One of my all-time favorite Christmas stories is Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. You will know it so well that it is hardly necessary to repeat the story. It is a real heart-tugger as the selfish old skinflint, Scrooge, is shown the truth about how so much of humanity lives with suffering and discovers the joy of sharing his wealth. It would be a mistake, however, to see it only as Scrooge learning to give. The story is also about him learning to receive. I don't believe, you see, that Scrooge was totally bad. He believed in hard work and he had had many disappointments in earlier life. But over the years he became hardened to the struggles of others and indifferent to their needs. As he withdrew from others he failed to see that he was shrinking inside and that his capacity to love, which is the essence of humanity, was dying. He lost the ability to see the beauty of others and the joy of receiving love from others.

Surely there cannot be a more perfect ending to a story than when Scrooge is moved to mark Christmas by meeting the needs of Bob Cratchett's family and Tiny Tim in particular. As he gives, so he receives in seeing the obvious delight of that unfortunate family.

We too know the pleasure of giving at Christmas. How we rejoice as we see the gratitude of our family and friends as they open the presents we give them. It doesn't have to be much to give real pleasure to people. "It is the thought that counts," we often say and it is true. Giving is a truly ennobling thing and speaks of the character of God himself in his total and unconditional love for Creation.

God's gift of Christ is, of course, central to all our Christmas celebrations. How God, too, rejoices as he sees his precious gift of love changing us. The challenge of Christmas for us, as we seek to respond to God's gift, is whether we are able to receive him afresh, to allow ourselves to be open to the promptings of the Spirit, rather than turning in on ourselves and closing off from God in a Scrooge-like defensiveness and selfishness.

The gifts which will be brought to the Lambeth Conference next year will be many and diverse. We all bring something from our own experience, our own journey of discipleship, and that of the churches in which we serve, which will enrich the conference. All of us have stories to tell. It is one of the greatest privileges of my ministry, as I travel round the Communion each year, to see and hear those stories in action, whether in Australia, Jerusalem or Pakistan. The days are long gone when our gathering was dominated by the "richer" provinces lecturing and giving to the "poorer."

The richness of the ministry and mission of the Anglican Communion today can be seen in every single province. Certainly, some places may be richer in the materialistic sense of the word, but the riches of faith, joy and vitality that are winning so many new souls for Christ today are not controlled by money. Many of us can only sit back in admiration at the stories of church growth in so many places where material poverty is so rife. The gospel, faithfully preached and lived, transcends such human divisions, and we must learn that message.

I have a "dream" for Lambeth 1998 that I want to share with you. My dream is that our gathering in Canterbury will be truly infused by faith and joy and vitality; that the true spirit of Christmas, of God's giving and our receiving of the gift of Jesus Christ, will transfigure the conference, so that whatever tensions and divisions we have to face, our life of discipleship and witness will be strengthened by the experience of being, talking and worshiping together.

I hope every bishop and his or her spouse will come prepared to give, to share their story. Some will bring gifts of mission, liturgy, faith learned through persecution and suffering, scholarship, leadership and pastoral oversight. I have no doubt that we shall all be truly blessed by the huge range of gifts which we will bring.

But part of my dream is also of each person coming to receive - to receive from the insights and giftedness of others, to hear the stories which others have to tell, to enter into the extraordinary and unique experiences which have molded each of us on our path of discipleship. It will be shameful if people come simply with their own agendas to "force" others to accept their point of view. That's not true giving; that's dictatorship.

The conference will be a success only if we come in a spirit of humility, eager to embrace one another as fellow disciples and pilgrims.

We shall all be on trial next year as the world around us watches to see if we are prepared to put our own interests second to the primary task of sharing the gospel and building the common life of our Communion. Among the criteria that others shall judge us by will be:

• Our willingness to receive and learn from those bishops whose churches are growing, so that we may become a truly missionary Communion, developing confidence in mission and evangelism.
• Our commitment to dynamic Christian social action and ministry to the marginalized and needy people of our world, who themselves have so much to teach us.
• Our willingness as leaders to recognize the brokenness of our world, to embrace the diversity of humanity and to search constantly for what binds us together in spite of our different cultures, languages and backgrounds.
• Our willingness as leaders to accept sacrifice as a precondition of leadership and to serve our people wholeheartedly, looking always to Christ as the "pioneer and perfecter" of our faith.

I have to confess that there is a "Scrooge" in me that wants to protect all that I hold dear, to defend myself from the insights and challenges of even my companions in faith. Equally, however, I hope the "Christ" in me is constantly challenging this instinct, prompting me to listen to what they have to teach me and to receive and surrender to their wisdom. I hope he prompts us all to offer ourselves in willing surrender to others.

As we approach the Lambeth Conference 1998 we should recall that the Anglican Communion itself is a precious gift to the rest of the Christian world. And as we learn to give so our Lord will help us to receive.

Eileen joins me in wishing each of you, our dear friends, a most happy and joyful Christmas and a happy New Year.

(The Most Rev.) George L. Carey

Archbishop of Canterbury