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This is the first time I have had the
privilege of sharing the Message of Christmas with
you, and this Christmas the age-old message of God's
love for his world, in the form of an innocent child
offered as a Saviour to a world riddled with selfishness
and injustice is, I believe, particularly in need
of being heard after what has been such an outstanding
year, outstanding that is for its pain, suffering
and loss of innocent lives.
At the time of writing this message, I have heard
comments from those still frozen by shock and anger
that we should cancel Christmas!! No, this Christmas
the real meaning of 25th December, with its focus,
not on worldly values, but on the trust and simplicity
of Mary, the obedience and joy of the shepherds, the
support and care of Joseph and the new beginning with
a new life, is needed as never before.
It is not an accident that Christmas comes at the
deepest, darkest moment in the year, mid winter, because
in that darkness the light of Jesus shines the brightest
and gives us hope and acts as a lantern to show us
the way into the future. A very different future than
the one we all celebrated at the famous or infamous
Millennium celebrations so recently.
To give value to the lost innocence of this past
year we need to rediscover the true meaning of Christmas
and to do that may mean spending less time and money
in Tesco and more time and attention, without the
trivialities, with those we love, quality time not
as is usually the case exhausted time after the bizarre
frenzied preparations of past Christmases.
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