appeared and stood before them. The word angel just means ‘messenger’ but the appearance of this messenger certainly means much more. It says the “Glory of the Lord” shone all around him and the shepherds were terrified. Now, I don’t know what the “Glory of the Lord” looks like, but if someone or something suddenly appeared before me in the middle of the night (or anytime) with something shining about him, I would probably be a little terrified.

 

I can only imagine how our staff would react – if it is after 1am the doors are locked, our friends all tucked into their beds – there are rows and rows of bunkbeds in our shelter. I picture it as if everyone has just gotten to sleep, it is quiet; it is dark; our workers are settling down at the desk and then all of a sudden someone shows up in the room or at the window, shining or with something shining all around them. I imagine our staff would be quite startled!

 

Luke 2:10-12:10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see--I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 2:11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 2:12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger."

 

The shepherds would look up startled for sure! They would wonder if they should fear for their safety. They would wonder if they should fear for the safety of their sheep. They would wonder if they should call the cops! (I always tell them to cops when they need to, to keep their people safe!)

 

Luke 2:13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, 2:14 "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom He favours!"

 

 Can you imagine? I am trying to picture it. If it was today, would all these angels -or whatever the heavenly host is- appear right in the shelter? Or would they light up the night sky like the auroras borealis? I imagine maybe mt staff see the first angel and then poke their head out the door and see all these beings, these creatures, these lights in the air.

 

What if you were working the night shift at your work and all these people, angels, host show up and are praising God all around you or up in the sky proclaiming peace for all who are with God: all who find favour with Him. Put yourself then in the place of the shepherds in Luke’s story. I imagine that your heart would be beating pretty quickly. I imagine that you would be glad someone was there to see the vision with you – so that you know that it was really happening, that you hadn’t fallen asleep, that someone hadn’t slipped you something. This it is not an hallucination. I imagine that, at this point, not only are you and your co-workers wide awake but all those sheep under your care are too.

 

It must have been a racket for the shepherds. I can only imagine the skittish sheep singing, baa..ing along with the choir of angels. Like dogs howling or like people singing badly along to the radio in their car! There must have been so much activity; There must have been so much going through their heads as they are so trying to figure out what they have just seen!

 

2:15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." 2:16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 2:17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 2:18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them.

 

If it was the staff at the shelter, I can see them standing outside with the people who are staying the night – I think there was maybe 15 of them last night - listening to the angel, mesmerized by the heavenly host, and then walking down the street to see ‘this thing which has taken place’. I don’t think they would need to go far – maybe just the distance to MVB, Boomerangs or something like that. They would walk that distance together and I imagine all the sleepers and supervisors making as much noise as the shepherds and sheep. Can you imagine the excitement? The shepherds must be just buzzing retelling each other what they had just seen and joking about one another’s reaction – and then I imagine, as they get close to where the child is, they would all of a sudden become very sober in thought and deed. I imagine they would come into the place very humbly. And as they find the child and his parents, the shepherds themselves would become angels in the sense that they are messengers; they tell them and everyone else what the angels, the heavenly host, has told them.

 

Luke 2:20: “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”

 

I am sure the shepherds must have told everyone they knew and, like pet owners talk to their pets, I am sure they even told the sheep who very probably took the trip to the manger with them in the middle of the night.

 

Can you imagine what it would be like for the shepherds? Every time they hear of another miracle he performs or a controversy he is in the middle of, they would tell their story about how they saw him when he was a baby and everything that happened that night. I imagine a lot of people probably became interested in Jesus or more interested in Jesus because of the testimony of these shepherds. I imagine that when they heard the news years later of his death and resurrection, if any of them were still alive, they would say, ‘huh… I guess that all makes sense now.’

 

We do know from the rest of the story that this baby is going to be killed and raised from the dead 30 or so years later. And we know that after he was raised from the dead he went away and that he is coming back and we know that when he comes back, all upon who his favour rests will be at peace. He is the Prince of Peace.

 

So then, on this Xmas Day 2000 years closer to the return of the Prince of Peace, I encourage you to be peaceful. Forgive those who harm you. Disarm your attackers with kindness. Turn the other cheek when people strike you rather than striking them back.

 

This world can be a very non-peaceful place. There are many wars right now – and now some of the countries we are attacking actually have the ability to strike back. There is much violence in this world and in this country, this province, and this town. Friends of our overdose and die violent deaths all too frequently. People were stabbed the other day. Maybe someone was beaten with a pipe. A kettle volunteer here was beaten and probably killed, not on shift, and unrelated to ringing the bells. Randy Brown, infamous in this town, may be dead or dying in Victoria from a brutal attack as I speak. There is much violence among our friends who we dine with everyday at the soup kitchen, who stay with us at our shelter, who we walk with everyday. There is so much! There is too much!

 

When God sent His Only Begotten Son so that whosoever may have eternal life, it was a violent world that the Prince of Peace was born into 2000 years ago. And he brought his message of peace to people working the night shift. The angel said, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.”

 

My hope today is for Peace - that when the world and our world and our lives and the lives of our friends, families, and co-workers are filled with strife – which they will be - that we will let the Glory of God’s peace shine through us. Even in the midst of all our struggles, may people see the Glory of God’s peace all around us. May we, like shepherds with their sheep point them to the Glory of God’s peace that (surpasses all understanding and) can get us all through all of life’s troubles. Today, as we celebrate the birth of Christ and the certainly of eternal life, May God’s Peace be with you.

 

Let us pray.

www.sheepspeak.com

 

Luke 1:39-56: Rejoice, Smoke Will Clear.

Presented TSA AV Ministries, 22 December 2024 Based on the Swift Current Corps, 21 Dec. 2014, which in turn was based on the 20 Dec. 2009 sermon by Captain Michael Ramsay.

  

21 Dec. 2014 homily available here: https://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2014/12/luke-146-56-christmas-is-coming-2014.html

 

20 Dec. 2009 homily available here:  http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2009/12/luke-146-56-christmas-is-coming.html

 

 

Josie Osbourne, our MLA has just been appointed Minister of Heath. She helped out on the food truck and rang the kettle bells this week. She is a big supporter of the vulnerable through us here.

 

Wayne Cormier, a friend of mine, told me a story a few years ago about when he used to work for the Saskatchewan government. One time he found himself driving a cabinet minister around while his assistant was sitting in the back recording everything the minister said as per protocol back then in that situation. They were driving around sizing up the damage from forest fires that were raging in Saskatchewan. When, all of a sudden, their vision became impaired. It became more and more impaired. Wayne was chauffeur and he could barely see anything in front of him– it was smoke from the fire. The fire was so close you could almost feel it. The cabinet minister asked Wayne, ‘what do we do now’?

Wayne said, ‘Pray’. Wayne is a Christian and he has been for a long time. ‘Pray’, he says, ‘we can’t see anything, but we can’t stop driving or its game over; we can’t do anything else but drive and pray - so pray!’

The assistant with the tape recorder in the back begins to pray quite a bit when Wayne hears the cabinet minister start to pray. He prays, ‘God if you save us, I will go to church on Sunday.’ They sit tensely as Wayne drives slowly through the fire. They wait and they pray as they await their salvation from the fire.

When they get out of the fire and they start to relax a bit and get ready for their next tour, Wayne approaches the cabinet minister, and he asks him, ‘So you’re going to church on Sunday?”

“Oh, you heard that, did you?”

“Yes, and so will everyone; your assistant has it on tape”

“Oh, well maybe I should go to church then…”

 

Now Wayne doesn’t know whether he did go to church or not but while he was waiting for his salvation, in that moment he approached God, he encountered God, and we can only hope that once that waiting was over, he continued to wait on God.

 

This is the Advent season, and waiting is what Advent is all about. We are waiting for Christmas to come. Advent is when we remember the first coming of Christ as we are awaiting His second coming.

 

Who here like to wait? One of the keys to waiting is faith. Faith is a key element of Advent; so what is faith? There is the classic definition of faith, of course, from Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

 

Martin Luther says: “Faith is God's work in us, that changes us and gives new birth from God (John 1:13) … It changes our hearts, our spirits, our thoughts and all our powers. It brings the Holy Spirit with it. Yes, it is a living, creative, active and powerful thing, this faith. Faith cannot help doing good works constantly.”

 

The Greek word translated as ‘faith’ or ‘believe’ is pistis (noun) and this comes from pistevo (verb)[1] meaning ‘to have faith in, extend credit to; to commit, to adhere to, to trust in, to rely on.’

 

Faith isn’t just a vague belief in something. Faith is an action word. Faith and faithfulness are intertwined.[2] One cannot say they love God and not love their neighbour (Mt 25:31-46; Lk 10:27, 18:18-29). If you have faith in Christ, you will be faithful and even when we are unfaithful, Christ’s faithfulness makes our faith(fullness) possible (Ro 3:3,4). It is the faithfulness of Christ that leads to salvation. Faith is an action and the action of faith during Advent is waiting. Christmas is coming.

 

In our story today something very interesting is happening: Mary, an unwed teenager, finds out that she is pregnant and goes to her aunt’s or an older relations’ home; she goes to Elisabeth’s house (vv. 46-49):

And Mary said: My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— Holy is His name.

 

Mary speaks about how good the Lord has been to her. She talks about how greatly she has been blessed by the Lord. She speaks about how He has been mindful of someone such as her. Mary here is praising God.

 

Mary, the mother-to-be of Jesus, is a teenager in the occupied territory in Palestine. Mary isn’t married when she finds out she is going to be with child. Mary’s partner, her husband-to-be, had never been with her in that way.[3] Can you imagine? If you were her or her husband-to-be or if you were her parents, what would you think? … your teenage daughter comes home and tells you she is about to have a baby? In those days she could’ve received the death penalty for that.[5] Mary is vulnerable.

 

Mary, a few months from now in the timeline, right when she is ready to have this baby, Mary and Joseph load up a pack animal and walk all the way from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem in Judea to enrol in a census so they can pay their taxes. They walk or ride on the back of this animal for that whole distance while Mary is very, very pregnant (Lk 2:1-7). I don’t know how many women here when they were nine months pregnant would like to go from here to Victoria or Cobble Hill (about the same distance) - either by foot or on the back of a donkey.

 

Mary is a humble girl and  Mary, Luke 1:46-49, says, ‘My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for He has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— Holy is His name.’” Mary - in this state - finds herself blessed.

 

I know that there are people who are going through some really difficult times. There are so many struggles and tragedies, but Christmas is still coming. I think of those close to my own heart and family in very difficult circumstances. Mary is in her circumstance with all that is involved, and Mary is praising God.

 

Today is the fourth Sunday of Advent and Advent is a time of waiting for Christmas. As the metaphorical smoke from fires of troubles, depression, oppression, adversity, sin, circumstance, and more surround us so much so that we cannot see anything through the life around us, Christmas is still coming. The lead up to Christmas is often a very stressful time. Do we, when our life seems challenging, almost overwhelming, do we –like Mary – praise the Lord, considering ourselves blessed?

 

Mary continues her greeting to Elisabeth praising God. She says of God, Luke 1: 50-55:

His mercy extends to those who fear him,
      from generation to generation.
 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
      he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
      but has lifted up the humble.
 He has filled the hungry with good things
      but has sent the rich away empty.
 He has helped his servant Israel,
      remembering to be merciful
 to Abraham and his descendants forever,
      even as he said to our fathers."

 

Mary, in the midst of all that she is in the midst of, Mary speaks about God’s mercy to all who fear Him (Luke 1:50); she remembers that He performs mighty deeds (Luke 1:51). She praises God for His covenant to bless all the nations (Lk 1:55, Gen 12:3). Mary praises God, who faithfully fulfils His covenant with Abraham and his descendants even though they – even though we – were faithless over and over again (Ro 3:3,4). Mary’s life is not easy. And Christmas is coming. Her son will be born a long way from home and placed in a feeding trough. Her son will grow up and eventually suffer a state execution at the hands of her country’s occupiers at the urging or her own religious leaders – Christmas is coming.

 

Mary is singing her song of praise to God in this circumstance. There is another interesting part of Mary’s song of praise here that refers to the time when Jesus will return. We have spoken about Christmas and waiting for the birth of Jesus; we are also waiting for Jesus to come back. Mary says that at that time – when he returns - the rulers of this age will be brought down (Luke 1:52). There will be no more corrupt politicians. There will be no more scandals; there will be no more wars – and accompanying hypocrisy, like leaders saying we will abide by the International Criminal Court ruling against genocide all the while, allegedly, clandestinely, providing those accused of genocide with the weapons to commit genocide. There will be no more handing people over to be tortured - like we did for the Americans at Guantanamo and elsewhere. There will no longer be leaders who hate the poor or Presidents who bomb foreign countries, killing children and others at will. The rulers of our age – it says in verse 52 – the rulers of our age will be brought down from their thrones. Wicked Presidents, Prime Ministers, Chancellors, leaders will be replaced by the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and the Prince of Peace whose government will never stop ruling and being peaceful (Is 9:6-7).

 

We will no longer be subservient to brutal economic systems in which one man get rich as over 25 000 children die every day even though the Lord has provided more than enough resources for the whole world to be fed and clothed and otherwise taken care of many, many, many times over.[6] These systems of oppression will end.

 

Mary and the Bible say the rulers of this world will be brought low. We will no longer see a situation where people become millionaires for appearing on a screen or playing sports while others cannot afford to clothe themselves. In our world today rich people fly to space for recreation while poor people die from wars, homelessness and poverty. In the United States, pornography revenue is more than all money made from professional football, baseball and basketball combined. Child pornography alone generates billions of dollars annually:[7] all this while people cannot access clean and healthy drinking water (even here!) and thousands upon thousands of people are dying daily of malnutrition – or from us bombing them. The systems and rulers who oversee all of this will be brought down. This will come to an end.

 

The greatest in this world shall become the least and the least shall become the greatest. Jesus is the great equalizer. When he comes back those in power and luxury (which may be many of us here) will experience His justice and those who are hungry and humbled now will be lifted up and be fed.

 

Advent is about waiting, and this is what we are waiting for, and this is what we are praying for as we drive through the metaphorical smoke from the fires of our earthly leaders and their world and all of the trials and tribulations that accompany it. And as we are waiting, as we act in faith, doing our part like the sheep in Matthew’s parable of the sheep and the goats by giving the hungry something to eat, giving the thirsty something to drink, inviting in the stranger, clothing the naked, looking after the sick and visiting those in prison (Mt 25:31-40); we look forward to the day when Christ returns and all of the injustice is finally set right. Jesus’ Advent 2000 years ago was a foretaste of the justice and mercy that lies ahead when he returns. And as we show mercy to our neighbours, we show that we belong to His world that is to come rather than to this present evil age – and this is important because as sure as Christmas is coming, Christ is coming back – so as bad as things may seem as we are driving through the smoke of the fires of our troubles that make it so dark that maybe we cannot even see, we must remember that just as Jesus was dwelling in Mary’s womb and they were eagerly waiting for him to come; so too now the Holy Spirit is dwelling in us as we are eagerly waiting for Jesus to come again; the world is in its ninth month, the smoke is clearing, Jesus is coming and Jesus is coming soon and when He does, everything will be alright. I promise. Christmas is coming.

 

Let us pray.

 

www.sheepspeak.com

 

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[1] Cf. Strong's Greek Dictionary

[2] Cf. NT Wright and James Dunn. An Evening Conversation on Paul with James D.G. Dunn and N.T. Wright Available online at: http://www.thepaulpage.com/an-evening-conversation-on-paul-with-james-d-g-dunn-and-n-t-wright/

[3] Cf. Culpepper, 51. Lenski, 69, Ellis, 75.

[4] Now betrothal is not quite like engagements of today. In those days a man and his wife were committed to each other at the engagement ceremony. They did have a public ceremony with witnesses and the more. They did each gain a marital status, complete with rights and responsibilities and if Joseph had died after their engagement ceremony but prior to their marriage ceremony, Mary would still be considered a widow with all the responsibilities and rights (or lack thereof) of a widow. The betrothal was very different then anything we have today and even though Mary would be Joseph’s legal wife, after this engagement ceremony rather than going off to live with one’s husband, the wife usually returned to her father’s household for a period of up to a year. Cf. E. Earle Ellis, 71 and R. Alan Culpepper, 51. See also Captain Michael Ramsay, Luke 1:26-37: Do You Believe? Presented to the Nipawin Corps 14 December 2008. Available on-line at http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2008/12/luke-126-37-do-you-believe.html

[5] Cf. Captain Michael Ramsay, Matthew 1:18-25: Do you believe? Presented to each Nipawin and Tisdale Corps, 24 December 2007 and CFOT chapel in Winnipeg, December 2006. Available on-line at http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2008/12/matthew-118-25-do-you-believe.html

[6] Global Issues: Social, Political, Economic and Environmental Issues That Affect Us All. Cited December 15, 2009. Available on-line: http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats

[7] Christian Technology Solutions, Pornography Industry Statistics. Cited 21 November, 2009. Available on line: http://christiantechnologysolutions.com/content/view/18/24/

 

2024 Hope in the Valley Address (Romans 12:15, Matthew 25:34-40)

Presented to the Alberni Valley Community at Italian Hall, 16 November 2024, on the occasion of the presentation of the King Charles III Coronation Medal and The Salvation Army Alberni Valley Ministries 'Hope in the Valley' Gala to Launch the Christmas Season, in the presence of the MP, MLA, Chief Councilor of Tseshaht First Nation and Chief Councilor of Hupacasath First Nations and other gathered guest, by Major Michael Ramsay

 

Two very important things to do before we start today are: to honour the Nations who’s traditional and un-ceded territories we are meeting on and to honour the Creator.

 

Many of you who know me here, know that this is a very important picture to me. It is a poster of a Roy Henry Vickers painting entitled’ Easter 1985’. A few years ago, Remi and Ruby Tom presented it to me with the words Haatapi Hawit (Creator) written underneath.

 

It is on the door of my office for everyone to see and whenever my door is open and I lift up my eyes from my desk there is an image of Haatapi Hawit (Creator) in front of me.

 

It is the Creator that we serve in everything we do.

 

With that in mind, let us pray:

Haatapi Hawit (Creator). Lord, thank you. We know that you have provided everything that there is in the world and you have tasked us to take care of your creation and all of your creatures. Thank you for all the people present here who have been faithful in that regard. Lord, we thank you for the opportunity to serve one another. Amen.

 

I would now like to honour the Tseshaht and Hupacasath First Nations and the Nuu-chah-nulth people for welcoming us and allowing us to work alongside you and in these your traditional and un-ceded territories.

 

I have such a deep respect for both of you Brandy and Ken personally, your councils, your families, your teams and all that you do - not for only members of your nations but for so many others in the Valley here. I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention your father Ken, George Watts; for George was a good close and personal friend to my father-in-law and Susan’s family.

 

Thank you so much Ken, Brandy, Tseshaht and Hupacasath for all that you do and for welcoming us and allowing us at The Salvation Army to work alongside you in these your traditional and un-ceded territories.

Major Michael was presented the King Charles III Coronation Medal for making significant contributions to the community specifically relating to bringing community groups together for a common purpose.

Major Michael Ramsay's written comments:

Thank you so much for this recognition of the work that has been done through the people working with and alongside the Salvation Army. It is a real privilege for us to be honoured alongside other people and organizations in our community that do so much such as

·        Marlene Dietrich of Abbey Field

·        Grace George

·        Jeanette Watts

·        Cyndi Stevens & Friendship Center

·        David Wiwchar and the Toy Run

In the Salvation Army we have a salute to recognize that all good that is done is really done by the Creator through us. – SALUTE. Thank you

The Salvation Army and all that we do here is a team sport. I was thinking what are some of the ways that we are like various sports teams? – and immediately it came to me that there is one way that The Salvation Army is NOT like a sports team. We are not like a baseball team… there is no crying in baseball.

 

There are lots of tears in The Salvation Army. There is not a week that goes by without staff, volunteers, soldiers, congregants, and / or community members crying. And there is a lot to cry about.

 

Jennifer Osbourne, one of our friends at the Bread of Life Centre, has made this wonderful graphic of a tree. The leaves on that tree each have the name of one of our friends there who has passed due to addiction. The tree has way too many leaves. The tree has new leaves way too often.

 

There are lots of tears at The Salvation Army. We have been touched by more than one suicide since we chatted at the Christmas Kick-off last year.

 

·       We have lost many friends from overdoses.

·       We have lost friends through violence.

·       We had one friend recently die from burns.

·       We have seen many friends slip back into addiction.

·       We have seen friends experience homelessness – for the very first time this year.

 

We have seen more seniors than ever before needing to eat at the soup kitchen and get their groceries from the food bank – for the first time ever.

 

There are lots of tears of sadness at The Salvation Army.

 

Romans 12:15: says, weep with those who weep; rejoice with those who rejoice

 

And there are also tears of rejoicing at TSA

 

There are lots of success stories we hear and celebrate with our team.

 

People have already thanked me saying that they wouldn’t have a Christmas without The Salvation Army. This brings tears to my eyes.

 

This year we were able to provide food hampers to more than 1500 people – on top of the 1200 people we helped with Christmas hampers last year. And we expect even more this year.

 

In 2024, you, through your support have provided more than 112,500 warm meals through the Bread of Life kitchen

 

In 2024, you, through your support have provided a safe place for 2000 people to sleep plus another almost 500 more during extreme weather

 

And - this brings real tears of joy to me too – as well as providing a safe place for folks experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity – ten of the people who stayed with us this year, we were able to help find stable permanent housing.

 

We are also so thankful to partner with the Friendship Center to provide meals for their guests at the Tiny Homes Village and the Shelter. There we have provided more than 90 000 meals for our friends.

 

We are so grateful also to all the organisations that partner with us on the Salvation Army food truck. Elim Tabernacle (Bruce, Belle, and team) has been partnering with us on The Salvation Army food truck on Mondays for many years now, as has Khalsa Aid (Kim, Raghbir and team) on Tuesdays. They also recently provided some much-needed bedding for our shelter. Kinsmen (Barb and Steve) take meals out on the food truck every Wednesday, and Arrowsmith Rotary has been serving people in need on Thursdays for a very long time now as well. With the support of these groups, we have served more than 7000 meals to people in need this year.

 

You, through all your support, have also provided so much clothing to those in real need this year. 

In 2024, you through your support, have helped so many children as well. You sent 33 kids to camp who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford to go to camp – Some for the very first time.

 

You, through your support, have also provided 144 children with backpacks full of school supplies so that on the first day of school they have new items to help them learn – just like their friends.

 

You, through your support, have also provided 1152 litres of milk for children and families in need.

 

You, through your support, have also provided 1120 lunches for children who eat at the schools during the school year but don’t have access to those meals during the summer.

 

All of you in this room, in some way, have contributed to this and so much more. This really does bring tears of joy to my eyes; so, while there may be no tears in baseball, the love and work all of you provide for those in need in our community really does bring tears to my eyes. Well done team!

 

I am now going to speak a blessing over us. This blessing is from  Matthew 25:34-40:

³⁴ “Then the [Lord] will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

 

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

 

⁴⁰ “The [Lord] will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

 

My friends this is your blessing; for this is who you are, in all you do.

 

Thank you.

Luke 2:1-20: The Light Shone All Around

Presented to The Salvation Army Alberni Valley Ministries on Christmas Day, 25 December 2023 and 25 December 2024, by Major Michael Ramsay

This is the 2023 version, to view the 2024 version, click here: 

https://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2024/12/luke-21-20-sheep-shelter-staff-see.html

Last night, like every night, our staff were working all night at the Bread of Life. We are open all day everyday and all night every night. Last night, today and tonight are no different. Our staff all has to take their turn working. Those who had last night, today, or tomorrow off, will need to work New Year’s Eve, night, or day – and they will need to be sober.

 

This is not entirely dissimilar to the shepherds in our text today. They are working the night shift. They have the important job of protecting the lives of the sheep from predators just like our staff have the responsibility to protect the lives of the homeless under their care from predators. Without our shelter, many of our friends would not have a safe warm place to sleep. The shepherds in our text were not in a safe warm place.

 

The text says that an Angel appeared and stood before them. The word angel just means ‘messenger’ but the appearance of this messenger certainly alludes to something more, something much more. It says the Glory of the Lord shone all around him and the shepherds were terrified. Now, I don’t know what the Glory of the Lord looks like, but if a messenger appeared before me in the middle of the night (or anytime) with anything shining about him, I would probably be a little terrified myself.

 

I can only imagine how my overnight staff would feel if the doors were locked for the night, our friends were all tucked into their beds – it is set up for communal sleeping at our shelter, there are rows of bunkbeds – and all of a sudden someone showed up shining or with something shining all around them. I imagine our staff would be quite startled. I can actually picture them telling me about it the next day. The words that would come out of their mouth when they were surprised may not be pulpit-ready words!

 

2:10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see--I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 2:11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 2:12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger."

 

Again, I can picture my staff telling me this. They would be half laughing in incredulity as they expressed the nervousness or uncertainly of this experience to me and whoever else would be there. And then, they would tell me that they were still processing the person with shining all around them…

 

2:13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, 2:14 "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom He favours!"

 

Can you imagine? What if you were working the night shift at your work and all these people, angels, hosts showed up and they were praising God all around you and proclaiming peace for all those who are on God’s side: all those who find favour with God. Put yourself then in the place of my staff in my story or the shepherds in Luke’s story. It would make you want to be peaceful, I am sure.

 

2:15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." 2:16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 2:17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 2:18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them.

 

If it was the staff at the shelter, I can see them waking up the people who are staying the night with them – I think there was only a half dozen last night - and heading out for a little walk. I don’t think they needed to go that far – maybe the distance to Boomerangs or something like that. They would then walk that distance with all those in their care. Can you imagine the excitement? They must be just buzzing retelling each other what they had just seen and joking about one another’s reaction – and then I imagine, as they got close to where the child was, they would all of a sudden become deadly serious, very sober in thought and deed. I imagine they would come into the place very humbly. As they find the child and his parents, the shelter workers, the shepherds themselves become angels in the sense that they are messengers; they tell them and everyone else around what the angels, the heavenly host has told them.

 

Then Verse 2:20: “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.” Again I can just picture our staff if this happened to them – they would be telling the next shift, they would be telling their bosses, they would be telling their families, they would be telling all the clients. I am sure the shepherds must have even told the sheep whom I imagine were right there with them when they took the trip into town in the middle of the night.

 

Now we know what happens in this child’s life. He is God for starters but also he becomes quite famous and then he dies, and then he is raised to life again before he goes off to heaven where he is waiting even now to return someday soon.

 

Can you imagine what it would be like for the shepherds? Every time they hear of another miracle he performs or a controversy he is in the middle of, they would tell their story about how they saw him when he was a baby and everything that happened that night. I imagine a lot of people probably became interested in Jesus or more interested in Jesus because of the testimony of these shepherds. I imagine that when they heard the news years later of his death and resurrection, if any of them were still alive, they would say, ‘huh… I guess that all makes sense now.’

 

So we know from the rest of the story that this baby is going to be killed and raised from the dead 30 or so years later. And we know that after he was raised from the dead he went to be with his Father and that he is coming back and we know that when he comes back, all upon who his favour rests will be at peace. He is the Prince of Peace. The title by which we call the baby Jesus is of course, ‘Christ’, and people who purport to follow him self-identify as Christians. One of the ways that we can tell followers of the Prince of Peace is that they are peaceful.

 

On this Christmas Day 2000 years closer to the return of the Prince of Peace, I encourage you to be and to act like his followers by being peaceful. Forgive those who harm you. Disarm your attackers with kindness. Turn the other cheek to people who strike you rather than striking them back. This world can be a very non-peaceful place. There are many wars around the world. There is much violence even in this country, this province, and this town. There is much violence down among our friends that we walk with everyday. People doing violence to them and even doing violence to ourselves. My encouragement to us is this: that when our lives and the lives of our friends, families, and co-workers are filled with strife that we may let the peace of God shine through us. May people see the Glory of God’s peace all around us. May we be a calming presence for all those around us, offering them the love of God and an amazingly powerful peace that can get them through all of life’s troubles: the peace that surpasses all understanding.

 

Let us pray.