Yesterday as I came out of the grocery store there was a middle-aged woman in a wheelchair tending the red Salvation Army Kettle. She was wonderful - greeting everyone who passed by, blessing them and wishing them a "Merry Christmas!"

As I drove home I thought about how happy she was, especially on a very chilly and windy day in Virginia. She was setting a great example of what it means to be a Christian.

Please remember with your prayers, time, and treasury both the people helped by the Salvation Army and the people at the Salvation Army who help people. If you can, remember to put a dollar or two into every red kettle you pass.

They are a Protestant church, basically Methodism minus any sacraments. They used to have a shop nearby where I'd look for vintage clothes and other good stuff, such as a mirror in a carved wooden frame from Nepal. No conscience problem; I was paying them like I would any business. And you're right; they're nice and they do good. But know what they are.

There is still enough residual Lutheran in me to quote from memory the 7th Article of the Confession of Augsburg (AD 1530):

"The Church is that assembly of believers in which the Gospel is preached in its purity and the Sacraments are administered rightly".

By that definition: No Sacraments = no church.

A religious organization with some semblance to Christianity, yes,

But certainly not Church as we know.

Nevertheless, nationally The Salvation Army has been able to pass at least 82 cents of every dollar collected into aid to persons in need; and, unlike another well known disaster relief organization, provides its services at no charge and with no thought of collecting later from the individuals assisted or from Insurance.