Christmas 2008 Message
By The Right Reverend Daren K. Williams, Bishop Ordinary of the Diocese of the
West
It's easy to be very sentimental at this time of year. We hear carols on the
radio and over the intercom in all the stores. Many or most of us probably have
nostalgic memories of Christmases Past......you know - in the good old days when
life was simpler. Today, the variety of images placed before our eyes can cause
us to forget what the season is really all about. There's a lot of hype over the
Grinch. Other images include Snowmen and Santa and elves and egg nog and
travelling and over-priced merchandise in nearly every store. Merchants have
virtually convinced us that the colors of the season are red and green, when
actually they're wrong! The color is white, symbolizing the innocence and purity
of the Holy Child. What does Christmas mean to us? Perhaps it means a time for
"peace on earth", whatever that is. In the Holiest of places - the Holy Land
- the centuries-old conflicts continue, and the race from which Jesus came hears
not carols, but gunfire, as is also the case in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Christmas can also mean a time for family - a time to be together - a time to
send greetings to those family members and friends who live far away. Perhaps
Christmas means it's time to live frantically, a time when some of us are so
busy, that the season is more drudgery than it is pleasurable.
Christmas time is supposed to be a contemplative time...a time when we reflect
on the coming of the Christ Child...to acknowledge that His coming has something
to do with the way we're living or ought to be living our lives...that we do
need the "Saviour" who is born on Christmas Day, and that as He appears, we need
to be ready for His arrival.
The Old Testament talks about how people used to "walk in the darkness", but now
they have seen a great light. The Epistle tells us how the Savior has come and
that His purpose in coming is to purify for Himself a people who are zealous for
good deeds. And in the Gospel, we hear again the story of how the Incarnation
took place through the eyes of Saint Luke.
If we believe that the Angel really appeared to the Shepherds...and if we
believe that everything took place just as the Scripture records it...then we
have to determine whether it has or should have any affect on us today.
You and I live because God chose it to be so. We live and move and have our
being, because our Lord said this was the way He wanted it. And in giving us
this life, he has given us the opportunity to make sense out of it. The breath
of life came to the innocent and Holy Child of Bethlehem; the One whose Birth we
celebrate at Christmas. That breath of life continues to show itself in the
lives of each of us. We, who have also walked in darkness, have seen the light
of Christ and have been given the opportunity to share what it means to walk in
that Light.
As we get sentimental at this time, and the joyful tears flow, remember what is
important to get sentimental about! Christ came in great humility...through the
womb of the humble Virgin to show us what it means to be humble....... Christ
came to give the world light; light like no other light...the same light that
was molded in the hand of God...light that opens the eyes of the "blind of
faith" and shows them their way back to the Father. May we know how blind we
are, and how much we need to be led by His Light. He came to show us better ways
to live; broader ways to interpret and perceive His presence; clearer ways to be
all He has called us to be.
Come to the Altar this Christmas to receive that which you cannot explain, but
which gives you life....
Come to the Altar this night and place yourself in His
presence so that He can make more of you than when you walked in the
door.....Come to the Altar and adore the One who is King even in infancy...a
Lord even in weakness..... a Friend who will be by your side when things are
terrible and when things are wonderful.....a Savior who would give anything -
even His own life, if you would receive His Love.
Merry Christmas!
+Daren K. Williams
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