Most bishops write reflections at Christmas, and many of this year’s letters either allude to or elaborate on the war between Israel and Hamas. Here are several excerpts from this year’s letters, concentrating on their theological contents:
The Most Rev. Justin Welby
Archbishop of Canterbury
As we celebrate Christmas at this exceptional time some with no food leave alone clothing for the children, let us not lose faith in God. Let us call and lean on the Prince of Peace, who will rule with Justice and Righteousness.
When Christians pray for peace, as I do every day, that is an expression of hope. When Christians join together, worship and pray together, despite their differences, despite their tangled histories, that is a sign of hope. When Christians raise their voices in concern, and call for the pursuit of peace and justice, that is the making plain of hope.
What else should we say at Christmas, but that Christ’s coming into the world is the greatest statement of hope ever made! God reveals himself in Christ, the Word made flesh, the Son of God and Son of Man, and the light of truth is made present amongst us in Christ. Let us, brothers and sisters in Christ, hold on to that, celebrate that, pray and praise as ever we should that presence of Christ amongst us, as God’s great gift to the world. The light shines in the darkness.
The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry
Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church
The message of the angel is as scandalous and striking now as it was then. For in it is embedded God’s message in the death and resurrection of Jesus: to trust and believe in the invincibility of the good in spite of the titanic reality of evil, because God is good all the time. To trust and believe in the enduring power of love, of truth, of the good, and of justice when the reality of the opposite seems so prodigious.
To trust and believe in the enduring power of love, justice, kindness, and compassion, all because God is love and the author of all that is true, noble, and just. “Do not be afraid,” the Scripture says, “for see, 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. And this will be a sign for you: You will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.”
Lord, we pray, give us this sign anew. Give us the lowly, the tired, those of high estate and low, and those of no estate. Church folk, those who haven’t stepped through the red doors for years or ever, give us all a sign. Give us the working, the watching, the weeping. Give us that sign anew; as you did in the first century, so now in the 21st. Give us the expected, the faithful, the passionate, the undeserving; give us a sign.
“The angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all people: To you is born this day in the city of David, a savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.’”
The Rt. Rev. Paula Clark
Bishop of Chicago
Beginning with the very first words of Genesis, the light is a sign that God is with us. Especially in difficult or troubled times, when it seems that night never ends, God comes to us in stars and fires, lighting our path and showing us the way. Here in the bleak midwinter, that light is especially powerful, as it surely was to the shepherds in the fields and the magi finding their way to Bethlehem bearing gifts for the Christ Child.
Beloved, this Christmas, as war rages and too many of God’s people live in fear, let the stars of the night and the awe of the people be a sign to you that Emmanuel has come, that God is with us. My prayer this Christmas is that you and those you love will be blessed with the brightness of the true Light, now and forevermore.
The Rt. Rev. Glenda S. Curry
Bishop of Alabama
We can trust that because God sent Jesus the light into the world of darkness, God will be with us in the middle of our limitations. When we place God at the center of our finances, at the center of our fears, at the center of our darkness, at the center of our pain, God will bring Christmas, Emmanuel: God with us.
The incarnation, that is, God coming alive in the flesh, is a mystery. Nothing about God entering our world as a human baby makes logical sense. No God of any consequence would come in weakness, be vulnerable or helpless. No God would come in humility, without armies, unarmed and powerless.
But on this day so long ago, God said to us, “I love you” by becoming one of us, beginning life as a baby. In Bethlehem’s stable we find not only a baby, but our destiny. In Bethlehem, we learn that “all ground is holy ground because God not only made it, but was born on it, walked on it, ate, slept, worked and died on it” (Buechner, Frederick [1973]. Wishful Thinking: A Theological Lexicon. HarperCollins).
The Most Rev. Ezekiel Kondo
Archbishop of Sudan and Bishop of Khartoum:
In the darkness, the light has shown. “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire” (Isa. 9:1-2; 4-9). [Isaiah] speaks about a son who is a King and who comes with great power whose government will last forever and he will rule with justice, righteousness, and people will live in peace.
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6).
The Rt. Rev. Frank S. Logue
Bishop of Georgia
For when the Word, who is Jesus, became flesh and dwelt among us, the second person of the Trinity experienced this moment, finding himself in the eyes of his mother, Mary, and then seeing the love shining on Joseph’s face.
The love that is God, experienced this magical moment of recognition of perfect love looking on him.
The God who is love did not stand back like a disinterested clockmaker watching from afar, or as a righteous judge ready to condemn. The God who is love needed nothing, and yet created us out of love for love. Then the second person of the Trinity chose to enter into creation and became the neediest being of all, a baby, dependent on parents for everything. In this baby is love, for love is always vulnerable.
The Rt. Rev. Megan Traquair
Bishop of Northern California
We have wonderful celebrations that are marked with decorations with music with singing with laughter and with gathering. Sometimes, when we hold that up against the problems of the world, it can seem that the problems of the world overshadow it.
But I have to say that we need to remember not only what’s happening with the wars in the Middle East and the Ukraine, the needs of our communities, our own fallible creatureliness, we have to hold up the other side. Because the birth of Christ that we celebrate is the action of God to save the world. That long-running plan of rescue and restoration that became visible in the birth of Jesus has continued to our day.
Restoration and healing is already afoot in our world. It is already happening in our churches and in our families. And so we sing carols, and we have delightful food. But most of all, in this the feast of Christmas, we fall upon our knees in adoration of the God who moved in this way, who sent His Son. For unto us a child is born. Unto us a son is given. Authority rests upon his shoulders, and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Merry Christmas.
Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem:
Here, we must remember that during the first Christmas, the situation was not far removed from that of today. Thus, the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph had difficulty finding a place for their son’s birth. There was the killing of children. There was military occupation. And there was the Holy Family becoming displaced as refugees. Outwardly, there was no reason for celebration other than the birth of the Lord Jesus.
In Christ’s Incarnation, the Almighty came to us as Immanuel, “God with us” (Matt. 1:23), in order to save, redeem, and transform us. This was to fulfill the words of the Prophet Isaiah: “The Lord has anointed me … to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Isa. 61:1-2a; Luke 4:18-19).
