Its Beginning to Sound a lot like Christmas

When Figgins and I go walking, we typically stick to the sidewalks in our part of town or the paths along the hidden brook in the wooded area that runs through our neighborhood. This time of the year, however, we like to venture out near the more commercial areas, to enjoy the sights and sounds of Christmas. It seems that each time we go out, Christmas excitement is mounting and there's more to see and to hear. In the midst of all this, we like to seek out one of the things that we think typifies Christmas ... a sound you find in front of almost every large store ... the consistent ring, ring, ring of a hand-bell, held by a Salvation Army Volunteer, standing next to that familiar Red Kettle.

Although the sight of the Salvation Army Bell Ringer is familiar to most of us, at Christmas, many miss out on what a powerful blessing this scene represents. TV spots, featuring a Bell Ringer inserted in scenes of natural disasters and other scenes of human need, have provided some great visibility to what is accomplished through the simple but dedicated work of the Bell Ringers. Its truly amazing, when you check the Salvation Army Website and see all the needs that are served in this way ... Adult Rehabilitation, Family, Armed Forces, Disaster Relief, Human Trafficking and much more. And if what the Salvation Army does is amazing, their effectiveness in doing it is even more amazing ... 83 cents of every dollar placed in those little Red Kettles reaches the needy individuals served by the Salvation Army's programs.

In discussing this with Figgie, I emphasize that the Salvation Army's "sound of Christmas" is really a continuation of the very first Christmas message. If you're familiar with the Christmas story, you know that the announcement of the birth of Christ was made by an Angel to a group of "shepherds abiding in the field" (Luke 2:9-20). The first words of this greatest of announcements was "Fear not!" There is more packed into those two words than I can begin to define. But, those words have been a source of hope for billions over the past two-thousand-plus years. Especially in the midst of today's uncertainties, Figgie and I are comforted and encouraged through hearing that ongoing message, embedded in the ring, ring, ring of the bell in the hand of a present-day Christian Soldier, in the Salvation Army .