Concord Chronicle

As I sit here reflecting on the eve of Christmas Eve, I am truly grateful for all that has transpired and been accomplished over these last several weeks. I say it over and over again, but God is good! When the days rolled into nights and nights into days, He has proven that He is Jehovah Jireh - "the Lord will provide". He has provided stamina even through illnesses, donations, volunteers, community support, opportunities to connect with those in need, and joyful hearts.

It's not wise to remain at this pace for an extended amount of time, but I think of those who do work 2 or 3 jobs just to make ends meet or professions where they are required to work 10-12 hours shifts all year long - for example, fire fighters, doctors, nurses, deep sea fishermen, field workers, etc. We have one bell ringer who works a morning shift and then reports for duty midday and works until the end of the shift. We have volunteers that work full-time jobs and then on their "off time", they are doing things on our behalf. So I don't feel the right to complain.

However, I am again humbled that we have this opportunity to serve in this way. We are trusted in the community to "do the most good". It is a huge responsibility that is not taken lightly.

Thanks to all who have helped make this happen. I don't have the brain power to summarize the statistics just now, but I will definitely share the details as to how many people/families were served in this month alone in the new year. Each week I try to highlight what our corps does, but at the end of my message, I have included a message from our Divisional Commander. He tells a tale of all the ministries reflected in the Del Oro Division. Thank you for being a part of this ministry!

At the end of the newsletter, I have included a video my brother-in-law shared with me. It is a compilation song in English, Hebrew, and Arabic. It is by One For Israel Ministry. It is Jews and Arabs celebrating Jesus as ONE in Jerusalem. They have said, "During this time, we wanted to join together as Jewish and Arab followers of Jesus. No matter when you celebrate, our passion is to point people to salvation and find unity in worshiping our King Messiah."

I was blessed by this. I know you will be blessed too.

We hope to see you on Christmas Eve Sunday. Service is at 11 AM, normal time. There is no evening service this year. If you don't make it, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

AnnMarguerite Jones

My grandson and I were chatting about where the names we use for the days of the week come from and the subject of “Sabbath” came up.

Of course, in English the names for the days of the week are based on the Sun, Moon, and Saturn, plus the names of four Norse gods — if you are interested, Google is your friend!

In his multicultural studies in high school he had learned that most of the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Islam, and Christianity) set aside one day of the week for contemplation and religious observances and the most predominant in Christianity is called a “sabbath”. Note that since this is usually observed on the first day of the week , “Sunday”, it is different than the Jewish “Sabbath Day” which is on Saturday.

Sunday is often referred to as “the Lord’s Day” commemorating the day of the resurrection, since arguably that is the most significant day in any Christian’s life.

As a child I grew up in a culture (Presbyterian Calvinist), which seemed to be bent on sucking any joy to be had out of resting from normal labor on the first day of the week. No games, no watching TV, even running was considered “frivolous” and unseemly. It seemed to me as if God wanted to bore people to distraction! It was only many years later that I found the answer in scripture:

One Sabbath day as Jesus was walking through some grainfields, his disciples began breaking off heads of grain to eat. But the Pharisees said to Jesus, “Look, why are they breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?” Jesus said to them, “Haven’t you ever read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He went into the house of God (during the days when Abiathar was high priest) and broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests are allowed to eat. He also gave some to his companions.” Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!” Mark 2:23-28 NLT

I believe the key to understanding the sabbath is Jesus’ answer to the religious authorities in the KJV translation of verse 27:

“The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath”!

This world pulsates with energy. The clock ticks, deadlines loom, and the to-do list never seems to end. In this constant churn of activity, it's easy to lose ourselves in the pursuit of "more." But within this relentless rhythm, God offers a precious gift: the Sabbath. That’s right, the Sabbath is a gift of God to the human race.

As a boy, asking “Why?”, the only answer I was ever given was that observing a Sabbath was one of the Ten Commandments — and so it is, but the “Why?” still lingered.

The Sabbath, a day set aside for rest and worship, isn't just a religious practice; it's a fundamental human need. Just as the earth needs a fallow season to replenish its resources, we need a day to rest our minds, bodies, and spirits.

In Genesis, we see God setting the example, resting on the seventh day after the work of creation. Note that God was not “tired out” or weakened by his creative work (how could He possibly be?), rather He was proud of it and took time out to admire and appreciate the beauty He had created!

He invites us to follow his lead, to step off the hamster wheel and rest, relax, contemplate, luxuriate, and enter into his peace.

Observing the Sabbath isn't just about stopping work. It's about creating space for connection.

We connect with God through prayer, reflection, and worship. We connect with ourselves through introspection and contemplation. And we connect with others through fellowship, shared meals, meaningful conversations, and acts of service.

In a world that often values productivity over presence, the Sabbath is a radical act of resistance. It's a declaration that we are not simply human doings, but human beings, worthy of rest and renewal.

It's a reminder that our worth doesn't come from what we achieve, but from who we are – beloved children of God.

Let me encourage you to accept God’s offer of His gift of rest and relaxation. Set aside at least one day in the week especially to marinate in appreciation of the blessings of being a much loved child. Connect with God’s family. Instead of an obligation, let it become one of life’s greatest pleasures and you’ll not only keep a commandment, you’ll be physically, emotionally and spiritually better because of it.

Blessings on you and yours,

Jim Black

P.S. If you’d like to read previous ruminations of mine they can be found at https://www.salvationarmyconcordca.org/chronicle/?category=Bible%20Study

MONDAY - Office Closed - Christmas Day

TUESDAY

• 6:00 PM - Men's Bible Study - Fireside Room
• NOTE: No Craft Class, Adult Bible Study, nor music rehearsals tonight.

WEDNESDAY - No CAMEO Meeting this week.

SUNDAY

Captain Joe West, Oakland ARC Administrator, will be leading the service while the Jones family will be down in Southern California for the Balloon Parade (San Diego) and Rose Parade (Pasadena).

Incarnation explores the meaning behind the names of Christ and what they tell us about the child whose birth we celebrate at Christmas. Reflect upon the significance of the Christ-child for our lives and the world today!

The five-week series includes worship service materials for the four Sundays of Advent, Christmas Eve Service, and Sunday after Christmas.

This series is inspired by Incarnation: Rediscovering the Significance of Christmas by Adam Hamilton (Abingdon Press, 2020).

In review, we've been blessed to worship together as we reflected on the themes:

• December 3 - Jesus is King - With Commissioners Doug & Colleen Riley
• December 10 - Jesus is Savior - With Open City Dance Troup
• December 17 - Jesus is Worthy

We will continue with the series tomorrow with:

• December 24 - Jesus is Here
• December 31 - Jesus is Lord

We hope that you will be able to join us!

This initiative of turning our thoughts and prayers towards the same part of the world at some point in the same week is a beautiful way to unite us as a global Army family and I thank you for the commitment you each give to this.

International Salvation Army

International Leaders: General Lyndon and Commissioner Bronwyn Buckingham

Commissioners Douglas and Colleen Riley, Territorial Leaders of the USA Western Territory have announced that the territory will hold a Congress in June 2024.

This will be an opportunity for Salvationists from across the territory to join in times of corporate worship, celebration and fellowship.

On accepting the invite to the Congress, The General said, “We are thrilled that we are able to accept this invitation. We love the theme, Testify. We want a Salvation Army where people feel confident to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Never underestimate the power of a Testimony!”

Commissioner Douglas Riley says, “We are praying that the events that take place not only Glorify God, but challenge each one of us to tell the story of Jesus more often, and to more people, through words and actions.

During the Congress delegates will:

• Attend four main meetings featuring the preaching of The General and Commissioner Buckingham.
• Share in five family-wide meals.
  
• Have the opportunity to learn more about “sharing your own story”.
  
• Attend workshops and training seminars on holiness, bible study, and evangelism.
  
• Celebrate our creativity through music and worship arts concerts.
  
• Witness our youth participate in Encore and Bible Bowl.
  
• Experience the joy of Commissioning events.
  
• Witness The General enroll new soldiers.
  

The weekend will be centered around the challenge found in 1 Peter 3:15:

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”

View Program Guide (PDF)

Where? (Where America's Got Talent is filmed!)

Pasadena Convention Center

300 E. Green Street

Pasadena, CA 91101

When? June 14-16

Officers' Councils (including Retired Officers) will be held on Thursday, June 13, with The General.

Registration Information - ONLY $100

Registration INCLUDES all the main meetings or child care AND five congress meals.

Register here: https://events.usawest.org/

Please let Majors Gwyn or AnnMarguerite know if you are interested in going. We need to book hotel rooms VERY SOON! The Corps will help subsidize some of the expenses. We would like to have a large delegation or representation of the Concord Corps.

Email: annmarguerite.jones@usw.salvationarmy.org
Website: https://www.SalvationArmyConcordCA.org
Location: 3950 Clayton Road, Concord, CA, USA
Phone: (925) 676-6180
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tsaconcord