Grasping the true values of Christmas – Bishop Harold’s Christmas Message
The true values of Christmas are amazingly counter–cultural and even counter–intuitive, but they have the power to transform our lives, our relationships and our communities when we dare to embrace them. When we see them in someone’s life we are often both surprised by them and drawn towards them.
One of the obvious Christmas values is that Jesus Christ was prepared to lay down both status and comfort for the sake of others. Black Santas with cold feet on the steps of St Anne’s or people who give up Christmas Day to feed the homeless are small but important reminders of values like these, and are greatly appreciated. That’s one of the most common things said on the steps of the cathedral: ‘Thank you for doing this’.
Another Christmas value is that love and mercy are shown to us ‘while we were still sinners’. Jesus Christ did not wait for us to tidy up our lives before he came to earth: he might have waited a long time! Instead, he moved towards us with healing and forgiveness when we had done nothing to deserve it. The forgiveness displayed and received by Nelson Mandela has been a timely reminder of what is possible even in Northern Ireland, if we were to be radical imitators of Christ.
A third value is that faith means taking risks and sometimes being exposed to danger! From the moment of his birth, Jesus found his life threatened, not least by the threatened King Herod. The Christmas baby grows up to be the one crucified on Good Friday – the biggest risk of all was laying down his life. But godly risks are worth taking for the greater good of humankind.
If each person dared to embrace even one of these values it would transform our society.
Have a great Christmas and carry the values of Christmas into 2014!
+Harold
Down & Dromore