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Catholic Archbishop of Perth among religious leaders to offer Christmas messages after year of hardship

The West Australian
Mrs Susy Thomas, Moderator, Uniting Church in Australia, Western Australia, Rev Mark Wilson, Director of Ministries, Baptist Churches, Most Rev Kay Goldsworthy AO, Anglican Archbishop of Perth, Most Rev Timothy Costelloe SDB, Catholic Archbishop of Perth.
Camera IconMrs Susy Thomas, Moderator, Uniting Church in Australia, Western Australia, Rev Mark Wilson, Director of Ministries, Baptist Churches, Most Rev Kay Goldsworthy AO, Anglican Archbishop of Perth, Most Rev Timothy Costelloe SDB, Catholic Archbishop of Perth. Credit: Ross Swanborough/The West Australian

The Most Reverend Timothy Costelloe, Catholic Archbishop of Perth

Even though we here in Western Australia have not been as badly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic as other parts of our nation, and certainly not as badly as so many other countries around the world, it is nevertheless true that the experience of living through a worldwide pandemic has affected us all in many different ways.

Some have experienced the terrible loss of a loved-one and have been unable to grieve together as they would wish to do. Others have been thrown into the nightmare of unemployment with all the uncertainty it brings.

For all of us, our normal patterns of work, of leisure and of family life have been disrupted, unsettling and disturbing us in all kinds of ways.

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Isolated, at least to some extent, from family and friends, especially those who live interstate or overseas, we have all had to find new ways of keeping in contact with those we love and maintaining that vital sense of community without which our society can rapidly begin to disintegrate.

Most Rev Timothy Costelloe SDB, Catholic Archbishop of Perth.
Camera IconMost Rev Timothy Costelloe SDB, Catholic Archbishop of Perth. Credit: Ross Swanborough/The West Australian

For people of religious faith this disruption has also affected our ability to gather together and draw strength from our common beliefs and our attempts to live them out in our daily lives. Recent media reports have indicated a variety of reactions to the pandemic.

Some have pointed to an increase in stress levels and even depression in the wider population. Others have highlighted an increased level of family violence.

Others again have focused on a renewed sense of people’s responsibility to care for each other in these difficult times.

Crises of any kind bring out the best in some people and the worst in others. They can also underscore our sense of fragility and powerlessness.

Such times are, for Christians, an opportunity to renew our faith in the God who is part of our lives both in times of peace and in times of turmoil. The Christian faith, centred on the child whose birth we celebrate at this time of the year, does not promise us immunity from suffering.

Instead it offers us the assurance that, in Jesus Christ, God walks with us in every moment of our life and stands beside us in every difficulty we encounter.

It is this belief which then impels us to walk with each other throughout our life’s journey and to stand in solidarity with each other in the difficult challenges of life.In this way the promise of Christmas — joy to the world and peace to people of good will — will not be an impossible dream but a hope fulfilled.

Christmas Message from Reverend Mark Wilson, Director of Ministries. Baptist Churches Western Australia

Future generations will be taught that 2020 was the year of the COVID-19 pandemic that swept the globe. Stories will be told about how different nations dealt with the crisis, and the data that was collected will become case studies for university students.

But the story is always a bit different for us who have lived it in real time. These stories are usually much more detailed retellings of what happened in your corner of the world.

How did you respond? How did you feel? Often the common thread to these stories is how you reacted to the fear of the unknown and unseen threat that moved among us. Fear is a powerful force.

As we hear the tally of infections and deaths — updated hourly — it is easy to separate ourselves from the world. The tidal wave of facts not only dulls but overwhelms our senses. Numbers replace names and faces.

We find ourselves focused more on masks and medical apparatus than human beings. All human life is sacred. Every human life that passes is a loss.

Rev Mark Wilson, Director of Ministries, Baptist Churches.
Camera IconRev Mark Wilson, Director of Ministries, Baptist Churches. Credit: Ross Swanborough/The West Australian

Fear can start small — smaller than we usually know — and then creep up stealthily behind us. Suddenly a single news report, a fresh set of statistics, a line at the grocery store, or a public health alert can lay our hearts bare to fear.

But faith can function in a similar way. It doesn't have to be a big, flashy moment to sustain us in ways we didn't expect. You can nurture it with a Bible reading, a prayer, a memory verse, a spiritual chat with a friend, a worship service (online or in person), or even chalk messages drawn on a driveway.

You don't have to bow to fear if you nurture faith in the God who was willing to come into the world born as a baby so that you might have an eternity with Him and without fear.

God made a promise to Joshua in Old Testament times and He makes the promise to you: "Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9). As you face a new year, may you do so with increasing faith, because you do not walk alone.

Christmas Message from the Uniting Church in Australia, Western Australia, Moderator, Susy Thomas

It has become almost a cliché that 2020 has been a year like no other, but it is true that our lives have been completely re-oriented as a result of something we cannot touch or see, yet which lurks as a constant threat.

As life in Australia returns to what can be described as “normal”, it has been somewhat surreal preparing for Christmas when in so many parts of the world people are in lock-down, depressed and afraid for their future.

Many of us have family and friends abroad living in such uncertainty, making it difficult to know what to say as a word of encouragement when we are largely unaffected.

In ancient times, defenceless against plague and pestilence, barely surviving at subsistence level and in constant fear of attack from enemies, people still lived with a sense of hope and optimism. Without the luxury of an alternative, people looked for a glimmer of light that one day would penetrate the dark void of their existence.

In such a time, the Prophet Isaiah wrote, “The Lord himself will give you a sign”. Repeated in the Gospel of Matthew, “Look the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means ‘God is with us’”.

Most Rev Kay Goldsworthy AO, Anglican Archbishop of Perth.
Camera IconMost Rev Kay Goldsworthy AO, Anglican Archbishop of Perth. Credit: Ross Swanborough/The West Australian

For over 2,000 years, empires have arisen and fallen, others have emerged in their place. In our lifetimes, our grandparents, parents, along with ourselves and our children, have seen world wars, revolutions, dictatorships, economic depressions and now a pandemic, yet none have blunted the eternal promise that “God is with us”.

The prophetic writers knew nothing of the technological connectedness that is the stuff of our daily lives, nor could they have dreamt a time would come when the stars they gazed upon would be a new frontier of exploration. Yet, we remain one with them in awaiting a word of hope, of compassion, of love.

The birth of Jesus re-affirms the Christ child who I, along with millions of others, believe became the Saviour of the world, remains at the centre of life and that “God is with us”.

He was present for those who came before us. He is with us now and will be present for those who come after. That is the nature of God’s promise and my hope is that you might claim it for yourself and share it with those with whom you live and love.

May you experience a blessed Christmas and together, in anticipation, embrace the year that is to come.

Christmas Message from The Most Reverend Kay Goldsworthy AO, Anglican Archbishop of Perth

Christmas – a time of love and hope

Thank God for Christmas.

Literally. In 2020 the whole world has needed the extraordinary reminder of love and hope that is the heart of Christmas.

The gospel of John draws the image in this way “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Grasping the concept of a love so great that it keeps on giving for 2,000 years and more isn’t easy. But this is not about understanding, but all about receiving the gift with open hearts and open hands.

This extraordinary year has shown us – sometimes brutally, often painfully – what is beautiful and true and lasting, and what is passing away. Above all, it has shown us how much we mean to each other, and how caring for each other matters more than anything.

We are more aware than ever of the weariness so many carry into Christmas. Our eyes are open not just to the human qualities of those who serve in government and public life, but especially to front line workers we easily undervalue and overlook – shop keepers, nurses, cleaners, doctors, police, volunteers.

We are more sensitive to victims of bush fires, storms and floods; those who have lost work; those separated from family and friends; those subjected to domestic violence; the mentally ill; those who mourn.

In all these, we glimpse the suffering of God who comes to us, helpless as a new born baby, calling us to responsible adulthood, offering hope and love.The baby born for us in Bethlehem long ago, like every baby, promises and pledges a brand new day, a better and brighter future.

Mrs Susy Thomas, Moderator, Uniting Church in Australia.
Camera IconMrs Susy Thomas, Moderator, Uniting Church in Australia. Credit: Ross Swanborough/The West Australian

Baby Jesus reminds us that we belong together in good times and in bad, that none of us lives to ourselves or by ourselves, that interdependence and helpfulness triumph where isolation and independence fail.

In the Christmas story, angel messengers carry news of peace on earth and good will to all, inviting each one of us to do the same.

Better than speculation, better than fretting, better than debate, is what we can do – generously and selflessly serving each other in random acts of kindness, contributing to the health and happiness of the community in imaginative and lasting ways.

Christmas means coming home – to each other, to the God who forgives and sustains us, to those we have hurt or neglected, to those we love and those we find hard to love.

After the year that has been, we may not be keen to plan in too much detail for 2021. But we can focus on the attitude we will take into the New Year, and spend ourselves more freely than we have ever dared to do before.

I wish everyone a safe, happy and Holy Christmas 2020.

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