War Cry 12 December 2020

The Rev Richard Coles on hatches, matches and dispatches

12 December 2020 20p/25c

Snow time to give up Toymaker needs rescuing in Netflix family drama

Singer gets in tune with Christmas

The Salvation Army is a Christian church and registered charity providing services in the community, particularly to those who are vulnerable and marginalised. Motivated by our Christian faith, we offer practical support and services in more than 700 centres throughout the UK to all who need them, regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual orientation. To find your nearest centre visit salvationarmy.org.uk/find-a-church

What is the War Cry? The Salvation Army first published a newspaper called the War Cry in London in December 1879, and we have continued to appear every week since then. Our name refers to our battle for people’s hearts and souls as we promote the positive impact of the Christian faith and The Salvation Army’s fight for greater social justice.

WAR CRY Issue No 7504

Editor: Andrew Stone, Major Deputy Editor: Philip Halcrow Production Editor: Ivan Radford Assistant Editor: Sarah Olowofoyeku Staff Writer: Emily Bright Staff Writer: Claire Brine Editorial Assistant: Linda McTurk Graphic Designer: Rodney Kingston Graphic Designer: Mark Knight Email: warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk The Salvation Army UK Territory with the Republic of Ireland 101 Newington Causeway London SE1 6BN Tel: 0845 634 0101 Helpline: 020 7367 4888 Subscriptions: 01933 445445 (option 1, option 1) or email: subscriptions@satcol.org Founder: William Booth General: Brian Peddle Territorial Commander: Commissioner Anthony Cotterill Editor-in-Chief: Major Mal Davies Published weekly by The Salvation Army ©The Salvation Army United Kingdom Territory with the Republic of Ireland ISSN 0043-0226 The Salvation Army Trust is a registered charity. The charity number in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is 214779, in Scotland SC009359 and in the Republic of Ireland CHY6399.

Printed by Walstead Roche Ltd, St Austell, on sustainably sourced paper

Your local Salvation Army centre

INFO 2 • War Cry • 12 December 2020

EDITOR From From the editor’s desk

MANY children will soon be hoping to find their name on Father Christmas’s good list. But last week, we discovered that Santa himself tops another list.

Speaking on Radio 5 Live, the deputy chief medical officer for England, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, said that the Joint Committee on Vaccines and Immunisations had made ‘a very special case’ for Father Christmas receiving the vaccine for coronavirus. ‘He is absolutely at the top of the list,’ said the professor.

Thousands, perhaps millions, of children will sleep more easily knowing that the man in red can safely deliver their presents. For their parents, though, there may still be some sleepless nights to come.

Christmas can be a tough time for many people. Thousands, perhaps millions, of adults will have concerns about paying for presents and food.

They will rely on food parcels and toys provided by organisations such as The Salvation Army.

For others, particularly those facing the first Christmas without a special loved one, there will be emotional hardships. The grief will be tangible despite the turkey and tinsel.

Grief is something with which the Rev Richard Coles is familiar after the death of his civil partner last December. In an interview in this week’s War Cry, Richard says that he had to go from caring priest to being cared for.

‘I put myself in the pastoral care of other people,’ he says. ‘I knew that even though I couldn’t pray, they could and would and did.’

Those prayers made a difference to Richard – just as prayers have done for thousands, even millions, of people through the centuries. If you are going through a tough time and would like people to pray for you, then you can contact our Prayerlink service (the details of which are on page 12) or speak to any member of The Salvation Army. You will find prayer can make such a difference.

Subscribe to the WAR CRY The Rev Richard Coles on hatches, matches and dispatches

12 December 2020 20p/25c

Snow time to give up Toymaker needs rescuing in Netflix family drama

Singer gets in tune with Christmas

Contents

What is The Salvation Army?

At the War Cry, we put faith in great journalism.

Dating back to 1879, The Salvation Army’s Christian weekly features human interest stories, celebrity interviews, TV, film and awareness campaigns, all for less than £1 a week.

Buy a Christmas present that your loved ones can enjoy all year round. Subscribe at: sps-shop.com/war-cry-m *Monthly subscription costs £4.08, or you can pay a lump sum of £49 for the year. This subscription offer applies in the UK and Republic of Ireland only

FEATURES 3

Is the game up?

Trouble in store for toymaker

4

‘My scars tell my story’

Vicar on ministering with a disability

6

Creating a scene

Card illustrator draws on her faith

8

Rev-elations

What happens when there are three

vicars talking

10

Carrying a tune

How pregnancy inspired a Christmas EP

REGULARS 12

Team Talk

13

Bible Series

14

Puzzles

15

War Cry Kitchen

Front-page picture: GARETH GATRELL/Netflix

FILM Gareth Gatrell/Netflix

Toy to the world I

Claire Brine sees an inventor push the boundaries of possibility

T’s the most wonderful time of the year. That is, unless you’re a penniless toymaker whose shop is threatened with closure.

In Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey, streaming on Netflix, Jeronicus Jangle has until Christmas Day to create something spectacular – or he risks losing his home.

Life wasn’t always so bleak for Jeronicus (Forest Whitaker). Back in his younger days, his inventions burst with whimsy and wonder.

Crowds flocked to his store, Jangles mass-produced – was plotting his and Things, desperate to see his escape with Jeronicus’s apprentice, extraordinary toys and marvel at his Gustafson (Keegan-Michael Key). magical creations.

Dreaming of building their own One day, Jeronicus created a toy toymaking empire, the pair sneaked that he believed would change the away, taking Jeronicus’s book of world for ever: a real-life matador doll inventions with them. called Don Juan Diego (voiced by When Jeronicus learnt of Ricky Martin). While Jeronicus and Gustafson’s betrayal, his business his family were celebrating his crumbled because he could no longer most astounding invention to date, invent anything. Then, out of the blue, Don Juan – who didn’t want to be his wife died. Unable to cope with the grief, Jeronicus shut down – and his daughter was left feeling shut out.

As soon as she was old enough, she left home.

In the years that pass, Jeronicus remains heartbroken and alone. His business – now a pawnbroker’s shop – is also struggling. The bank tells him that unless he can deliver ‘something revolutionary’ before Christmas, he will have to cease trading.

Just as Jeronicus is thinking all is lost, his granddaughter, Journey (Madalen Mills), turns up on his doorstep. She’s young and smart with an inventor’s Journey thinks she can get brain. When she Jeronicus’s Buddy 3000 (top) to work

Jeronicus doubts things can get better

finds one of Jernonicus’s unfinished inventions – the Buddy 3000 – she believes she can get it to work. Could this be the toy to save her grandfather’s business?

Jeronicus is sceptical. Life has brought too much disappointment and pain. He doubts that things can get better, but Journey has faith. She sees that change is not impossible – it can just feel as if it is.

Life is not child’s play. We may face betrayal, loneliness and disappointments. Sometimes we are even the cause of other people’s hurts, treating them in a way we later regret.

Perhaps, when we look at our life, we feel sad that it hasn’t turned out in the way we wanted. Maybe we have given up hoping that life can be any different.

It can. The Bible promises us that when we turn to God and trust in the love that he showed the world in his Son, Jesus, we can become new people with new perspectives. It says: ‘Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new’ (2 Corinthians 5:17 Contemporary English Version).

Perhaps the idea of a fresh start sounds too good to be true. But when we accept God’s love and receive his forgiveness, our hearts can be changed beyond belief. We can become kinder, more understanding, more thoughtful and more joyful people.

Thanks to God, when it comes to imagining a whole new life, the possibilities are endless.

12 December 2020 • War Cry • 3

Simon Jones/Diocese of Lichfield

To mark UK Disability History Month, which draws to a close on Friday (18 December), the Rev ZOE HEMING tells Emily Bright how she overcame her fear of stigma to become a minister and improve church access for all

4 • War Cry • 12 December 2020

INTERVIEW

‘Dependence on one another is how we live best’ A

N ectopic pregnancy when she was 24 years old threw the Rev Zoe Heming’s world into chaos. Shortly after she was married, a fertilised egg implanted in her ovaries and began growing, putting her health at risk. She was left with internal scarring and was repeatedly admitted to hospital for chronic pain.

After treatment, she fell pregnant again, and, for a while, things seemed to return to normal.

‘For six wonderful years, I was either pregnant or breastfeeding,’ she recalls.

‘I had three children and was really well, so thought I was cured. Then when I was weaning my third child, the pain came back with a vengeance, and I had three surgeries in that year.

‘I was in bed for about eight months in the most horrendous unmanaged pain.

A hysterectomy was the last attempt to surgically resolve the issue, which got me so far, but I was still in dreadful pain and was being admitted to hospital all the time.’

Before her pain returned, Zoe had been a keen runner, but now she began to encounter difficulties with her mobility.

At about the same time, her husband felt that he was called by God into Christian ministry, and the family moved into a theological college, where Zoe joined a group for clergy spouses. It had an unexpected outcome, as Zoe explains.

‘During Advent 2010, we were doing a guided reflection where we had to imagine opening the door to a messenger from God who asked: “What are you good at?”

‘It was at a time when I was feeling completely useless. I couldn’t even do the school run. I felt that if I couldn’t do the basics, then I couldn’t do anything.

‘Then I remember saying to God: “Well, I do really love people.” In that instant, I heard back very explicitly: “So feed my sheep.” And strangely in that

moment I knew exactly what it meant.’

Zoe had just received her calling to ministry, but wondered whether she had heard correctly.

‘I remember thinking it couldn’t be possible. I hadn’t even seen women ministering, let alone disabled women with kids. But I decided to ponder things.

‘I said to God: “If only you’d be explicit, I would be obedient.” Within about ten days, nine other people had said: “Have you ever thought about being a priest?”’

After applying, Zoe received a phone call, saying that she had been recommended for full-time ministry. It came within the same 24 hours that she was discharged from the pain clinic and was told nothing more could be done for her. She realised she would need mobility aids to help her complete her vocational training.

‘Being seen with a walking stick was torture and being seen in a wheelchair was like having a neon sign above my head,’ she says. ‘But I accepted that I needed tools to be able to do what I felt clearly God was telling me to do.’

Alongside being a vicar at St Andrew’s in the village of Church Aston in Shropshire, Zoe now works part-time as an enabling adviser for Lichfield Diocese and works closely with the Church of England’s General Synod to make church more accessible to disabled people.

‘We equip people to share their stories and connect them to their church context to help them thrive,’ she says. ‘My role involves advocacy, accessibility audits and developing tools and resources for church leaders and theology training.’

Her own experiences of disability have shaped the way she views her faith and models it to others.

‘The world tells us that living independently is the only way to live with dignity,’ she reflects. ‘But the whole model that we get in Christian theology is the opposite of that.

Vulnerability and dependence on one another, each person bringing their part, is how we live best. My limitations are visible and tangible, but people have all kinds of limitations.’

Zoe recounts how her attitude towards her body shifted.

‘I was frustrated with my surgery scars until my husband said: “They tell our story.”

‘There’s something spiritual about that. Christ ascended into Heaven with scars from his crucifixion, but not because he wasn’t completely whole.

That connects to my faith as well as my ministry. It’s okay to be me, and to be human is to be limited. And that’s a huge relief.’

Zoe also takes the opportunity to address the overemphasis on physical healing and ‘fixing’ people in some Christian communities, sometimes at the expense of dignifying those with disabilities.

‘The norm is not physical healing,’ says Zoe. ‘We need to be more honest and realistic about that. Although I think God can heal, healing and curing are also very different things.

‘Curing is about trying to fit the body into what we think it must be. Healing is what Jesus was in the business of doing. He asked people: “What is it that I can do for you?” He also told them “I see you.” And there’s a dignity that comes with that, because he not only sees us but knows and loves us.

‘What he did was restore people to their community and how God sees them. We are all limited and flawed but are seen and loved in equal measure.’

To be human is to be limited

12 December 2020 • War Cry • 5

By way of

CLAIR ROSSITER’s drawings have appeared on Christmas cards, in magazines and on mugs.

She puts Philip Halcrow in the picture about what inspires her

I

N the scenes she has created for Christmas cards, Clair Rossiter has often drawn on her fascination with city life. ‘I enjoy drawing busy scenes with lots of people,’ says the illustrator, whose wintry urban artwork has also appeared on the cover of a Washington Post weekend supplement suggesting what people could do over the holidays.

‘Especially with Christmas cards, I like the fact that a city scene is relatable. You can have the glowing lights, but they’re in the city, you’ve got people rushing around and there’s all the expectation and excitement of Christmas. I suppose that London feels like a natural fit for me, because, growing up close to the city, I’d always go up there.’

Clair’s Christmas city scenes built on a series of greetings cards depicting the capital. The series showed crowds flowing over Tower Bridge and round

6 • War Cry • 12 December 2020

A card designed for The Salvation Army

Trafalgar Square as well as Beefeaters by the Tower of London and guards outside Buckingham Palace – the landmark that was, in a way, where the seasonal cards had their beginnings.

‘Between my second and third year at university, I worked at Buckingham Palace – it sounds exciting, but it was just a summer job working in the grounds during the Coronation Festival,’ she says.

‘Because I had been there in the summer, in my third year I did a project on Buckingham Palace and that went into my portfolio. A card company saw it and thought that it would make for a nice set of London-themed cards, and that became my first project after I graduated. Then they said that the cityscapes would work well for Christmas

scenes, and for a few years I made those.

This year, Clair has produced a Christmas card for The Salvation Army, though the art took a different direction, showing a group of musicians playing carols in the snow.

‘Many people connect Christmas with The Salvation Army because of its bands carolling,’ she says. ‘I was initially a bit nervous about working on it, as the focus on the band made it a little more restful than my other designs, and I don’t often create more traditional Christmas scenes.

Like my other cards, though, it’s still essentially capturing a moment in time, and my hope was to draw the viewer into something atmospheric.’

Activities at The Salvation Army are

They said the cityscapes would work well for Christmas

i l l u st r at i o n

INTERVIEW

One of Clair’s London Christmas card designs, which followed on from her other images of the capital

A wintry scene for the cover of a ‘Washington Post’ supplement

usually part and parcel of Christmas for Clair, who is a member of the Salvation Army church in Sutton, southwest London. She says that the centre’s celebrations of the birth of Jesus usually include carols by candlelight as well as appeals to buy and wrap gifts for children in the area who would otherwise receive little or nothing.

Clair linked up with Sutton Salvation Army after she returned from university in Falmouth. While starting out on her career as an illustrator, she took a job there as a cleaner.

‘At the time, I was also looking for a new church to go to, so I began to go to The Salvation Army on Sundays as well,’ she says.

Soon the ministers of the church, Majors Gordon and Catherine Cotterill, began tapping into Clair’s talents.

‘I had just started drawing maps,’ says

A map exploring ideas about faith

Clair, whose cartographical creations have now appeared in Sainsbury’s Magazine and on greetings cards and National Trust mugs. ‘Gordon had seen some and thought I could work on a map of the East End of London, so I researched all about William Booth and The Salvation Army’s history.’

The result was a map produced for the worldwide Salvation Army’s 150th anniversary celebrations in 2015, identifying significant places in the early days of the organisation.

While many of Clair’s maps deal with physical terrain, some explore more abstract subjects, such as the themes of Sufjan Stevens’s album Carrie and Lowell and, in a personal project, aspects of faith. The latter lays out a landscape that offers a Sea of Forgiveness, the Stepping Stones of Faith and a Well of Living Water – all

watched over by the Love That Will Not Let Me Go. Clair believes that her faith lies underneath all her work.

‘It’s difficult to pinpoint, because your faith is woven into your life in so many ways, but I do naturally want to create work that gives people a sense of joy when they see it. My faith is in the spirit of the illustrations that I do.

‘But,’ she adds, ‘it’s a two-way thing.

As an illustrator, I’m working alone a lot of the time, so I can have quite lonely days. Being part of the faith community at Sutton is important because they’re supportive of my work and take an interest. They encourage me.

‘I suppose that being part of that community feeds my work: I get a lot of joy from such a lovely group of people, and that keeps me inspired and makes me want to keep creating things.’

12 December 2020 • War Cry • 7

i i

IRREVERENT RADIO REVS The Rev RICHARD COLES tells Emily Bright why people love to listen to Three Vicars Talking

T

HREE reverends walk into a studio … and produce an entertaining radio show. Last year, Richard Coles, Kate Bottley and Giles Fraser took to the airwaves in Radio 4’s Three Vicars Talking. Spanning five episodes – births, marriage, deaths, Christmas and this year’s lockdown Easter – the series explored the highs and lows of parish life. Their conversations have now been published in a book of the same name.

‘We’ve known each other for a long time,’ Richard tells me. ‘We like each other, respect each other and enjoyed having a set of discussions. Lots of people heard it and liked it.’

As Richard speaks, I realise that I’m not the first person to be put at ease by his warm and down-to-earth personality. It was that personality, and the rapport with his colleague vicars, which translated well to the airwaves.

‘Radio is a very good medium to hear three old friends talking,’ he says. ‘I also think there’s an enduring interest in people who do religion and make the life commitment that vocation requires. We were three parish priests at the coalface, talking socially.’

Richard, who is vicar of St Mary the Virgin in Finedon, Northamptonshire, explains that parish priests are present at every stage of life: ‘Through hatching, matching and dispatching, you’re getting alongside people on the best and worst

days of their life, and that’s deeply moving.’

However, Richard admits that not all baptisms, weddings and funerals go seamlessly, and even when people are taking part in a solemn event, there can be moments of laughter. He recalls a Three Vicars Talking anecdote from a funeral officiated by Kate which had him in stitches while recording the episode: ‘Somebody released a dove, which was immediately taken by a sparrowhawk and eaten alive in front of the congregation.’

Richard is not immune from the unexpected either, particularly after his appearance on Strictly Come Dancing.

‘I was at a crematorium,’ he says.

‘There was an older bloke in a black suit, very solemn. And he came over to me, looked at me meaningfully and took my arm. And he said: “Vicar.” And I said: “Yes.” And he said: “You’re a terrible dancer.” There’s the daily comedy of it, the sort of stuff that went in the BBC comedy Rev actually.’

Richard was a consultant on the sitcom, which featured an inner-city Anglican priest, Adam Smallbone, navigating the pitfalls of priesthood. Richard has also appeared on panel shows such as Have I Got News for You, QI and Would I Lie to You? I ask him why putting a public face to the Christian faith matters. He says: ‘We’re

You’re alongside people on their best and worst days

8 • War Cry • 12 December 2020

representing a tradition which has 2,000 years of hard work and reflection on the profoundest themes in the lives of people, rich and poor. That’s a really valuable treasury that could be for the benefit of all.’

Richard knows first-hand the lifesustaining force that Christianity can be.

‘My faith is like air,’ he asserts.

‘It’s what keeps me going. Like everybody else, I go through periods when I’m stumbling around, and there are other times when I’m walking purposefully.

‘But God doesn’t change. I know that he is always there, always steady and always willing to welcome me back, to give me strength and grace.

And if I don’t get in the way, I might be an agent of that strength and grace for other people.’

Richard’s reliance on God’s strength was perhaps never more acute than when he lost his civil partner David after a long illness last December. He recalls his response to God in those darkest of times.

‘When I discovered that David was dying, I went down to Kettering Hospital’s chapel to pray, but my head was simply too full of alarm for me to do that. I remember saying to God: “Please will you just carry me.”

‘I put myself in the pastoral care of other people. I knew that even though I couldn’t pray, they could and would and did.’

In the Easter episode, the three

ii CLA I RE

BR IN

INTERVIEW E

The Revs Richard Coles, Giles Fraser and Kate Bottley

BB C/L EIG H

KE ILY

i PA

vicars had a candid conversation about Richard’s bereavement. I wonder whether talking about his grief helped.

‘It did actually, although it took a while to get to that point. When you lose someone like that, it’s like being in an explosion. Your ears are ringing and you’re just trying to get through the next minute, hour, day and week.

‘During lockdown, I sat in my garden with the dogs, in that beautiful spring. And grief and loss came in like a whirlwind tide. I just let it happen.

‘People who are not of faith sometimes simper at me about the fuzzy warm glow of Christian faith. But my loss is no less bitter. The Resurrection didn’t dodge death. It’s something that happens on the far side of the cross.

Jesus experienced the devastation of death and feeling abandoned.

‘In life, we discover the limits of our own capabilities, but beyond it lies the grace of Jesus Christ, waiting for us, to shine in our darkness and to heal our wounds.’

l Three Vicars Talking is published

by SPCK

12 December 2020 • War Cry • 9

When a child is born PHILIPPA HANNA talks to Sarah Olowofoyeku about how being pregnant inspired her to make a Christmas EP

A

LONG with turkey, tinsel and (insert your tradition here), Christmas carols are a seasonal staple. While we may not have had carol singers at our door or been able to attend a conventional carol service this year, there is never a shortage of music at Christmastime.

UK-based singer-songwriter Philippa Hanna has released a new EP to add to the repertoire. I caught up with her to find out why she brought out Christmas – The Greatest Story.

‘I’m expecting my first baby,’ she tells me over Zoom. ‘She’s due early January but could come around Christmas. It has put me in a different space with the Christmas story. It has hit home how vulnerable Mary was. More than anything, I relate to the fear of bringing a child into a troubled world.’

Being pregnant during a global pandemic has led Philippa to wonder what her baby will experience when she is born.

‘Will my baby be able to see family and friends? Will she have to look at them wearing masks for the first half-year of her life?’ Not only that but there’s political tension and social tension in the world today. I’ve asked myself: “What am I bringing my child into?”’

The Christmas story has presented Philippa with some answers.

‘Mary was right in the middle of all sorts of political stuff as well,’ she says. ‘There was a tyrant running around looking for all the babies, and Mary’s baby was

born into poverty. I thought: “If Mary can do it, I can do it.”

‘I believe the right way to think about having my baby is to realise that she’s a gift for this world, and my job is to raise her in such a way that she will be a blessing and a peacemaker.’

Philippa believes that Jesus himself was both of those things.

‘One of the best things about Christmas is the theme of peace,’ she says. ‘The focus of a lot of carols and of the Christian faith is that the King of kings and the Prince of Peace came into the world. As I recorded my EP, I found so much peace in singing these songs.’

The six-track EP contains some of Philippa’s favourite carols.

‘Every singer-songwriter wants to do a Christmas EP or album,’ she says. ‘So, in the back of your mind, you have your favourite carols to include. The ones on my EP are those that I pull out if I ever get asked to play at a Christmas event.’

One of her favourites is ‘Thorns in the Straw’, which she sings with Christian worship artist Graham Kendrick. ‘It’s a beautiful song about the story of Mary and her perspective of having a baby in those troubled times,’ she says.

While this year has been troubled, Philippa felt it was the perfect opportunity to record her Christmas project. She formed a bubble for a week with old friend and producer Roo Walker, and during that time

Mary’s baby was born into poverty

10 • War Cry • 12 December 2020

INTERVIEW

Tom Jackson

Philippa Hanna says she has always felt Christmas to be ‘a bit supernatural’

they laid down guide vocals and guitars. Then she recorded her parts in her home studio while Roo finished the production at his studio.

‘I decided to create this EP at the end of summer,’ she says. ‘It has been such a weird year that it didn’t feel that strange to have been singing Christmas songs so early. Once I got into it, I focused on the songs and forgot what time of year it was.’

Now that we are at that time of year, Christmas is set to look very different from normal, but Philippa reflects that it is perhaps an opportunity to get to the essence of what the festival is about.

‘Since I was a child, I’ve always felt that Christmas is a bit supernatural,’ she says. ‘When you are a kid, you have a different perspective and believe in the actual magic of Christmas, but something of that magic does stay with you as you grow up – anything seems possible. Quite often at Christmas there is reconciliation, people will say sorry, or they will surprise you with a gift that is really thoughtful. At

Christmas, everyone is on the same page and they want to have a good time.’

As the title of her EP describes Christmas as ‘the greatest story’, I ask Philippa what makes it so great.

‘The idea that the Saviour of mankind and the Prince of Peace would come to us in such a vulnerable way is so beautiful,’ she says. ‘I love the humanity and the humility, and that moment of everyone stopping and leaning in, from the wisest of wise men to the most humble shepherds, to see that phenomenon – the baby Jesus.’ l Christmas – The Greatest Story is released on Integrity

12 December 2020 • War Cry • 11

EXPLORE

Prayerlink YOUR prayers are requested for the prisoner in HMP Bronzefield awaiting a bail hearing, that she will know the closeness of God as she seeks to change her life.

The War Cry invites readers to send in requests for prayer, including the first names of individuals and details of their ­circumstances. Send your Prayerlink requests to warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk or to War Cry, 101 Newington Causeway, Lon­don SE1 6BN. Mark your correspondence ‘Confidential’.

j

Becoming a Christian

There is no set formula to becoming a Christian, but many people have found saying this prayer to be a helpful first step to a relationship with God

Lord Jesus Christ, I am truly sorry for the things I have done wrong in my life. Please forgive me. I now turn from everything that I know is wrong.

Thank you that you died on the cross for me so that I could be forgiven and set free.

Thank you that you offer me forgiveness and the gift of your Holy Spirit.

Please come into my life by your Holy Spirit to be with me for ever.

Thank you, Lord Jesus.

Amen

Team talk Team talk

talk ‘ ’ Round the clock shopping is not the only offer for peace Sarah Olowofoyeku gives her take on a story catching the attention of War Cry reporters

WHEN I was at university, the 24-hour Tesco next to campus was an unexpected highlight. A few weeks into my first year, some friends and I were hanging out in my room, when someone suggested a trip to Tesco. It was 2am.

At that moment, 18-year-old Sarah truly thought she had found freedom. We walked, laughed and sang our way across campus to the giant supermarket in the early hours of the morning – and I hadn’t had to tell my mum!

Fast-forward ten years, and 24-hour shops aren’t quite the highlight of my social calendar any more (though I do enjoy shopping when nobody else is around). They have, however, recently made headlines.

Since the second national lockdown was lifted in England some shops have amended their opening hours after being given permission to trade 24 hours a day over the Christmas period. With some retail chains going into administration, the hope is that extended trading hours will allow other shops to stay afloat after such difficult months.

In any year, Christmas shopping can be stressful, with crowded aisles and stressed-out consumers. A Sky News article reported that some shop assistants have already faced abuse from customers who have been unwilling to comply with the guidelines put in place to keep everyone safe. I hope the extended hours may ease some of the tension.

Perhaps if we have more time to shop, we will feel less stressed.

It has, though, always struck me as strange that Christmas is a time when many of us are at our most stressed. The carol lyrics ‘all is calm, all is bright’ are a far cry from the reality of the season, whether that’s out on the high street or in our own minds.

Aside from being able to purchase parsnips in peace at 2am, are there other ways that we can receive what the season has to offer? I think so.

Jesus’ birth, which we celebrate at Christmas, was the start of his earthly task to bring ultimate peace and true freedom to all humanity. If we focus on him before the festive trimmings, we may find that he is the unexpected highlight of our holidays.

Perhaps we will feel less stressed

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War Cry 101 Newington Causeway London SE1 6BN

Basic reading about Christianity Information about The Salvation Army

Looking for help?

Contact details of a Salvation Army minister Name Address Extract from Why Jesus? by Nicky Gumbel published by Alpha International, 2011. Used by kind permission of Alpha International

Or email your details and request to warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk 12 • War Cry • 12 December 2020

EXPRESSIONS

BIBLE SERIES

q

quick quiz 1

2

In what year did Jeff Bezos start the ecommerce company Amazon?

Who won the TV competition Britain’s Got Talent this year?

a 3

4

5

6

Classical, jazz and rock’n’roll musicians Martha Argerich, Thelonious Monk and Jerry Lee Lewis are associated with what instrument?

Who played the civil rights defence attorney Bryan Stevenson in 2019 film Just Mercy?

Harold Wilson became prime minister as the leader of which political party?

How long to the nearest mile is a half-marathon?

ANSWERS

by Mal Davies

An honourable man I

t’s that time of year when a curious piece of decorative artwork starts to appear in houses and some shops: a little collection of people, animals and even an angel or two gathering in and around a shed of some sort.

Nativity scenes have been put in place each Christmas for about 800 years, since Francis of Assisi set up a living one in a cave near Greccio in Italy in 1223.

When I look at nativity scenes, I’ve noticed something very consistent about their design: Joseph is nearly always standing behind Mary, with his position making him appear as a protective father and husband.

I feel some pity for Joseph: he seems to be the forgotten character in the story of that first Christmas. But from what little we can read of him in the Bible, we can perhaps draw some conclusions about his character.

He was obedient to God and was considered righteous; he was brave and committed to Mary; and he showed himself to be discerning and wise when, after Jesus’ birth, he took the family to Egypt to protect them from King Herod, who wanted Jesus dead. We can also read between the lines a little and safely assume that he loved his family.

We read in Matthew’s Gospel that an angel appeared in a dream to Joseph before Jesus’ birth. The angel told him what would happen, and that the child should be named Jesus, which is exactly what Joseph named him (see Matthew 1:21 and 25).

Joseph could have concluded it was just a dream and called the baby Kevin (well, maybe not Kevin, but something else), but he believed the angel and obediently did what God’s messenger told him to do.

It’s not as though every man has an angel appear to him and tell him about how his family will form, but Joseph was an honourable and upright man and knew that Jesus was someone very special.

Who do you understand Jesus to be – who is he to you?

Joseph did what God’s messenger told him to do

12 December 2020 • War Cry • 13

1. 1994. 2. Jon Courtenay. 3. The piano.

4. Michael B Jordan. 5. Labour. 6. Thirteen miles.

CROSSWORD CROSSWORD

PUZZLES

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. Null and void (7) 5. Lawful (5) 7. Concerned (7) 8. Ecstasy (5) 10. Metal spike (4) 11. Resent (8) 13. Sufficient (6) 14. Declared (6) 17. Military stronghold (8)

5. Set free (8) 6. Association (5) 7. Marvellous (9) 9. Unwavering (9) 12. Hurt (8) 15. Rush of water (7) 16. View (6) 18. Respond (5) 20. Spouse (4)

19. Region (4) 21. Tenure (5) 22. Obvious (7) 23. Unknot (5) 24. Supporting structure (7)

DOWN 2. Dizziness (7) 3. Put down (4) 4. Evaded (6)

SUDOKU

Fill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9

HONEYCOMB HONEYCOMB

8

1

Each solution starts on the coloured cell and reads clockwise round the number

Answers

9 4

6

9 3

Wordsearch ADDRESS

CUSTOMS DISPATCH

ENVELOPE

FIRST-CLASS LETTERBOX PARCEL PO BOX

POST OFFICE

POSTAGE FEE POSTCODE

RETURNS LABEL SECOND-CLASS SIGNATURE SNAIL MAIL

SPECIAL DELIVERY

HONEYCOMB 1. Avenue. 2. Morgue. 3. Voyage.

4. Replay. 5. Petrol. 6. Square.

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS: 1. Invalid. 5. Legal.

7. Worried. 8. Bliss. 10. Nail.

11. Begrudge. 13. Enough. 14. Stated.

17. Fortress. 19. Area. 21. Lease.

22. Evident. 23. Untie. 24. Trestle.

DOWN: 2. Vertigo. 3. Laid. 4. Dodged.

5. Liberate. 6. Guild. 7. Wonderful.

9. Steadfast. 12. Aggrieve. 15. Torrent.

16. Aspect. 18. React. 20. Wife.

8 7 9 4 1 3 6 2 5

2 1 4 6 8 5 7 9 3

STAMP

6 3 5 2 7 9 1 4 8

9 5 6 7 2 4 3 8 1

3 4 2 1 5 8 9 6 7

1 8 7 3 9 6 2 5 4

5 9 1 8 3 2 4 7 6

4 2 3 5 6 7 8 1 9

7 6 8 9 4 1 5 3 2

SUDOKU SOLUTION

TRACK

9 3

6 5 7

2

14 • War Cry • 12 December 2020

7 3

2 7

5

4 2

8

5

3 2

4 3

6 5 7

1 5

1

ordsearch ordsearch ordsearch ordsearch ordsearch

1. Broad road lined with trees 2. Mortuary 3. Sea journey 4. Football cup match after draw 5. Fuel for motor vehicles 6. Four-sided shape

3 5 4

2

Look up, down, forwards, backwards

8 and 2 diagonally 6 9 3on the 1 grid 5 to 4 find 7 these words associated with the post 7 1 3 5 4 8 9 2 6 9 4 5 6 2 7 1 3 8 V R A C N C U S T O M S M Q E G U G R L Z C Z B R R 4 6 2 I 7T Y S Y C 1 3 8 I 5O M V 9 N E V Q L M A N A J N A H A L U P C 1 8 7 2 5 9 3 6 4 B B X W Z C H Z B A P L J R S R K S R A E M K R C F 3 5 9 I 4A B C Y T Y J F N 8 6 2 7 1 L L P Z V M Z L R B P D D F S A E A 6 7 1 3 9 2 4 8 5 R S O F J I M C Z C V N S Z J W D B M N L U U A E 2 9 L Q F 4 8 X O B O P 6 5 7 1I B Y 3 Y R E V I L E D L A I C E P S R R S 5 3 8 1 7 4 6 9 2 F U V L R N I Y F K S E O P C F B S

Q T N M I U H C Q S F S A Z T F V A Q E E B Q Q S H L E T T E R B O X L X R Z B H Z G R G O C Q D R O V M C H P M A T S Z A F H C Z O N D Q D T B T Y V A M T F S B P Q V B X D Z S N N V U W S I G N A T U R E U V A R V U E D O C T S O P V A K K A N Q I G Q Y P E Q E S J T R K S L T G B F

6 5

4 3

1

2

1 5

D Cod with roasted winter veggies Ingredients

Method

1tsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6.

2tsp runny honey 1 lemon, zest and juice 300g butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks SERVES

1 large carrot, cut into chunks

2

1 sprig rosemary, chopped 2 chunky skinless cod fillets

In a small bowl, mix together the oil, honey and lemon zest and juice.

Brush all the butternut squash, sweet potato and carrot chunks with the honey mixture, then place on a heavy baking tray, sprinkling the rosemary on top. Cook for 45 minutes in the oven until beginning to char.

Add the cod fillets to the tray and continue to cook for 10-12 minutes.

Serve with a green side salad.

Bubble and squeak Ingredients

Method

350g potatoes, cubed

Cook the potatoes and parsnip in a pan of boiling water for 12-15 minutes until tender, then drain well and return to the pan. Mash with the milk and the spread until smooth, then season well with the pepper.

1 large parsnip, peeled and cubed 4tbsp milk 25g vegetable oil-based spread Freshly ground black pepper 1tsp oil 1 small onion, chopped 1 large carrot, peeled and grated 100g green cabbage, finely shredded 3 medium eggs

Heat the oil in a medium frying pan, fry the onion, carrot and cabbage for 5 minutes, then add to the mash. Form the mash into 3 patties and fry for 4-5 minutes, turning halfway through cooking.

Poach the eggs and place on top of the bubble and squeak, to serve.

SERVES

3

Recipes reprinted, with permission, from the Diabetes UK website diabetes.org.uk

12 December 2020 • War Cry • 15

Christmas reminds us that love begins small but always grows Queen Elizabeth II