FROM: Banbury, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
ABOUT ME: Living the highs and lows of life in the adventurous pursuit of God Himself and of who I'm meant to be as the Bride of Christ.
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Tuesday, December 06, 2005,12:08 a.m.
Stealing from Danielle Strickland
Every once in a while I steal a blog from a friend who has said something brilliant. And since I'm definitely into the eradication of meaningless duties and instead the undergirding of every action of worship and service with a heart that burns with zealous love for the Saviour, Danielle's blog today was, well, brilliant. Enjoy.
My friend called the other day and the subject turned to kettles (the christmas fundraiser extravaganza of the SA world - 'my God owns the kettles in a thousand malls...'). She said her officer made kettles an obligation of every soldier - so she took two shifts a week BUT really didn't feel like doing it so she paid others to do her shift.
Either this is an ingenious way of getting through the kettle season as a soldier, without getting frostbite OR it's a micro of a macro army problem. Not to judge this particular soldier (she is quite clever and really shouldn't be blamed for thinking outside of the box on this one) BUT it is an army thing to pay people to do what used to be our 'duty'. We pay shelter workers and chaplains (that aren't even in any of our Corps) and workers in homes for battered women, and fundraisers and so much more - all positions and places where soldiers once felt it their duty to be and their obligation to do. Now we simply oblige by paying someone else. So where is the problem in that?
I guess the real problem isn't that we don't feel it's our duty (obviously we still feel the duty bit or we wouldn't waste our time paying someone to do the job) BUT it's that our love leaked out of our duty. See, duty without love isn't what the Lord requires. As a matter of fact He hates obligatory worship - it's smells like hypocrisy to heaven and the good Lord knows He hates the stink of that! Love is measured in obedience... not duty. What does love look like? I've never heard said it looked like standing, freezing in the cold asking for money from the wealthy on behalf of the poor - but I guess that ain't a bad way to show a little love this Christmas.
Bottom line: do some duty laced with love this season - go on, spend your money on something else!
Just thinking outloud.
Great Grace.
Danielle
(Danielle and her husband, Stephen Court, are officers (pastors) at The Salvation Army 614 Vancouver congregation and overseers of and teachers at The War College in Vancouver, BC.)
My friend called the other day and the subject turned to kettles (the christmas fundraiser extravaganza of the SA world - 'my God owns the kettles in a thousand malls...'). She said her officer made kettles an obligation of every soldier - so she took two shifts a week BUT really didn't feel like doing it so she paid others to do her shift.
Either this is an ingenious way of getting through the kettle season as a soldier, without getting frostbite OR it's a micro of a macro army problem. Not to judge this particular soldier (she is quite clever and really shouldn't be blamed for thinking outside of the box on this one) BUT it is an army thing to pay people to do what used to be our 'duty'. We pay shelter workers and chaplains (that aren't even in any of our Corps) and workers in homes for battered women, and fundraisers and so much more - all positions and places where soldiers once felt it their duty to be and their obligation to do. Now we simply oblige by paying someone else. So where is the problem in that?
I guess the real problem isn't that we don't feel it's our duty (obviously we still feel the duty bit or we wouldn't waste our time paying someone to do the job) BUT it's that our love leaked out of our duty. See, duty without love isn't what the Lord requires. As a matter of fact He hates obligatory worship - it's smells like hypocrisy to heaven and the good Lord knows He hates the stink of that! Love is measured in obedience... not duty. What does love look like? I've never heard said it looked like standing, freezing in the cold asking for money from the wealthy on behalf of the poor - but I guess that ain't a bad way to show a little love this Christmas.
Bottom line: do some duty laced with love this season - go on, spend your money on something else!
Just thinking outloud.
Great Grace.
Danielle
(Danielle and her husband, Stephen Court, are officers (pastors) at The Salvation Army 614 Vancouver congregation and overseers of and teachers at The War College in Vancouver, BC.)
