Presented to TSA Alberni Valley Ministries, 25 December 2025 by Major Michael Ramsay
This has been a busy Christmas
season – as are all Christmas seasons at The Salvation Army, We have had a few
rookies this year- Dave, our Community Resources Director (food bank and Christmas
Hampers) was brand new and so was Adam, our Kettle Coordinator, and others. Karyn,
our intake worker, has had some serious health issues. The team did great
pitching in, helping each other out. The need was up this year, like it seems
to be every year and, of course, we have had a lot of other things to deal with
this year as well
The beginning of the Christmas
Season seemed a little bit like a Hallmark Christmas movie with all the drama involved:
the Temporary Use Permit was a real show. We were led to believe that the area
would be re-zoned and that the renewing the TUP was just ‘a matter of marching’,
as the expression says.
Of course, we now know that
that wasn’t true. Like on a Christmas special, it appeared that there was at
least one ‘evil’ city councilor who was working against us and it seems like
the CAO may have even been involved. It seemed like they were trying to shut down
the shelter before Christmas! No Shelter, no soup kitchen, no funding, no
Christmas for those in need in our community!
At one City Hall meeting, the ‘evil’
councilor even threatened a disabled man in the audience – both verbally and
physically (possibly even assaulting him!)
On another day, one Sunday
before church, a gentleman in a wheelchair was waiting between the two front
doors. He had his hoodie up so the security cameras couldn’t see him. I approached,
he handed me an envelope, and greeted me with “Happy Day of the Dead”, which it
was, and rolled away. In that envelope was a lot of information implicating the
‘evil’ councillor, and possibly even an organization that he’s part of.
Just before the final council
meeting a request was made that the vulnerable people in the room be protected because
of all this. We didn’t know whether the ‘evil’ city councilor or the CAO would
be allowed to attend the final council meeting- they were. The stage was set.
We had one more showdown at
city hall to find out if we would be allowed to continue to care for the
vulnerable and provide a sober solution to those struggling with addiction, to
see if we could still feed the hungry, and shelter those with no homes. There
was one more show down in front of council.
On this day, the room was packed.
It was just like a Christmas special. People from all walks of life filled the
room to support the most vulnerable and The Salvation Army Shelter. Person
after person spoke – businessperson, homeless person, people who have been
helped by the Bread of Life, people whose family have been saved through the Bread
of Life. People who have been saved at the Army – both in the here and now and
for eternity.
The ‘evil overlord’ (in the
eyes of some) of the ‘evil’ councilor even showed up with his minion to
supervise the proceedings. Person after person spoke of the work that the Lord
has been doing through so many people at the Bread of Life. One and then
another – some homeless, some who ate there everyday, some who have never been
inside city council before.
Still there was drama – the evil
councilor and another councilor tried every trick they could think of. At the
end of the day, Mayor Minions, and Councilors Deb Haggard, Charlse Mealy, Cindy
Solda all stepped up to the plate and Christmas was saved and the Mayor gave a
great Christmas speech – people cheered. It was a great Christmas movie.
Within a week the CAO resigned
as well.
I think this all sounds like a Christmas movie.
Christmas is about the birth
of Christ, God coming into the world as creation as well as creator. God made
this whole world perfectly; at the beginning of it all, humanity however went
astray and was not good to itself, let alone the rest of God’s creation that we
are supposed to care for. God then says ‘we’re going to fix things’ and sends
His Son for that purpose. Christmas. Jesus is born, and as Susan said on Sunday,
he is referred to as ‘Emmanuel’ which means ‘God with us’ and Jesus in his life
shows us what life looks like when God is with us: the blind receive sight, the
lame are healed, the naked are clothed, the hungry are fed. When Jesus’ is
around, that is what happens. That is what happens in part at the Bread of Life;
that is what happens, in part at TSA; that is what happens, in part, in all
your ministries here. When Emmanuel, God is with us, this is what happens. The Prophet
Isaiah further tells us what happens at and because of Christmas. Isaiah 9:6&7:
For to
us a child is born, to us a son is given,
and
the government will be on his shoulders.
And he
will be called
Wonderful
Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting
Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of
the greatness of his government and peace
there
will be no end.
He
will reign on David’s throne
and
over his kingdom,
establishing
and upholding it
with
justice and righteousness
from
that time on and forever.
The
zeal of the Lord Almighty
will
accomplish this.
This reign of justice and righteousness started on Christmas
Day and it continues on forever. And You are and can be a part of it. Isaiah 11:1-9:
1 A
shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from
his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The
Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the
Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the
Spirit of counsel and of might,
the
Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
3 and
he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
He
will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or
decide by what he hears with his ears;
4 but
with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with
justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He
will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with
the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
5
Righteousness will be his belt
and
faithfulness the sash around his waist.
6 The
wolf will live with the lamb,
the
leopard will lie down with the goat,
the
calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a
little child will lead them.
7 The
cow will feed with the bear,
their
young will lie down together,
and
the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8 The
infant will play near the cobra’s den,
and
the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
9 They
will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,
for
the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
as the
waters cover the sea.
This reign of Jesus began on Christmas
Day and it continues on forever. And You are and can be a part of it. And Isiah
61:1-3, which Jesus read from in synagogue just before they tried to stone him:
1The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for
those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
the oil of joy instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendour.
On Christmas
we remember that Jesus was born and laid in a manger, a feeding trough,
surrounded by animals, shepherds, and his young parents; we remember on Christmas
Day that Jesus was and is the Messiah, the Christ, the Saviour of the poor and
everyone else. Isaiah tells us that when the Messiah comes all of these
problems in our world will end: there will be no more blindness, no more sick,
no more sorrow. His incarnation was the beginning of the beginning of all this.
All this happened in his presence. All this happens when he is around
Adent
is about waiting both for Jesus to be born and for Him to return. And we know
that when Jesus comes back there will be no more poverty, no more illness, no
more abuse, no more sorrow, no more death, no more dying, no more homeless, no
more hunger. This is the day we are celebrating on Christmas.
When
Jesus was born, it was the beginning of His kingdom to come. We know too that, as
his citizens, we are to do as our master does… so on this day when we are
celebrating his incarnation, his birth, and as we are awaiting his ultimate appearance;
the conclusion of all, we will do these same things.
These
things, you, my friends, this Christmas, and all year round have been
faithfully doing and I know that you, we will continue to do all this until his
return: feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter those without shelter and
love those who are not experiencing love. This, my friends, is what the Kingdom
of God that Jesus ushered in looks like, and as you let the Lord do these
things through you and as you invite others to join you, you are showing
yourselves as citizens of heaven.
Today
we celebrate the birth of Jesus who is and will always be:
6 Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
Let us
pray.
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