One of the things we enjoy most at Christmas is going to church. Perhaps it is the beauty of the Christmas carols, the atmosphere of nostalgia, or a deeply-ingrained awareness that the coming of this Child into the world is the event at the very centre of all human history. And those who attend Christian worship at this time of year will, for the most part, find it a rewarding experience.
Preaching on Christmas Day in St Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork, the Right Reverend Paul Colton, Bishop of Cork said that in the current worldwide controversy within Anglicanism about homosexuality the Church’s bluff is being called, and it is not faring well.
Sermon by the Most Reverend Dr. John Neill, Archbishop of Dublin
Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin Christmas Day 2003
Santa coming down the chimney is one thing but Debbie Hull, 18, and her father Rev Henry Hull, rector of Lecale Group, are going to top that by abseiling down the spire of Down Cathedral in Downpatrick on Saturday, 27 December 2003 at 11.00 a.m.
The Church of Ireland Primate, Archbishop Robin Eames, has appointed Mr. C. Garrett Walker, Diocese of Dublin, to a lay canonry in St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh. Mr Walker has served the Diocese of Dublin in many capacities and is well known throughout the Church of Ireland. The Archbishop said: "In making this appointment I recognise a wonderful servant of the Church of Ireland who for many years has represented all that is best in the lay contribution to our Church life."
In the midst of the flurry of Christmas preparations, and thinking of the emotional burdens that the season puts on so many people, let us remember that the central message of Christmas is a spiritual one: Christ came that we may have life and have it to the full. As we focus on the baby in the manger, we can be assured that Christ's presence with us gives us hope especially where there is worry or despair.
In recent days I met a man who made me think. He is an unashamed asylum seeker, destitute apart from the barest minimum of social provision from the UK government. He is able to work, he would like to work, but asylum seekers are not allowed to work to earn a living while awaiting a decision on their asylum application. Obviously it is right to protect the employment opportunities of UK and Irish nationals from being undercut by cheap, migrant labour, but still this man made me think.
Christmas presents us with a wide range of pictures to warm our hearts and charm our memories. The strong and enduring image remains that of the mother and child, the Holy Family, set in the hastily improvised circumstances of a stable with ox and ass still in residence. Others are there too, different people: local shepherds and distant Wise Men. In the background, we hear the cry of justice, the fulfilment of promise ringing through from Mary’s Magnificat: My soul tells out the greatness of the Lord. The world and its concerns are part of this small family of God and God wants this world to be there in all its complexity. The name, after all, of this child is Salvation.
The closing words of the Prophet Zephaniah to a people in exile in a strange land reflect the Advent message of hope: “At that time I will bring you home, at the time when I gather you; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the Lord” (Zephaniah 3:20).
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