The angels appear to the shepherds and give their good tidings of great joy and announce the birth of Christ. They declare peace on earth. Scripture references Jesus as the Prince of Peace.
And yet.
And yet there are over 30 ongoing conflicts in the world right now, ranging from drug wars, terrorist insurgencies, ethnic conflicts and civil wars.
Most recently we have been captured by the daily briefings on the war between Israel and Hamas. Gaza is not the place where Jesus was born, but it is a place where the people who live in the neighbourhood of the shepherds’ field and the people who live in the neighbourhood of Bethlehem have friends and family.
How do we sing O Holy Night when unholy things are happening in Gaza, Ukraine, Mexico, Sudan and in so many other places in our world?
How can we sing Silent Night when rockets and bombs and guns are exploding all over our world?
How can we sing O Little Town of Bethlehem when we know that all of the checkpoints are closed and that people are cut off from their livelihoods and their families?
How can we sing Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming, when our whole creation groans from the persistent harms of climate change?
That night long ago Jesus was born in humbleness, in a stable, in a land occupied by the Roman empire. Jesus defined his ministry at the beginning as “the spirit of the lord is upon me to preach good news to the poor, release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty the oppressed and to proclaim the favour of our God.”
This Christmas, Jesus is with those who suffer the most. The hostages. Those who mourn loss of lives of loved ones in Gaza, Yemen, and around the world. Jesus is with those afflicted by fear, waiting for the bombs to come, those spending another Christmas on the streets, homeless and addicted, those who are the latest statistic of COVID and other diseases.
Jesus is with us in our hopes and fears. Our joys and sorrows. Jesus, born as a baby to experience our lives. Our challenges and successes. To give us again gifts this Christmas of hope and joy and peace and love.
Let us come and worship him. Let us pray for peace, in Gaza, in Ukraine, in our country, our communities, our families and ourselves.
Blessings to each of you this Christmas.
Rev. Susan Johnson
ELCIC National Bishop
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