Christmas message 2008

Embargoed until Midnight, Tuesday 23rd December 2008

When Jesus Christ chose to save the world he came as a baby into a human family. Even the maker of this whole universe became the most dependant of all human beings. 

He shared a home with a mother and father and brothers and sisters. He showed us that human nurturing depends on trusting each other and taking responsibility for each other.

Part of the miracle of Christmas is that the salvation of the world involved Jesus learning to be human within a family.

Without profound commitment to each other we live less than a human life.

Commitment is God's fundamental pattern for all of us. The shame is that we seem to have lost the plot. We have so favoured casual and transient relationships, personal independence, frantic work practises that we're now ill equipped to deal with some of the tough times that lie ahead.

You see, tough times require powerful life skills learned from God, often through families. But what if we've chosen not to learn them? We're going to have to change our ways.

What do we need?

We need to connect with God in '09, through Jesus. That's called faith. Out of faith comes hope. The confidence that there is a future now matter how black the present appears " God's in charge of our present and our future.

And from faith and hope come love. The sort of love which Jesus had when he entered the world to save it.

Our community is going to need love " compassionate and generous care for each other. Looking out for each other when things are hard. Families are pretty good with that. That's God's normal method for us to help each other.

But in today's world not everyone has access to the help which comes from family. We're seeing the tragic effects of that isolation already.

That is why the challenge is to our whole community to turn back to God and then act like a family, living out the faith, hope and love which will help us to be compassionate and generous Australians.

Dr Peter Jensen
Anglican Archbishop of Sydney

For more information contact on 0411 692 499