25 Dec 2023
The days running up to Christmas are normally full of fun and laughter, with Christmas trees, decorations, lights, craft markets, shopping for last-minute presents, parties and carol singing. It’s what makes this season of Advent special.
Except this year, the conflict in Gaza and the war in Ukraine are casting deep shadows across our celebration of Christ’s birth.
We hear familiar passages from the prophets in the Old Testament that speak of the coming of the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God. The ancient texts are full of hope and expectation. They’re peppered with references to places like Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Gaza, Ashkelon and Ashdod.
The names of such places normally go over our heads, but this year those same names feature in media reports on a daily basis. Pictures of unimaginable carnage and killing fill our television screens. Tragically, the land into which Jesus Christ was born is still torn apart by war and violence.
Two thousand years have passed since the birth of the Prince of Peace. In the intervening centuries, many things have improved in the world, for which we give thanks.
But one thing, however, seems impervious to change, and that is human nature. Historic enmities, intolerance and greed continue to drive people to do terrible things. Hatred is like a virus. If its causes are not addressed, it mutates and infects another generation with resentment, who then seek revenge.
Jesus said that all these things, these evil things, come from within and they defile a person. He taught us that the journey to peace starts not with somebody else, but with each one of us. He calls us to self-examination and penitence and invites us to embrace a way of living whose hallmarks our integrity, generosity and mutual respect.
One of the most familiar Christmas carols captures this beautifully and turned it into a prayer.
O Holy Child of Bethlehem,
descend to us, we pray.
Cast out our sin and enter in;
Be born in us today.
It’s a prayer for inner transformation. To it, may we all say: Amen. And may the Prince of Peace give us his blessing.
I wish you all a very happy Christmas.
+Alan Smith
The Bishop of St Albans
