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Christmas Message 1998 to the Anglican Communion

Episcopal News Service. November 19, 1998 [98-2272]

The Most Reverend and Right Honorable George L. Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury

Once again, we are approaching Christmas and Eileen and I are delighted to be able to send our greetings to you all, wherever you are and in whatever way you will be celebrating this great feast of God's love and hope.

The Lambeth Conference, which has been such a central part of our lives as a Communion this past year, brought home to me more forcefully than ever, the extraordinary and wonderful diversity of our witness in the world today as Anglicans. Few who were in Canterbury in the Summer will forget the marvelous worship in which we were invited to participate, praising God and participating in his feast in so many different styles and languages, and yet profoundly united as we stood side by side, our hearts and minds focussed on the mystery of that divine love. And we discovered too new things about one another as we sat together in small groups sharing stories of ministry and mission in so many different contexts. Many of us were inspired by the stories of courage, faithfulness and steadfastness that emerged from the church in Africa and Asia and South America, where challenges to our faith can often be so sharp.

I personally will never forget the fellowship I had with Bishop Daniel Zindo -- a dear friend -- in our bible study group and in personal conversation. Sadly this marvelous Christian, Dean of the Province of Sudan, was killed in a car accident just a few weeks ago. He leaves an extended family of 23 orphans to be cared for. The agony of Sudan seems to be without end.

On the other hand, we found too, from time to time, that the diversity of our experience and histories brought us into confrontation with one another. That, for many of us was a painful experience, and one which will live with us for a long time.

But these experiences are the reality of life and, indeed, part of family life. As Christians we are not protected from the challenges and the disputes of the world, and we should not be looking for an easy ride! What we do have however is an extra gift as we face the questions and the troubles. We have the gift of the infant Christ, a symbol of humility, of vulnerability, of openness; and we have the message of the angel who invites us to Bethlehem, to the House of Bread, "Do not be afraid". We must wrestle with the world and all its questions, but if we are determined to continue to walk side by side to the manger, humble and open in our journeying we will be walking in the Spirit, and we have nothing of which to be afraid.

So to the people of Honduras and Nicaragua, who are so much in our prayers, to the people of Iraq and the Middle East, to the people of the Philippines and the people of Sudan -- indeed to all my brothers and sisters in Christ, so many of whom are suffering in different ways, I offer thanks to God for your witness and faith, and I pray that Jesus Christ, "who by his incarnation, gathered into one all things earthly and heavenly," will fill you all with joy and peace, and that he will bless us all in the year which is to come.

[thumbnail: Presiding bishop and arch...]