FOCUS

Feature
Our Christmas
Christmas is arguably the most important date in the Christian calendar (but of course there are others).
Archbishop Welby
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin
Welby reflected upon attacks on Christians
in Pakistan which were “not only designed to
inflict appalling suffering but also to sow fear
in the heart of Christian, and other minority
communities.”
“I spoke with some of the survivors of
these attacks, and I was deeply moved and
humbled by their extraordinary courage in
continuing to be faithful witnesses of Jesus,”
he said of his visit to the country.
“They spoke of knowing now more than
ever that Jesus is the Good Shepherd.”
Archbishop Welby asked for prayers for
those who live in safety that we may not be
bystanders afar off, beating our breasts as
we retire to the scrutiny of our homes, but
that we may draw nearer to the cross of
Jesus, stand there alongside our brothers
and sisters and be ready to take our part in
practical action for change.
“I pray that Christ will strengthen all his
people in our inner being with power through
the Holy Spirit to be faithful, to have courage
and to live in hope,” he said.
“In our common celebration of the light of
Jesus coming into the world, may we then
encourage and build up one other, and so
may the Church in every place, united in
suffering and in hope, shine with his light
and act with his strength, today.
Archbishop Freier
The Anglican Primate of Australia and
Archbishop of Melbourne, Dr Philip Freier
referenced the much-loved hymn, Joy to
the World.
It is, as the angel tells the shepherds, news
that should bring great joy to all.
That Christmas message of God’s love
and generosity stood in stark contrast to
one of the great problems of human nature,
our tendency to tribalism.
“As humans, we easily identify with our
in-group, whether defined by nation, race,
religion or some other source of identity,”
he said.
“This is a problem because it excludes
others; all those who do not belong to our
in-group.
“We see this in the so-called identity
politics that seem to have swept up so many
people in recent years.”
Archbishop Freier continued by saying that
today in Australia, as in much of the world,
people are looking to simplify the factors
that make up who they are.
“Sadly, all too often, this is done by defining
themselves in contrast to other people who
may then be rejected as outsiders,” he said.
“The gospel call that Jesus ushers in at
Christmas is to reject that small, stunted
identity, and to expand it to something larger,
something more generous, something more
loving.
“We love because we have received love.
We love because God first loved us.”
Archbishop Aspinall
The Archbishop of Brisbane, Dr Phillip
Aspinall, said the message of Christmas
was more important than ever because it
was about hope.
Dr Aspinall said the birth of a baby
provided a sense of a new beginning, of
life being refreshed and renewed, a sense
of new hope.
“… and this particular baby whose birth we
celebrate at Christmas does that in spades,
that life really became the turning point in
human history and people look back to that
birth and to the story of that life to give them
the sense of peace when they feel anxious
and to give them the sense of joy when life
seems to be disintegrating and a sense of
new possibility, that is what Christmas is
really about.
“The risk people face is to isolate
themselves, to shut themselves away and
to shut others out and to stop engaging
out of fear but Christmas talks about a new
possibility for human community where there
is a sense of compassion and a sense of
grace and mercy and forgiveness and people
can actually reach out to one another and
connect and be good and decent to one
another.”
“Yes there is doom and gloom in the world
and terrible things do happen and yet there
is light shining through that, there is a sense
of hope and a sense of joy.”
20 | FOCUS | February/March 2017