War Cry 16 December

The dawn of a new story in Chicken Run sequel

WAR CRY

16 December 2023 50p/60c

In the mood for dancing Shirley Ballas on footwork, faith and finding emotional healing

Understanding the man who mapped out Narnia

What is The Salvation Army?

The Salvation Army is a Christian church and registered charity seeking to share the good news of Jesus and nurture committed followers of him. We also serve people without discrimination, care for creation and seek justice and reconciliation. We offer practical support and services in more than 700 centres throughout the UK. Go to salvationarmy.org.uk/find-a-church to find your nearest centre.

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 7658

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

From the editor’s desk DECEMBER can be a drab month, with some days never seeming to get light and the weather often swinging between sub-zero temperatures and howling wind and rain. The bright lights and colours of Christmas provide a welcome contrast.

For those of us living in the northern hemisphere, the concept of winter without Christmas is not a pleasant one. Yet that was exactly the scenario created by CS Lewis in his book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Worse still, in the land called Narnia discovered by four children through the back of a wardrobe, the Christmas-less winter lasts the whole year round.

While visiting this other world, the children encounter a variety of magical fantasy concepts and characters that continued through the whole series of Narnia novels. The books have intrigued literary scholar Jem Bloomfield.

‘They do something well that not a lot of fantasy novels manage: they are fantastical – in the sense that they include things that don’t happen in our world – but they also point us towards something mysterious beyond,’ Jem tells us in this week’s War Cry. He says that The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe includes references to various myths as well as the classic work Dante’s Inferno and children’s story, The Tale of Peter Rabbit. But he adds that ultimately the mysterious ‘something’ that the Narnia books point to is the truth behind the Christian faith.

For many readers, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’s main theme is of the lion Aslan sacrificing himself to save one of the children. In that episode, they see the sacrifice that Jesus made to save all humankind.

At Christmas-time, Christians are remembering the birth of Jesus some 2,000 years ago. It is because of the life he lived and the sacrifice he made as a man that the world was changed for ever. Because of what he did, people can experience a personal relationship with God – which is something that can bring light and colour to even the drabbest of times.

When you’ve read the War Cry, why not pass it on ➔ ➔ ➔

Email: warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory 1 Champion Park London SE5 8FJ Tel: 0845 634 0101 Subscriptions: 01933 445445 (option 1, option 1) or email: subscriptions@satcol.org Founder: William Booth General: Lyndon Buckingham Territorial Commander: Commissioner Anthony Cotterill Editor-in-Chief: Major Julian Watchorn Published weekly by The Salvation Army © The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory 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 CKN Print, Northampton, on sustainably sourced paper

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FEATURES

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The man who would be king ITV drama recreates the legend of Arthur

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INFO 15 Your local Salvation Army centre

CONTENTS 6

On your marks Shirley Ballas on what scores highly in her life

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Exploring Narnia The story behind The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

13 Egg-cellent animation Sequel to Chicken Run streams on Netflix REGULARS

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Team Talk and War Cry World

12 Now, There’s a Thought!

14 Puzzles 15 War Cry Kitchen Front-page picture: BLAKE EZRA STUDIOS

Warlord Arthur takes up the sword in ITV drama TV preview by Emily Bright

Arthur has impossible choices to make

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AIN is etched on the bloodstained face of Arthur (Iain De Caestecker) after a battle with the Saxons in fifthcentury Britain. His mythical tale is the subject of new drama The Winter King, which is available to stream on ITVX from Thursday (21 December). Wearily transporting a body home, he arrives at the royal fortress with tragic news – Mordred, the son of High King Uther (Eddie Marsan), is dead.

Based on the first of Bernard Cornwell’s three novels centred on the Arthurian legend, the drama depicts the palpably tense relationship between King Uther and Arthur, his illegitimate son. On hearing the news that Mordred, who was his only legitimate son, has been killed, the sovereign goes into a blind rage.

He attacks Arthur, and seems set to kill him, until Merlin (Nathaniel Martello-White) – Arthur’s mentor – steps in and advises that the young warlord be banished from the kingdom of Dumnonia. Arthur departs for Gaul to live out his sentence of exile.

Ten years later, Dumnonia is surrounded by enemies and strife. When the Queen goes into labour, it’s a source of hope for Uther’s succession. However, Merlin sees ominous signs that there is evil in the baby

boy – also named Mordred – and that he will bring death and destruction to his own people. The decisions that Merlin and Uther make about the child and whether to ask for Arthur’s help will determine the future of the kingdom.

Iain De Caestecker explains that the drama series is about ‘exploring what it means to be a leader – and a leader for good – and I think the toll that takes on somebody, the impossible choices you have to make and the sacrifices that you have to make. And decisions are literally life and death.’

All the characters face weighty choices.

And while the choices we have to make in our own lives may not exactly determine the future of kingdoms, they can still have a considerable impact on us and those around us.

Sometimes it can be difficult to know where to look for advice and wisdom.

In such times, millions of people have turned to an ancient text, the Bible. In it, a wise person says: ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take’ (Proverbs 3:5 and 6 New Living Translation). He knew that God could

Decisions are life and death

Merlin saves Arthur from being killed

be relied upon to see people through whatever difficult choices they may have to make.

In every circumstance, we have the option of asking for God’s help. He is the ultimate counsellor, encourager and wisdom-giver, who – if we let him – will be by our side in whatever battles we may face.

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ITV

Throne open

Team talk TEAM WA Dolly good support for Salvation Army KATHY HUTCHINS/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

talk ‘ TALK’ j All is calm? All is bright?

Claire Brine gives her take on a story catching the attention of War Cry reporters ‘HOW to reduce Christmas stress’ was the headline that caught my eye on the Ideal Home magazine website. What followed underneath was an article by regular contributor Andrea Childs in which she provided handy hints for a simplified, more relaxing Christmas.

After commenting on the feeling that there’s ‘so much to do’, she pointed readers towards The Calm Christmas Podcast with Beth Kempton. I decided to check it out and saw a number of episodes, with titles along the lines of ‘Making your home festive and cosy’ and ‘For the love of mindful gifting’. Beth, a well-being author, was promising to help me enjoy a ‘stress-free holiday season’.

I started pondering the various ways in which Christmas can be difficult and tense for people, but I then found myself questioning why so many people put pressure on themselves to have a ‘perfect Christmas’ anyway. If I’m honest, I’m not sure a perfect Christmas even exists. The very first Christmas – when Jesus was born – didn’t go smoothly. He didn’t even have a bed to sleep in, but was placed in a feeding trough for animals.

This year, as newspaper articles continue to report on the impact of the cost of living crisis, I imagine that Christmas could be a stressful time for many, no matter how many calming podcasts they listen to. That’s why I was heartened to see a Facebook post which reminded me of a different perspective.

‘You don’t need matching pyjamas to be happy,’ it said. ‘You don’t need an Insta pic with Santa to have a good Christmas.’

It went on: ‘You don’t need a mass of presents under the tree.’

Though TV adverts, festive influencers and high street stores would have us believe otherwise, I believe that Christmas really can be enjoyed – and celebrated fully – without all the trimmings. It’s not about our love of turkey or a colour-coordinated tree. It’s not about how picture-perfect we can make our lives look.

Christmas is about a baby whose birth brings joy, hope and peace to a broken world. It’s about finding a light that shines brighter than any darkness. And when we accept the gift of God’s Son, Jesus, into our lives, the celebrations can truly begin.

Christmas can be difficult and tense

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COUNTRY singer Dolly Parton has shown her support for The Salvation Army by launching its Christmas appeal at an American football game.

The 77-year-old performed a halftime show at the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Commanders to kick off the church and charity’s annual Red Kettle campaign, which raises money for its work in US communities. She also donated $1 million towards the campaign this year.

In an interview with American TV channel WUSA9, Dolly said: ‘I think it’s important for any organisation to do great work for the poor and the needy, but The Salvation Army happens to be the longest-running foundation of its kind in the world… I’m just so happy I got to put a million dollars in that bucket this year.

God’s been good to me, so I want to be good to people out there.’

Do you have a story to share? a warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk @TheWarCryUK TheWarCryUK

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Batter gives chapter and verse on success

Adrian and Oti

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STORMZY referenced the importance of his faith in conversation with fashion magazine Vogue.

During the interview with broadcaster Afua Hirsch, the rapper explained that his ‘greatest desire is to be a great man of God’. Afua also wrote that the star attends church and ‘to stay grounded, he relies on his deep Christian faith’.

BBC/BIG CIRCUS MEDIA

AUSTRALIAN cricketer Marnus Labuschagne has given thanks to God for his team’s World Cup win, Mail Online reported.

In an interview he said, ‘I’m a man of faith, I believe in God’ and described his participation in the tournament as ‘unbelievable’.

Pointing out that he had not even been in the squad for a pre-tournament tour of South Africa, he said that to then ‘play 19 games straight’ was ‘a miracle’ that left him ‘lost for words’.

The batter had previously said that the eagle graphic on his bat was linked to his favourite Bible verse, Isaiah 40:31, which says: ‘Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint’ (New International Version).

Christmas feast of religious programming THE BBC is marking the festive period with a variety of religious programmes.

In My Life at Christmas with Adrian Chiles, available on iPlayer, the TV and radio presenter interviews dancer Oti Mabuse, BBC world affairs editor John Simpson and TV stars Martin and Shirlie Kemp about how their festive memories reflect their lives, families, careers and faith.

BBC1 will broadcast Midnight Mass live from Portsmouth Cathedral on Christmas Eve and a Christmas morning service live from Manchester Cathedral.

In On Christmas Night, comedian Frank Skinner will be reading words from Luke’s Gospel which tell the story of angels proclaiming the news of Jesus’ birth to some shepherds.

Carols from King’s makes its traditional Christmas Eve appearance on BBC2. Held in the Chapel of King’s College, Cambridge, the service celebrates the Christmas story through music, readings and prayers.

On Christmas Day on Radio 2, singer Beverley Knight presents Beverley’s Great British Gospel Christmas, celebrating the best of UK gospel music, festive songs and traditional carols.

Before then, tomorrow (Sunday 17 December) Radio 3 presents a series of live and recorded Christmas concerts collated by the European Broadcasting Union from Stockholm, Amsterdam, Helsinki, Reykjavik, Copenhagen, Hanover and Paris for EBU Christmas around Europe.

On Wednesday 3 January the station will also broadcast a prerecorded carol concert which comes from the Chapel of Royal Holloway, University of London, to celebrate Epiphany.

A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King’s College, Cambridge, will be broadcast live on Radio 4 on Christmas Eve, with Midnight Mass to follow later. The channel will also broadcast the Archbishop of York’s morning service on Christmas Day.

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Dancing queen In an exclusive interview, dancing judge SHIRLEY BALLAS reflects on some of her all-time favourite ballroom moments, the hope she finds at Christmas-time and why God is a comforting presence in her life Interview by Claire Brine

Shirley, Strictly Come Dancing has been a family favourite on TV for many years. When you reflect on the show’s history, what particular moments or partnerships stand out in your memory – and why?

I will forever remember Kelvin and Oti’s samba, which was on the first show in the 2019 series. It took us all by such surprise.

I just remember leaping out of my seat mid-dance – I really didn’t know how he was going to top it. He came into the show last-minute, gave it his everything and went on to win the whole series!

And, of course, the beautiful silent dance by Rose and Giovanni in 2021 will forever be etched on my heart. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as soon as the music stopped – and they still do to this day. I have never heard the Strictly ballroom so quiet, it was just breathtaking.

As the head judge on Strictly, what particular qualities do you try to bring to the table when commenting on the celebrities’ dances?

Overall, I try to look at the whole package. I bring a combined 55 years of dancing, teaching and adjudicating experience to the table, and it is a real honour to play a small part in helping the celebrities improve each week.

At the beginning of the competition, I like to see the celebrities dance their routines to the best of their abilities, practise good footwork and get some

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fundamentals under their belts. Then, as the competition goes on, I look for more and more things like technique, rhythm, timing, styling, choreography and performance. It really is the most wonderful job.

In an interview with The Guardian last year, you were quoted as saying: ‘I’m a Christian, so I believe in God. I read the Bible when I have time, though I don’t get to church very often, and I feel guilty when I can’t. Faith is a personal thing; I feel blessed to have that spirit with me.’

How were you introduced to Christianity, and what were your early impressions of God? The first time I was introduced to Christianity was as a young child. I’d go to St Chad’s Church in Leasowe on a regular basis and expect the same church service each time. I’d go with my family, and I soon realised that other children went with their families too.

My early impression of God as a child was a person with whom you have to behave and keep quiet. I always remember being in the church and sitting quietly in the pew, scared to distract others around me. I viewed God as a person who was influential and authoritative.

Today, how would you describe the character of God? And what does he bring to your life?

God is all-seeing, all-forgiving. His

presence is everywhere and comforts me when in doubt, overwhelmed or under pressure. God brings the assurance that there’s always a light at the end of any tunnel.

Do you have a favourite Bible story, or perhaps a Christian hymn, which encourages you?

I think it’d have to be the hymn ‘The Lord of the Dance’, as this combines religion and dance while talking about Jesus’ life.

The words resonate with me.

God is all-seeing, all-forgiving Christmas is coming up, and Christians everywhere will be celebrating Jesus’ birth. What does the story of Christmas mean to you, and how will you be celebrating it?

If I’m honest, I used to struggle with Christmas because my brother lost his life to suicide during the festive period. So, it was a time that I related with sadness and loss. However, over the years I have managed to heal in order to see Christmas as a time of celebration, rejoicing in the birth of Jesus.

Each year, I am reminded how lucky I am to have friends and family. I spend precious time with them. And I always remember the more unfortunate people

who are suffering. I am an ambassador for the Campaign Against Living Miserably charity, and earlier this year I completed three challenges to raise money for them, including wing walking, zip lining and skydiving.

BLAKE EZRA STUDIOS

Christmas is also a time of year when many people decide to attend church for a carol service. You mentioned that you don’t get to church very often – but on the occasions when you are able to attend, what do you find enjoyable or comforting about it?

I find the traditional routine of the church service comforting as it’s similar all over the world. It gives time for reflection and reminds you of other people’s needs and suffering – not always thinking of yourself. Sadly, I don’t have time to go to church as often as I’d like but I sometimes offer my work, particularly my charity work, as a prayer to God.

Shirley Ballas

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The jumble book

CS Lewis’s classic novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a mix of a wide variety of mythological characters, images and references to other stories. Scholar JEM BLOOMFIELD explains why it’s worth ‘wandering into Narnia with an eye open’ to its literary connections Interview by Philip Halcrow

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ACCHUS, satyrs, giants … and Father Christmas? JRR Tolkien could not understand why CS Lewis was mixing mythologies together in his novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The author of The Lord of the Rings did not appreciate his friend’s tale of four children stepping into a wardrobe and out into Narnia, a world living under a witch’s spell that means it is ‘always winter, never Christmas’.

Tolkien’s verdict was: ‘It really won’t do!’

But it seems that, in many people’s eyes, it really does do. More than 70 years after it was published, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is still capturing people’s imagination on page, stage and screen.

‘When Lewis, Tolkien and their mates got together every week to read out their works in progress, they didn’t read the Narnia novels, because Tolkien really didn’t like them,’ says Jem Bloomfield, assistant professor of literature at Nottingham University, who has written a new literary guide to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. ‘Tolkien wondered what Lewis thought he was doing in bringing

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Jem Bloomfield

Father Christmas and classical satyrs and giants into the same book when they all belonged to different mythologies.

‘Fantasy fans often compare Lewis unfavourably with Tolkien. Middle-earth has its own languages, geography and a real sense of consistency and complexity. They praise Tolkien for it. Lewis, by comparison, gets criticised as being casual and not interested in consistency. Narnia seems bitty and fragmented.

‘But, for me, this is a crucial part of Lewis’s imagination. He is interested in jamming things together that apparently don’t make sense with each other and building them

into a fantasy world. He’s like a medieval allegorist depicting impossible things – like a heraldic shield where there are three leopards, a mermaid and the head of a knight with a unicorn’s horn coming out of it.’

Jem decided to write his guide, Paths in the Snow, after he began discussing The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe with interested students at his university and with a book group at the church he attends.

He wanted to approach it as literature – which meant, he says, ‘recognising it as having its own themes and meanings’ and looking for connections between it and other stories.

He adds: ‘Approaching it as literature also means not making the assumption that there’s a code in it and that once you’ve cracked it, you’ve got the answer, which is sometimes the way people are encouraged to think about literature. There can be a tendency to think that reading is about looking for a sort of x=y answer – and in the case of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe that you’re looking for a hidden significance and that once you’ve realised that the lion

He jams things together that apparently don’t make sense

Aslan is Jesus, the code is broken and you’ve got the answer to the book.’

Jem believes that ‘wandering into Narnia with an eye open to its literary connections’ can help readers to ‘experience the story and the characters on a more complex level’. Parallels to passages in the Bible, for instance, cast the character of Edmund in a particular light.

‘In one sense, Edmund is Adam,’ says Jem. ‘He is the fallen human who needs to be redeemed.

‘From another point of view Edmund is Judas. He gets up from the table where the children are sharing a meal with the beavers.

It’s the moment that he makes a conscious decision to go and carry out his act of betrayal, just as Judas left the Last Supper.’

However, Jem emphasises that Lewis does more than offer fictionalised copy-and-pastes of events and characters in the Bible.

‘The way some people talk about The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, you’d think that Lewis was basically writing the story of the Gospels, except that he was using talking animals rather than people – but that’s

Turn to page 10 f

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From page 9

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absolutely not true. Some of the most interesting bits are when he reshapes an image.

‘For instance, on the night before his death at the hands of the White Witch – an event that she sees as his execution but he sees as his sacrifice – Aslan is padding round the clearing. Susan and Lucy can’t sleep, so they get up and see him there.

They go to him and ask whether they can walk with him that night. He says that he’d really like them to, but they must go back when he tells them. They agree to do as he says.

‘When the time comes, Aslan goes off – as it turns out – to be sacrificed, and the girls witness it from afar.

‘Lewis has conflated the Bible’s story of Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night of his arrest with its account

CS Lewis

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of the women witnessing his crucifixion.

He hasn’t simply made x=y. He has looked at what happened with Jesus and asked himself where his characters sit in the story.

‘One of the things I really like about Lewis’s story is that in the Bible, Jesus asks his disciples to keep watch while he prays in Gethsemane, but they can’t stay awake; by making the girls unable to sleep, Lewis removes any sense of guilt from them.

‘Moreover, I suspect that most children have had more experience of not being able to sleep when they ought than of not being able to stay awake when they have responsibilities to fulfil before they go to bed.’

The Bible is far from the only source on which CS Lewis – a literary scholar himself – draws. Jem believes that even the opening few pages of the novel contain echoes of works as diverse as Dante’s Inferno and Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Classical figures appear on the scene, and Jem detects references to medieval quest stories.

‘I think that from a literary point of view, Lewis is interested in the way things can be reconciled – how a story, as is told in the Narnia novels, can involve Bacchus and Silenus as well as the Lion of Judah and what appears to be an AngloSaxon hall and allusions to Oscar Wilde and Evelyn Waugh.’

Yet Jem suggests that what he calls Lewis’s ‘reconciling imagination’ is about more than literary styles or genres.

‘Fragments and

allusions are important to Lewis because they represent one of the ways that he came back to his faith. He had been raised a Protestant but became a rigorously logical atheist early on in life. All the while he was absolutely in love with Viking and Scandinavian mythology and the southern classical mythology.

‘One of the objections to Christianity among intellectuals of his generation was that, when you study other cultures and their myths, you see that they have stories of gods who died and rose again or heroes who were said to be born of a virgin. So it seemed that there was no uniqueness about the Christian story.

‘But then, partly as a result of discussions with Tolkien, Lewis came to believe that

The books point to something beyond

there is a God, and he also became convinced that Christianity is the one true myth. In his eyes, when other stories looked like the story of Christ, it was because they were little shards that refracted parts of the truth. Human culture had been refracting this one true myth for centuries and centuries.

‘There’s a connection between the theory about history and myth – which brought him back to faith – and what he did as a writer in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, cramming lots of different mythological imagery into his story.’

Lewis’s Narnia books are unusual – and unusually good – in the way they handle their story, says Jem. ‘They do something well that not a lot of fantasy novels manage: they are fantastical – in the sense that they include

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things that don’t happen in our world – but they also point us towards something mysterious beyond. The more you read, the more you are intrigued to think about Narnia, but you’re also pointed away from the books.’

The events, the characters and the fantastical figures invite readers to consider something more.

‘The true myth to Lewis was the life, work and death of Jesus Christ. One of the things that excites him is that this myth is not merely a correct theory; it is about an actual person.

‘It’s almost like God writing myth with history. It’s not just a pattern of incarnation, sacrificial death, resurrection and glorification. It actually happened.’

l Paths in the Snow is published by Darton, Longman and Todd

Tilda Swinton as the White Witch in the 2005 film of ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ 16 December 2023 • WAR CRY • 11

Now, ther

Prayerlink THE War Cry invites readers to send in requests for prayer, including the first names of individuals and details of their ­circumstances, for publication. Send your Prayerlink requests to warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk or to War Cry, 1 Champion Park, Lon­don SE5 8FJ. Mark your correspondence ‘Confidential’.

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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.

a thou NOW, THERE’S A THOUGHT!

by Omolara Olusola

The most wonderful time of the year?

TRUTHFULLY, I find winter to be a difficult season. The weather is cold and dreary and, more often than not, the sun is playing hide and seek. There is usually a rush to the year’s finishing line, and we busy ourselves with wrapping up presents and projects. Admittedly there is some excitement and expectation, as we start planning our new year. However, before all that comes Christmas.

I know that Christmas is a special time of the year for a lot of people, but I never got the appeal. In 2020, however, I experienced the comfort that the season can bring.

I grew up in church, so I could tell you the structure of a Christmas service with my eyes closed. But when the Covid-19 pandemic hit the UK, things were different.

Families could not be together and services could not be held in person. The year was dark and filled with so much distance, silence and waiting.

Much like the annual Advent season, the whole of 2020 led many of us to reflect on the quality and purpose of our lives. In December of that year, a couple of days before Christmas, it was announced that people could only spend the holiday within their support bubbles, and lockdown measures would remain in place.

My family is tight-knit, so I was devastated, to say the least. My father was stranded abroad and my brother and sister-in-law were five hours away in the north of the country. My mum and I had a fridge full of food that was far too much for two people to finish, and church was happening only online.

Yet God was with me and with my family. The next day, a friend sent me the link to a virtual carol service. The song ‘O Come, O Come, Immanuel’ was sung, and it reminded me of a deep truth.

It is based on one of the names that the Bible gives to Jesus: Immanuel, which means ‘God with us’. Contained within that name is the story of Christmas, and the story of hope. In any of our dark times of isolation, pain, silence and waiting, we can remember that God came into the world as a baby, just to be with us. Because of that, we need never be alone, especially not at Christmas.

I never got the appeal of Christmas

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

Thank you, Lord Jesus.

Amen

" To receive basic reading about Christianity and information about The Salvation Army, complete this coupon and send it to

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War Cry 1 Champion Park London SE5 8FJ

Looking for help?

Name

Address

Extract from Why Jesus? by Nicky Gumbel published by Alpha International, 2011. Used by kind permission of Alpha International

Or email your name and postal address to warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk 12 • WAR CRY • 16 December 2023

AARDMAN/NETFLIX 2023

QUICK QUIZ 1 2 3 4 5 6

Which city is set to host the Olympics next summer?

Who plays Sister Julienne in the TV series Call the Midwife?

Which wedding anniversary is traditionally celebrated with silver?

In which country is the Appalachian Trail?

Who had a No 1 hit in 1966 with ‘Strangers in the Night’?

Which UK university has the Latin motto ‘Dominus illuminatio mea’, which translates as ‘The Lord is my light’?

ANSWERS

Wing leaders There’s danger ahead for chicken-kind Film feature by Claire Brine

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AST time, they broke out. This time, they are breaking in! After learning that chicken-kind is under threat, a group of feathered friends must undertake a new mission in the poultry heist film Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, which is streaming on Netflix.

Having pulled off a great egg-scape from Tweedy’s Farm some years ago, Ginger (voiced by Thandiwe Newton), Rocky (Zachary Levi) and the rest of their chicken gang are roosting in peace on a tranquil island.

As parents to a chick called Molly (Bella Ramsey), Ginger and Rocky couldn’t be happier with their lot.

But over on the mainland, there is trouble brewing. Mrs Tweedy (Miranda Richardson) has developed a new kind of fast food – the chicken nugget.

At her factory farm compound, in an area known as Fun-Land, chickens are brainwashed into feeling happy, making for much tastier and more tender meat. But, despite its utopian appearances, Fun-Land is dangerous. And when Molly ends up there, Ginger and Rocky must hatch a plan to get her and the others out.

‘From a chicken’s point of view, the creation of the world’s first chicken nugget is an apocalyptic event,’ says the film’s director, Sam Fell. The chickens are ‘breaking into a bigger and badder place than you’ve ever seen before’.

To stand a chance of saving their poultry pals, Ginger and Rocky need to be brave, smart and focused. But it’s not easy to be all those things when faced with never-ending obstacles. They are experiencing something many humans can relate to – a life full of problems and a sense that there’s no way out.

If we face times when we don’t know what to do, the Bible tells us that there is always hope. God is near. And, whatever difficulties lie before us, we can call on him and ask for strength to cope.

One Bible writer said that in tough situations God is a ‘refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble’ (Psalm 46:1 New International Version).

In times of need, we can afford to trust in a God who is bigger than any problem the world may throw at us. Together, we can make a cracking team!

They must hatch a plan

16 December 2023 • WAR CRY • 13

1. Paris. 2. Jenny Agutter. 3. The 25th.

4. The United States. 5. Frank Sinatra. 6. Oxford.

PUZZLES Quick CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. Stoneworker (5) 5. Small piece of ground (5) 8. Lounger (5) 9. Surpass (5) 10. The same (5) 11. Punitive (5) 12. Footwear (4) 15. Be present at (6) 17. Raw (5) 18. Preserve dead body (6) 20. Breeze (4) 25. Cereal (5) 26. Pulsate (5) 27. Cancel (5) 28. Praise (5) 29. Restaurant (5) 30. Underworld (5) DOWN 1. Morning prayer (6) 2. Artist’s workplace (6) 3. Chilly (5) 4. Lean (5) 5. Church dignitary (7) 6. Wig (6) 7. Bisected (6)

SUDOKU

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

4 5 1 1 2 2 3 4

13. Garment border (3) 14. Limb (3) 15. Fuss (3) 16. Religious sister (3) 17. Mountaineer (7)

18. Delighted (6) 19. Without vegetation (6) 21. Pressed (6) 22. Bores (6) 23. Essential (5) 24. Demise (5)

M O HONEYC B

Each solution starts on the coloured cell and reads clockwise round the number 1. Salad fruit 2. Short knife 3. Piece of burnt coal 4. Summer shoe 5. Young woman 6. Poem of 14 lines

ANSWERS 9 6 3 1 4 7 8 2 5

8 7 1 9 5 2 6 3 4

2 3 4

4 5 2 3 8 6 1 9 7

6 3 4 2 1 5 7 8 9

1 9 8 7 3 4 5 6 2

8 6

5 2 7 6 9 8 4 1 3

2 1 5 8 7 9 3 4 6 4 6

3 4 6 5 2 1 9 7 8

7 8 9 4 6 3 2 5 1

HONEYCOMB 1. Tomato. 2. Dagger. 3. Cinder.

4. Sandal. 5. Maiden. 6. Sonnet.

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS: 1. Mason. 5. Patch. 8. Idler. 9. Trump.

10. Equal. 11. Penal. 12. Shoe. 15. Attend. 17. Crude.

18. Embalm. 20. Wind. 25. Maize. 26. Throb.

27. Annul. 28. Exalt. 29. Diner. 30. Hades.

DOWN: 1. Matins. 2. Studio. 3. Nippy. 4. Slant.

5. Prelate. 6. Toupee. 7. Halved. 13. Hem. 14. Arm. 15. Ado. 16. Nun. 17. Climber. 18. Elated. 19. Barren.

21. Ironed. 22. Drills. 23. Vital. 24. Death.

14 • WAR CRY • 16 December 2023

3 4 8

9 2 4 8 7 6 5 1 9 5 4 3 5 4 9 8 6 4 6

W RDSEARCH

9 8 4 6 1 5 2 3 7 6 7 5 3 9 2 1 4 8 3 1 backwards 2 4 8 and 7 diagonally 5 6 9 Look up, down, forwards, on the grid to find these words associated with 1 9 3 2 7 6 8 the5 post 4 4 5 8 1 3 9 7 2 6 L Q E V K K GO S Q J H L R Y R I K 7 Q2E 6I Z5 L 4J N8 V 9Z D1 Z 3 I Y C R CWV A N N A Z SM D G7 L 5S X4 N 3V Z9 L 2 8 M6F 1 MS R Q Z GQ N RMQ N SM L GO R 2 W3L 9 L T D K Z XW B Z8W 6A Z1W 4T E7 Z 5 I Z Q R P I O 5 X4R 7X Q9D 2L T3 C 6T P8 A 1 A Q G T Y B Q B I A Y F C H U Z OW N KWX E Y B X R Q Z I D R S R L M S S Q D Z I J Z N E B R N H T Z E B J S F ME C I F F O T S O P O J V Z T E Q Z W B K WQ O L T C WM D N N Y R E V I L E D L A I C E P S A E Q Y D B Q R Q J Z BWP L S L P V T X Q D R C Y Z E E F E G A T S O P O S S A Q Z Q R LWX Y Q S R L F B Q X H ZWG T Z R YWP O S T C O D E B G C D Q Z Q Y L Q F MK X P E QG Z I B R B H C T A P S I D G C O L P F

ADDRESS CUSTOMS DISPATCH ENVELOPE FIRST-CLASS LETTERBOX

PARCEL PO BOX POST OFFICE POSTAGE FEE POSTCODE RETURNS LABEL

SECOND-CLASS SIGNATURE SNAIL MAIL SPECIAL DELIVERY STAMP TRACK

Gingerbread house INGREDIENTS

METHOD

1kg plain flour

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4.

500g butter

Place the flour, butter and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl and rub together to create breadcrumbs, then add the sugar, ginger and cinnamon and mix well.

3tsp bicarbonate of soda 250g light brown sugar 3tsp ground ginger 1tsp ground cinnamon 4 eggs © NATIONAL TRUST IMAGES, VICKI BLATCHLEY

200g golden syrup Royal icing, caramel or chocolate, to assemble

Lightly beat the eggs and golden syrup together in a separate bowl, then add to the dry mixture and stir to form a dough. Roll out the dough to 4mm thickness on a sheet of greaseproof paper.

To create the templates, plan out the shape of the gingerbread house and draw all the pieces on paper, then cut them out. Place the templates on the dough and cut round them.

Repeat until the wall, roof, window and door pieces are cut out and all the dough has been used. Reroll the dough if needed.

Place the dough shapes on baking trays and bake for 12-15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Use the royal icing, caramel or chocolate to stick the pieces together and assemble into a house, then decorate as desired.

MAKES 12

Festive spiced muffins INGREDIENTS

METHOD

For the muffins

Preheat the oven to 190C/Gas Mark 5 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with baking paper muffin cases.

100g dried mixed fruit 100g dried cranberries 50g mixed peel 4tsp ground mixed spice 400g self-raising flour 250g caster sugar 1tsp ground cinnamon 2 eggs © NATIONAL TRUST IMAGES, WILLIAM SHAW

250ml soya milk 150ml vegetable oil For the frosting 150g butter, at room temperature

Put the dried mixed fruit, dried cranberries, mixed peel and mixed spice in a bowl and add the flour, caster sugar and cinnamon. Combine.

Whisk the eggs, soya milk and oil in another bowl until frothy, then tip into the dry ingredients bowl. Use a spatula to mix together.

Divide the mixture evenly between the paper cases, then bake for 20-25 minutes, until the muffins have risen and are golden. Remove from the oven and leave on a wire rack to cool.

To make the frosting, beat the butter in a bowl until soft. Gradually beat in the icing sugar.

Once the muffins are cool, spoon the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm plain or star nozzle. Pipe the frosting on the muffins and sprinkle the cinnamon over the top, to serve.

300g icing sugar, sifted 1tsp ground cinnamon Recipes reprinted, with permission, from the National Trust website nationaltrust.org.uk

16 December 2023 • WAR CRY • 15

GLAD TIDINGS OF GREAT

JOY From ‘While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks’

by Nahum Tate

WAR CRY