Commissioner Betty Matear on The Salvation Army and the true meaning of Christmas

|PIC1|Commissioner Betty Matear is joint leader of The Salvation Army in the UK and the Republic of Ireland with her husband Commissioner John Matear who is Territorial Commander.

She shared some of her feelings about Christmas and the celebration of Christ's birth with Christian Today.


CT: The Salvation Army is renowned the world over for 'just being there' and many people associate Christmas with The Salvation Army singing or playing carols in the street. What mark do you want Salvationists to leave on people this Christmas?

BM: That's quite true! It's a reputation honed from hard work and unstinting commitment from an army of unnamed people in 113 countries. I have been privileged to have worked in a number of those countries in disaster times and heard words that said, 'you are among the first to arrive and the last to leave'.

The music-making you highlight is like the shop window of The Salvation Army. It is a vocal, focal and local presence. For some people it is their only contact with the Christmas story. It is a wonderful opportunity to share the message and to bring cheer, encouragement and a strengthening of faith. It is through musical presentation that we reach many people with a message of hope.

The behind-the-scenes, sleeves rolled up picture is a tangible expression of hope and help. The work and witness of Salvationists is about reaching out to broken and hurting people with practical love in God's name. Need knows no season and at all times human beings have a need to connect with one another and with God.

CT: Research from a Christian think tank (Theos) this month has found that only one in eight people in the UK knows the story of the birth of Jesus really well. Are you surprised or alarmed by that finding? How do you think Christians should respond?

BM: I read the results of the Theos research. I thought 'how can they know unless they are taught'. It is not knowing about Jesus or recalling data that is the issue. It is knowing and experiencing the life of Jesus and the reality of God - when the story of Jesus, however it is told, goes beyond memory or sentiment and becomes a vital experience, affecting the whole of our lives.

Christians are most effective when they live out the message of God's love and they can be the message in their neighbourhood. When positive relationships are made then Christians earn the right to share the faith and truth that is theirs. Christians need to be informed and able to explain and respond to those who ask.

I would also add that we should do so with openness and confidence. The faith we hold is not a private or personal hobby. It is Good News for all people.

CT: Some Christians are concerned that Christmas' Christian identity is being downplayed or driven out completely to appease people of different or no faith. Are we overreacting or do you share those concerns?

BM: Our identity, who we are, is fixed in what we believe and affects how we behave. Before we look at how others of different or no faith might dictate the terms, I would say Christians must be secure and confident in their faith and doctrine.

Central to it all is the place and person of Jesus. For the Christian, Jesus is the Son of God. Others may accept Jesus as a prophet, teacher and moral example and all of that is true, but the substance is Jesus as Son of God. Compromise is not the terms.

Of course, with those of no faith or other faiths it must not preclude dialogue on major issues of peace and respect for humanity, acceptance, regardless of race, gender or creed, but our Christian identity is on the foundation of Jesus as Son of God.

CT: How will you be celebrating the birth of Christ this year?

BM: Even in these early days of December we (Commissioners Betty and John) have been involved in various locations throughout the country in Advent Worship. We can rush into Christmas with no preparation or anticipation. This is a wonderful time to invite members of the Christian community and those who are seeking to 'Come and See'.

We already celebrate that people of all ages have discovered a personal advent. We take time to join with The Salvation Army band as they play Christmas carols. It is a pleasure to see the change in people's faces as they move within earshot.

We have made plans to visit a number of social centres in which The Salvation Army is involved here in London, where we live. We will meet with people who last year were homeless and who this year find themselves in a home with a greater measure of support and hope. We will visit a centre where young men and women, some involved in the gang culture of our inner city, live and when they come into their home they leave their gang and live in community.

Our last visit will be to an older people's home where we will share a word of Christmas joy.

When the schedules are worked through we will attend worship at a Salvation Army church, probably near where we live. Then, like most other families we will join with our son and enjoy a traditional Christmas meal, and then we might just sleep.

CT: The Salvation Army works with the most vulnerable in the community. What is your advice for, firstly, people celebrating Christmas alone this year, and, secondly, those who might find themselves brought down with post-Christmas blues come January?

BM: I would hope that those who are vulnerable would be identified and through the work of many groups some arrangements would be in place. Many Salvation Army centres and churches will be open to receive guests who would otherwise be alone. Community groups work to make it happen. Some of our volunteer helpers are people who would have been alone. There is joy in such togetherness, which is much more than providing a meal.

Post Christmas blues in January might be related to overspending and fear of debt. Christmas is not about consumerism. Love is not measured in expensive gifts. The worth of an individual is not linked to labels or possessions. Our sense of well being and worth comes from within. January is a natural time to take stock and begin afresh. It is a positive time.

CT: What are you looking forward to in 2008?

BM: 2008 has been very much in my thinking for some time. The diary is full and I look forward to visiting each corner of our land.

There is real privilege in standing with colleagues in their work and witness. I look forward to continued partnership with fellow Christians. Hope 2008 is firmly on the agenda to engage with local communities and make a difference. Put very simply, playing a part to make difference burns in my heart. None of us can do it alone.

Together, I believe we can build for tomorrow.



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