As bishops wrote or preached their greetings for Christmas this year, their common theme was the suffering that makes us aware of how much we need the redemption of Jesus Christ as God incarnate. Most of these greetings were collected by Anglican Communion News Service, and TLC gathered additional messages.
The Archbishops of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and Polynesia:
The birth of Jesus was an answer to prayer, but not the whole answer immediately. Jesus was not born an adult Saviour. He was born a helpless child. Jesus was an infant that needed to be fed and clothed, and nurtured and raised.
God showed them what hope was all about: the people prayed for a mighty tree, and God replied by giving them a tiny seed.
Hope, real hope, is about taking what blessings you have today and growing them. It takes courage to hope, because hope requires action. It requires us to stand up for what we hope for, and to do the work to make it real.
The Most Rev. Geoff Smith, Archbishop of Adelaide and Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia:
It is significant that the basis for Santa Claus who is celebrated by many at Christmas was a Christian bishop known for his generosity to the poor. It is estimated that 30 billion dollars was spent on Christmas in 2023 in Australia. This is a huge amount of money and much of it was probably spent on people who didn’t really need it.
One of our Christmas customs is gift giving. We give gifts and mostly receive gifts in return. One of our anxieties is trying to make sure the value of the gift we give will balance the gift we are likely to receive. I wonder whether we might consider alongside exchanging gifts, as part of following St Nicholas’ example, giving to people who can’t give to us in return.
The Most Rev. Anne Germond of the Anglican Church in Canada and Bishop Susan Johnson of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada:
Archbishop Anne Germond: I’ve been thinking about the shepherds lately. Not just any shepherds, but the ones to whom the angels announced the good news of Jesus’ birth. “I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.”
Bishop Susan Johnson: What did they do with that glorious good news? They went to find the child, to check out the sign that the angels had given them. We often see pictures of the shepherds surrounding Jesus, Mary and Joseph with adoration in their eyes.
Archbishop Anne Germond: And then what happened? As we read in Luke 2:17-18, “When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them.”
Bishop Susan Johnson: In other words, they told others about what they had seen and heard. They shared this message of hope for all people.
Archbishop Anne Germond: The fact that God came to earth in the form of a baby, Immanuel, God with us, is indeed a message of hope for all people.
The Rt. Rev. Rose Hudson-Wilkin, Bishop of Dover and the Bishop in Canterbury:
St. Paul in his message to the Church in Galatia reminds us ‘not to bite and devour one another lest we be consumed.’ I take this seriously and therefore personally do not wish to be part of the ongoing flailing noise of the crowds calling for resignations. In the story of the stilling of the storm, the disciples forgot that Jesus was present with them. Right now, if we are not careful, we too forget Jesus’ presence with us in the middle of the storm.
We are told that Jesus stilled the storm but then he asked the question of the disciples and of us, today, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” My sisters and brothers, I have faith in the Lord Jesus. I believe this is God’s Church. God does not ask me or you to defend him or the church. Instead, God asks of us to be faithful in proclaiming his love, his joy, his peace, his hope and his forgiveness.
I am in the boat with Jesus, and I will continue to be faithful in proclaiming God’s good news of love. Will you join me in remaining faithful and being channels of God’s love, joy, peace, hope, compassion and forgiveness?
The Most Rev. Dr. Thabo Makgoba, Archbishop of Cape Town:
[The shepherds’] story starts off in darkness, as they watched their flocks by night, but it ends in light as the brilliance of the hosts of angels fills the sky. In that simple transformation, we see the promise of change that this Gospel story holds, that as God’s message pierces the darkness, the silence is broken by angelic songs. I love the way that we are told that they rushed to find the place where Jesus, Mary and Joseph were. Scholars tell us that to have rushed there, they would have refused to take the long, tedious, winding back roads that they were legally obliged to travel on. No, they decided to use the main roads, the roads which were reserved for people who were ritually clean or of a higher class. In doing so, the shepherds literally took back the streets, reasserted their presence where it was forbidden, and thus took back their power.
That small detail presents to us the Christmas story as a lesson in how to take back power, opening new possibilities for us and for our world. Equally important is how the shepherds, who had been silent up to now, literally find their voices and praise God, telling everyone of the event that had been revealed to them. The Christmas message can empower us, as it empowered the shepherds, to break our silence and reclaim that which has been taken from us. It empowers us to reverse the old order so that we too share in the miracle of a new beginning, of new birth.
Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe of the Episcopal Church:
Among the Christmas Gospels, Luke is surely the crowd pleaser. Nearly our entire visual vocabulary of Christmas — the manger, the shepherds, the angels — comes from the second chapter of Luke. Thanks to Luke, we all know the answer to the trivia question, “Who was Quirinius?”
But if you go to church on Christmas morning, or if your congregation’s custom is to read a last Gospel on Christmas Eve, you will hear the beginning of the Gospel of John, which includes other words we all know: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” Christmas does not truly begin for me until I hear those words.
While Luke paints us a picture of a noisy and chaotic birth, in John we encounter the powerfully quiet mystery of the Incarnation. John brings us the astonishing truth that God lived among us as a person, “full of grace and truth,” ready to share the pain and sorrow of being human.
The Most Rev. Eamon Martin (Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland) and the Most Rev. John McDowell (the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland):
The hope-filled Canticle of Zechariah, which is prayed at Lauds every morning, speaks of the dawn from on high “breaking” upon us, “to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.” At Christmas time we should never forget that this same light guides our feet “into the way of peace.” The light of Christ breaks into our daily routine, just as it did for the watchful shepherds and wandering Magi on the first Christmas night. Our responsibility is to pass it on, as if to say in the words of 1 John 1:5: “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him is no darkness.”
We are called to ensure that the light of Bethlehem continues to stream out across the world, from Gaza to Ukraine, from Sudan to Syria, and on into our own homes, communities and workplaces across the island of Ireland. Where hatred, war and violence abound, the world falls deeper and deeper into darkness. Where the light of Christ is shared, love and peace shall be found.
The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem:
For those families of the faithful who have remained in the Holy Land, as well as those who have joined us, it is our privilege to continue to testify to the sacred light of Christ in the very places where He was born, ministered, and offered Himself on our behalf, rising victoriously from the grave to a new resurrected life. We do this by offering Him our worship at the holy sites; by welcoming pilgrims and visitors into our midst; by proclaiming His sacred Gospel to all who will hear; by continuing His ministries of teaching, healing, and loving-kindness; and by advocating for “liberty for the captives, and release to the prisoners” (Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18-19).
In this hopeful Christmas spirit, we give thanks to the Almighty for the recent ceasefire between two of the warring parties in our region, and we call for it to be expanded into Gaza and many other places, bringing an end to the wars that have plagued our part of the world. We likewise renew our appeal for the release of all prisoners and captives, the return of the homeless and displaced, the treatment of the sick and wounded, the relief of those who hunger and thirst, the restoration of unjustly seized or threatened properties, and the rebuilding of all public and private civilian structures that have been damaged or destroyed.
Finally, during this sacred Christmas season and beyond, we call upon all Christians and those of goodwill around the world to join us in praying and working towards this noble mission, both in Christ’s homeland and wherever there is conflict and strife. For by together doing so, we will indeed be truly honoring the Prince of Peace who was born so humbly in a stable in Bethlehem more than two millennia ago.
The Most Rev. Mark Strange, Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church:
The point is that when you gather, when you share, when you offer, you do something for the other person and that enables the sense of hope, hopefully, to grow. We will gather here again this evening. We will sing our carols. We will rejoice in the knowledge of all the uncertainty and anxiety and the knowledge of all the pain and hurt, but in the knowledge that one birth, one child, just made such a difference.
I hope and pray that as we remember the birth of Christ today, as we give thanks for that moment, we are able to reflect upon what we need to do, the words we need to speak, the actions we need to take so that we can truly follow the Christ child, enabling one another to walk together for that extra distance, enabling people to turn the other cheek rather than simply attacking, enabling those who have more than they could possibly ever need to share with those who are struggling. And if we can only do that in our own community, then so be it. We are people of hope. The world needs our hopefulness. Have a joyous Christmas.
The Most Rev. Ezekiel Kumir Kondo, Archbishop of the Province of Sudan and Bishop of Khartoum:
I repeat my appeal of the last year to the two warring parties, Sudanese Army and Rapid Support Forces and their supporters on this especial occasion to consider putting the guns beyond use and silence them for peace as a matter of urgency. [If we continue using guns], there will be no people left to rule over nor will there be a country called Sudan to live in. Enough is enough to the suffering of innocent people. Enough is enough to death. Life is precious in the eyes of God. He has created man in His own image.
As we celebrate Christmas at this exceptional time many with no food leave alone clothing for the children, let us not lose hope and faith in God. Let us call and lean on the Prince of Peace, who will rule with Justice and Righteousness. Let us abide in Him as long as we live.
Let us have faith in the Prince of Peace and call for the restoration of peace to our beloved country, Sudan. May the Leaders of our country see the suffering of the people and stop this war, which entered its 21 months.
The Most Rev. Andrew John, Archbishop of the Church in Wales:
Grief and loneliness have no blueprint, no easy solutions, there are no shortcuts. However, we are not without hope. Christmas, even in its simplicity, can surprise us with moments of connection. It might be found in a kind word from a stranger, a phone call with an old friend, or the joy of reaching out to someone who needs to know they’re remembered.
Christians see the birth of Jesus as God’s way of drawing near to us in our darkest places. That child in the manger is a sign that even in loneliness, there can be joy. This Christmas, I invite you to discover those signs that bring light and life.
My prayer is that no one will feel forgotten this Christmas and that all may find comfort, peace, and the promise of brighter days to come.
The Most Rev. Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York:
The birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Incarnation, literally the “enfleshing” of God in our very frail and very mortal humanity, is a demonstration and an embodying of love, a revelation of love, for which the old English word is “shewing.”
The word was made flesh and lived among us.
The word who is the heart and purpose of God, with God from the beginning, through whom all things were made flesh, sharing our humanity in the Christ child in the manger at Bethlehem.
God isn’t just speaking to us about love. God is showing us.
