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Bishop's Christmas Message 2005 - 2006

The Bishop of Ely, Dr Anthony Russell, writes:

The Bishop of Ely, Dr Anthony Russell
The Bishop of Ely
Dr Anthony Russell

Nobody needs convincing that we live in a world of danger and threat. It is good, therefore, at Christmas to raise our vision, and to receive again the gift of Jesus Christ, God’s gift to us of himself. In a world of so much potential, in which we have so much to contribute, most particularly our own determination that good will, kindness and generosity, the very spirit of Christmas, should be the character of our society.

At Christmas, to talk of generosity reminds us of the Three Wise Men, who came to lay their gifts at the feet of the infant Jesus. The Wise Men knew that the world was disordered; they were troubled and depressed. No doubt those who stayed at home regarded them as dreamers, seeking an impossible goal. But the truth is that the Wise Men, despite their wisdom, sought God’s kingly gift of his Son in the wrong place. They thought he would be found in a king’s palace, and so they made their journey to Herod’s house, where they rapidly had to adjust their ideas about power and greatness, and in so doing had to change themselves. They found God’s gift to us of himself in a humble stable, surrounded by the animals and the shepherds.

There is a deep truth here that we too have to adjust our ideas, and find the joy and peace of Christmas, not in the extraordinary rush and bustle of the commercial world, but in the stillness and peace of that stable.

Jesus came as a witness to the love of God in the world – a love that we desperately need in our own lives, in the lives of our community. May you and your families know that love in your hearts, this Christmas.

With every blessing for Christmas and the New Year 2006

Signature of The Bishop of Ely

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