Christmas Message 1964
Diocesan Press Service. November 11, 1964 [XXVI-31]
What is Christmas? It is the Child lying in the manger. It is a company of Shepherds keeping watch over their flock by night hearing suddenly a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying "Glory to God in the highest. Peace on earth to men of good will." It is the visit of Wise Men bringing gifts to the Child. It is the Divine Love come to earth in a Man.
And because of all this we make the bells ring out in gladness; we sing in our churches and up and down our streets. These are good tidings of great joy.
But Christmas does not stand alone; it has no meaning in itself. The Christ who was born in Bethlehem grows into manhood, he does his work, he suffers, dies on a Cross, he overcomes death, he lives as Lord. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. That is to say we cannot have Christmas without Christ; we cannot have the Babe in the manger without the Saviour on the Cross, we cannot have the lovely Child without the Risen Lord.
So Christmas is God's merciful demand. We cannot have peace without surrender. At Christmas our final stronghold is under attack: our human pride, our assumption that ordinary human nature needs no saving and no Saviour, our belief that we can manage our own affairs, that together if we only muster enough good will we can rebuild our world. To keep Christmas is to put aside all such pretensions and in humility and joy open our hearts to Christ the Lord.
ARTHUR LICHTENBERGER
PRESIDING BISHOP