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A Christmas message from the Bishop of Down and Dromore

A Christmas message from the Bishop of Down and Dromore

Christmas is about the vulnerability of a baby. Many of us have been deeply shocked by the harm caused to babies and infants in places like Syria and the Yemen. The pictures we see are so horrific that they play havoc, rightly, with our emotions. We cannot imagine how these things can be and yet, very quickly we realise that the answer is simple: babies have very little to offer a world of power–hungry people who care more about their own wealth and status.

But, Christianity begins with a baby – a vulnerable baby. It begins even before that when the little foetus that Mary is carrying leaps in her womb. How we perceive babies and life in the womb is a real test of our Christian faith. It is in small babies that we see weakness, dependency, trust, but also the potential for the future of the world.

I have to admit that, if I had been God, I would not have sent myself into such a vulnerable place. And yet, God is in Christ, reconciling the world to himself – God becomes vulnerable at Christmas. Dependent on the protection of a mother, endangered by the filth of a stable and life–threatened by a cruel and determined King Herod.

If a key element of Christianity is Christ–likeness, then the challenge of Christmas is both to make ourselves vulnerable in the service of others, and to protect the needs of the most vulnerable and weak in our society. That makes Christmas real!

+Harold
Down & Dromore

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