You can watch Bishop Andrew’s Christmas message or read the text below.
Christmas can be a melancholy time.
Amid the joyful noels and lively jingle bells, we hear the echoes of carols and songs that hint at the thread of sadness rumbling beneath the surface.
“O come, O come, Emmanuel!” “Lord, come quickly!” “Next year all our troubles will be out of sight.” The elusive perfect Christmas is always just a year away.
Separated from loved ones by distance or death, struggling to make Christmas merry amidst rising costs and scarcity, as creation groans and society seems more polarized every day, we struggle to find our footing and anticipate a time when everything will be just a little bit brighter. “In a year our troubles will be miles away,” says the song.
And we can’t help but look to the land of the Holy One and see the brokenness of our world. The sense of helplessness we feel as we witness the unfolding devastation turns into anger and frustration. We notice the same old patterns playing out, just as they have throughout human history. We are broken, and the world feels like a very dark place, indeed.
“Someday soon we all will be together, if the fates allow. Until then we’ll just have to muddle through somehow.”
And yet.
At Christmas, God chooses to be with us in that very brokenness. On that holy night in Bethlehem, a light entered the world to forever dispel the darkness.
The Incarnation, that manifestation of God’s profound love for us in Jesus Christ, brings a radiant hope to a world that often feels shrouded in shadows. A profound truth that shines brightly in the midst of darkest night. God breaks into our world as one of us and breaks every old pattern. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it.
There is no darkness, there is no brokenness, there is no hatred, there is no despair that can overcome it.
And we are part of this story, too. We are called to be beacons of Christ’s light in this world that still grapples with darkness.
In our words and in our actions and in our lives, we can embody the transformative power of Christ’s light – a light that can guide people out of despair and offer hope to those who need it most.
We can and we must let that light shine through us. We can choose to show kindness and generosity and grace to every neighbour. We are called to live in abundance. We are called to embody peace.
And we are called to gather as community at Christmas, because we are broken, and because we live in a world crying out for light. So that we may be made whole, by God’s love, through Christ Jesus. From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
So don’t wait. Don’t hesitate.
Have yourself a merry little Christmas now.
