c. 2000 Religion News Service

(UNDATED) Editors: Here the texts of the Christmas messages issued by a number of U.S. and international religious leaders:

The Rt. Rev. Frank T. Griswold

Presiding Bishop, the Episcopal Church

“O come thou Wisdom from on high.

All is neither calm nor bright as we once again celebrate the Savior’s birth. Instead, we find ourselves in a bleak midwinter of fear and rage, rocks and bullets, which have turned the land of Jesus’ birth into a war zone. Yet the Middle East is only one place among many in which neighbor is pitted against neighbor, and religious differences are exploited in the service of hatred.

Well we might ask: how is it that faiths that profess mercy and compassion and God’s love for all can be co-opted by political and ethnic ideologies and made into ammunition with which to maim and destroy one another?

On the home front, we are faced with a government in which partisan vitriol and self-interest have so immobilized the political process that many despair of recovering any sense of the common good.

As well, even within the Christian community the spirit of division has been hard at work seeking to obscure and undermine the unity into which we are born through baptism. Unity does not ignore differences, but rather supplies the context in which they can be openly and honestly explored with mutual affection and trust under the guidance of the Spirit of truth. In this way the community of faith is conformed to the mind of Christ and participates in Christ’s mission “to restore all people to unity with God and each other.” A church that cannot live the costly mystery of unity in its own life cannot speak a life-giving word to a divided world.

What does it say to us when, in God’s name and with God’s presumed blessing, we murder and defame one another with rocks and guns and the words of our lips?

It says we need a savior, one who can reconcile us to God and one another. We need a savior who _ through his own faithfulness, even to death on a cross _ is able to break down all walls of division so we are able to perceive that in Christ we are one new humanity.

As we hear again the story of Jesus’ birth, and sing of that silent night when all was calm and bright, may we do so with undefended and penitent hearts that can take us beyond the externals of the season into the heart of God.

There the bleak midwinter of our suspicions and mistrust are healed and transformed as the Word Incarnate finds a home in us and then, through the Spirit, draws us into his ongoing work of reconciliation for the sake of the world.

May Christ indeed make his home in us this holy season that we may know the truth _ the truth of his transforming and reconciling love _ the truth that makes us free.

Bishop Christian Krause

President, Lutheran World Federation

Once again, our eyes are turned to Bethlehem. The name of this little town has become synonymous with the place of God’s coming into the world. People are journeying to this place, moved by their hope for a fulfilled life-the shepherds in the fields, the wise men from the East, and now we ourselves,from all parts of the world. At the center of attention is the manger with the infant Jesus, whom all kneel down before in worship. The splendor of divine revelation turns a shabby barn into a place of warmth and security.

Once again, we turn our eyes to Bethlehem. In newspapers and TV reports these days, Bethlehem has become synonymous with a place of hatred and violence, of anger and tears among the people. This is where God has set out to go, this is where we do not know how to continue, where all hope is in danger of being shattered. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son” for our salvation and deliverance. (John 3:16)

During this Christmas time, I would like you to again turn your eyes to Bethlehem, the place where our Savior Jesus Christ was born. Only in this place, in the immediate nearness of God, will the forces of peace and hope grow _ even in the midst of misery and violence.

Based on this confidence in God’s mercy, let us celebrate Christmas Anno Domini 2000 together. I remember with gratitude the great fellowship God has given us with each other, also in our Lutheran World Federation. I intercede for all those who suffer need and violence in many parts of the world. In Bethlehem, too. Take the comfort and joy, the encouragement and hope of Christmas along on the journey into the New Year: “To you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” (Luke 2:11)

The Rt. Rev. George Carey

Archbishop of Canterbury and leader of the Worldwide Anglican Communion

My favorite Christmas carol is `O Little Town of Bethlehem.’ Written by Philips Brooks, former Episcopal bishop of the Diocese of Massachusetts, it captures so eloquently and beautifully the magic of Christmas. He composed it following a never-to-be-forgotten visit to Bethlehem in 1868 when he was then

rector of Trinity Church, Boston.

Some years ago Eileen and I visited Bethlehem at Christmas in connection with the Orthodox Celebrations. With the Patriarch and many other pilgrims we made our way through the narrow streets of the town to the Church of the Nativity. And then, stooping low to enter the tiny entrance to the church, we entered a brilliant interior lit with the candles of hundreds of pilgrims. The rich liturgy of the Greek Orthodox Church then began. I confess I don’t recall much of what happened thereafter! But what I do remember is that, following the service, we drifted into the lovely Franciscan church next door. As we did so a girl’s voice started to sing:

“O little town of Bethlehem,

How still we see thee lie!”

And then, spontaneously, we all took up the carol which rang and rang around the beautifully decorated church:

“Above thy deep and dreamless sleep

The silent stars go by.

Yet in thy dark streets shineth

The everlasting light:

The hopes and fears of all the years

Are met in thee tonight”

Bethlehem is very much on my mind at the moment. The carol speaks of ‘peace’ – but there is little peace in the Holy Land at this present time. I find myself asking: Are we doing enough to support our brothers and sisters in this land, loved above all others? Are we praying enough for Muslims, Jews and Christians to live in harmony one with another? How many others have to die violently before the leaders of all parties realize that there will never be peace until the land belongs to all? But the carol speaks of God’s gift of his Son:

“How silently, how silently,

The wondrous gift is given!

So God imparts to human hearts

The blessings of his heaven.”

And I find myself thinking: “Hold on, Christian, you who are so concerned about issues of justice and social care, are you in danger of neglecting the heart of the Christian message? That our message is about God’s gift which is offered to us all and which transforms all?” Of course, this message will include social care and issues of justice but they follow on from the gospel message articulated so splendidly in John 1 that “As many as receive him

to them he gives power to become children of God.”

Philips Brooks knew of the importance of keeping that truth uppermost at all times. It is the answer against many a single issue obsession which weakens witness and spoils our fellowship.

“No ear may hear his coming,

But in this world of sin,

Where meek souls will receive him still

The dear Christ enters in.”

The conditioning adjective here is “meek,” or we might say “humble.” I have often wondered if Brooks had in mind that small Crusader entrance which is so low that adults have to stoop to enter. Brooks would have entered the same door and the image must have hit him forcefully. But the image bites both ways. Christ stoops so low to enter our hearts _ here is a piercing reference

to the incarnation! This is the “dearness” of the Christ who enters human life. But the reverse is true as well; we too must make that journey to Bethlehem and stoop to enter into the fullness of the Christian life.

I offer you this meditation on this carol because it sums up so clearly the Christian message and Christian hope. May we Anglicans be “Bethlehem people,” characterized by a devotion to a Lord who wants all to share his love and eager to be men and women of peace. Eileen and I send to you, our brothers and sisters, our devoted love and earnest desire that all our hopes and fears will be met in the One who is eternally “Immanuel.”

From the Archbishop of Canterbury to the people of Bethlehem:

As the Christmas Season approaches in this Millennium year, I would like to send my special greetings to all the people of Bethlehem.

Christians, of course, hold Bethlehem in special affection as the birthplace of our Savior, Jesus Christ. At this season, around the world, the mention of Bethlehem is synonymous with God’s love for the world, through the gift of His Son, the Prince of Peace. The display of cribs in the Peace Museum in Bethlehem represents the concern and prayer of Anglican Christians around the world for your town and for your land.

Those concerns and prayers are the more intense this Christmastide. The cancellation of the traditional celebrations, that mean so much to you and to the many pilgrims who flock to your town, is a matter of pain and regret. It is not how anyone of goodwill would wish to mark Christmas in the year 2000.

The violence and bloodshed of recent weeks has caused immense suffering and grief in the Holy Land and greatly troubled the whole world. Whilst Bethlehem holds a special place in the hearts of Christians, we remember all the people of Bethlehem of whatever faith as you seek to live together in peace and mutual respect under the most difficult of circumstances.

My prayer for you and all the people of the Holy Land this Christmas is that the message of the angels, heard so long ago on the hills surrounding Bethlehem, may be heard again amongst you, “Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, goodwill to all men.”

May God bless you all this Christmas.

The Rev. Konrad Raiser

General Secretary, World Council of Churches

It has been a centuries-old unwritten rule that at Christmas a cease-fire be observed in all situations of military conflict. Will this be the case this year as well? What do those warlords who force young people _ and often enough children _ to fight their dirty wars know and care about this rule?

From Sierra Leone to Indonesia, from Israel and Palestine to Sri Lanka, from Colombia to Chechnya, our world seems to be engulfed in a deadly cycle of war, violence and destruction. A real culture of violence has taken root and is spreading, in open contempt of all the rules of humanitarian law. It manifests itself not only in armed conflict. Violence has become omnipresent in the streets, in subways, in schools and sports stadiums, in families and homes. Its victims are most often those who are different: members of ethnic, racial or religious minorities; refugees; people with disabilities; or simply the poor and marginalized.

Can this dynamic be stopped? In many places, people have begun to stand up and to form alliances resisting the culture of violence. Through its “Program to Overcome Violence,” the World Council of Churches has tried since 1994 to support such initiatives and give them greater visibility. Now at the beginning of the year 2001, the WCC will reinforce its efforts and launch a “Decade to Overcome Violence.” This Decade is rooted in the conviction that Christians and their churches are called “to provide to the world a clear witness to peace, to reconciliation and non-violence grounded in justice.” It is the objective of the decade to open the space where an alternative culture of peace and reconciliation can grow.

Building a culture of peace and non-violence is an urgent demand, not only for political reasons. Churches are called to articulate the protest of the gospel against the cult of force and greed, against unbridled competition and impunity where fundamental human rights are being violated. The culture of violence is the result of a perversion of basic values; it manifests the inability to sustain relationships. Overcoming violence therefore has to begin in the hearts and minds of people. A culture of peace cannot be imposed from above. It grows where space is provided for learning how to resolve conflicts peacefully, to sustain difficult relationships, to encounter the stranger without anxiety.

Each year at Christmas, we hear the message of the angels: “Glory to God in the highest Heaven, and on earth peace to those whom he favors” (Luke 2:14). We celebrate the birth of the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6), the one who reconciled us to God and with each other and thus proclaimed peace (Ephesians 2:17) and a new relationship between those who had been separated by alienation and hostility.

As we celebrate Christmas this year, let us consider what we can contribute to overcoming violence and building a culture of peace. Living in a situation where violence has become omnipresent, those who have heard and accepted the gospel of the peace of Christ are entrusted with the message of reconciliation. They are made ambassadors for Christ and called into a ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-20).

This, then, is our mission today as Christians: wherever the walls of hostility are being broken down, wherever communal conflict is being resolved peacefully, wherever women and children are being saved from becoming victims of violence, the peace of Christ is being proclaimed to the glory of God.

From Konrad Raiser to the Christian and Orthodox churches in Bethlehem:

The Officers of the World Council of Churches, meeting on the eve of the Advent Season, have once again turned their thoughts to you and all the people of Palestine. They have asked that I write you to assure you of their and the World Council of Churches’ constant prayers.

I do so with a heavy heart, deeply conscious of your pain and suffering in these days when you mourn the deaths of so many of your children and friends; when Palestinians suffer the destruction of many more of their homes and pass once again through the valley of the shadow of violence and death. Nor can we ignore the victims on the Israeli side of the continuing conflict.

In my Christmas message I have pointed out that the World Council of Churches will soon launch the Decade to Overcome Violence: Churches seeking reconciliation and peace. I also recalled the centuries-old unwritten rule that at Christmas a cease-fire be observed in all situations of military conflict. Here I had particularly in mind our sisters and brothers caught up in the new spiral of violence in Israel and Palestine.

Desirable as it would be, a cease-fire is clearly not enough. Our shared goal must be true peace, a peace built on the foundations of justice. Together with you, therefore, we long for justice for the Palestinian people. Just peace and an end to the vicious cycle of violence is more than an urgent political necessity. It confronts us with the call to repentance and a change of heart, the readiness to recognize the God-given dignity and the rights of the other. It was surely this transformation that the Prophet had in mind when he foretold the coming of the Prince of Peace.

In these days Christians around the world prepare to celebrate the birth of the Christ child, confessing anew our faith in God who humbled himself and took on human flesh in order that we might be reconciled to God and with one another.

Many will draw hope once again from the song of the Virgin Mary, praising God who “has regarded the lowly estate of his handmaiden,” and saying,

“His mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts, he has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away.”

For two millennia Christians have turned at this time of year to the Holy Place of the manger, Bethlehem, to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Many have longed once to make the pilgrimage to the manger, there to kneel down before the birthplace of the Christ child. This year especially, millions anticipated making this journey, and you have gone to great lengths to prepare hospitality for them. Tragically, the present circumstances have rendered virtually impossible such pilgrimages and even those of Christians in Palestine itself.

Nevertheless, the bonds of faith and love cannot be broken by violence and war. You are not alone in this tragic time. We and other Christians around the world will be making a pilgrimage of the heart to the manger, surrounding and sustaining you now and always in prayer.

May the hope that abounds in this time of preparations for the Holy Feast of Christmas give birth to a new day of peace and joy and prosperity for you and all who live in the land which has been forever blessed by the coming of Christ.

END RNS