Advent - Christmas Message 2012

The sound of Christmas carols, the advent of parties to celebrate the end of the year and the rush to complete work by Christmas seems to come around more quickly each year .The Christian season of Advent is a time of waiting, reflecting and preparing for the birth of the Christ child, even among the many different expressions of what Christmas means in Australia today. To help me focus on the Christian meaning of Christmas, I have been reading each day from a collection of reflections by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. They were written from his prison cell, a condemned man who challenged the Nazi regime in Germany and yet a hopeful man as his reflections demonstrate. He prayed continually, “May your Kingdom come”. His words resonate with me at this time with ongoing conflicts in many parts of the world where innocent men, women and children suffer as a result of war, terrorism, political failure and natural disasters. They resonate with me as I reflect on the 40 million asylum seekers, refugees and boat people who are without a homeland, and the 2 million children without an identity or birth certificate.

Bonhoeffer speaks about faith as being more important than the trappings of religion that God is regularly to be found among those in need whom others despise, reject or ignore. The strength of faith and belief in the Christ child is to be found in our frailty, vulnerability and weakness.

As the days and years pass, ritual and the trappings of religion associated with Christmas seem less important to me and I wait for the simplicity of worship in the days after. The carol singing, the decorations, the family gatherings all have a place, but not at the expense of the wonder of the mystery of Christmas, of God coming among us as a human child, born into conflict, poverty and tragedy for many. This is the stark reality of Christmas and we continue to mask it with sentimentality, ritual and family celebrations, often with just a passing concern or donation to our favourite charity for the homeless, broken and hurting people of the world.

All that is Christmas comes from God. The divine comes among us as a baby, a sign of hope and possibility. Christmas now, of course, means different things to different people, but for people of Christian faith it is a reminder of the mystery of the child among us who calls us to new horizons, to think not of ourselves but of others, and to continue to name and challenge the forces of darkness that destroy and exploit. 

Yes, let us have our carols and family gatherings, remembering that at the centre of our gatherings is the child. Let us remember, too, those from whom we are separated and all who this Christmas will see nothing to celebrate. 

Canon Dr Ray Cleary

Christmas Reflection 2011

One often hears at this time of year that Christmas is for children.  A time where children are the centre of attention and provide a focal point for the gathering of many families across the world embracing the many dimensions of religious, cultural and consumer elements.  I certainly remember the time our first child experienced Christmas or perhaps the expectations that we his parents and grandparents anticipated for the day. If I recall correctly he slept most of the day and only paid scant attention to the many gifts from family members.

Recently I have had the opportunity to attend two conferences focusing on the rights and needs of children across the world.  The first the International World Forum held in Melbourne and more recently the Euro-Child conference in Cardiff, Wales. At both conferences the message was loud and clear that, in spite of the rhetoric worldwide on the rights and needs of children as paramount, the words are not matched by a political will in many countries, or are given only lip service and not provided with the necessary resources in others.  In some countries children are seen as expendable, abused, exploited and sold into slavery for the profit of others.  In other countries the needs of children appear to be ignored when governments find it necessary to make hard decisions about budget allocations. Many children’s services, education, housing and health programs are impaired and suffer as a result. When companies and governments down-size and unemployment grows as a result it is often the children who bear the brunt and their futures and potential for growth restricted, compromised and violated. Children and their needs do not seem to be at the top of the agenda or of the highest priority of economists and governments when solutions are being discussed to address global financial challenges with their voices drowned out by more powerful lobby groups.  While banks, financial institutions and speculators are reassured and supported; children and families find themselves struggling to pay the bills and to remain hopeful and positive. While working men and women receive small if any wage increases, the same cannot be said of many business leaders and professionals.  Ethics and morality including a concern for one’s neighbour is replaced by self-interest. While charitable giving to worthy causes is admirable it is unable to compensate enough for policies which discriminate against those least able to afford it or who lack real choice.

There are of course those who do challenge the actions of governments, rating agencies and powerful corporations when they fail to hear and listen to the cries and calls of children and families.

Many of these voices however are silenced or even ridiculed by sections of the media and other commentators, politicians and powerful operators without any sense of a shared or communal responsibility. Charitable and community organisations that deal directly with the fallout from economic and social policy strongly object and argue for a more just and equitable response to the needs of those disadvantaged. Charitable giving at Christmas time while welcome is however not sufficient.

Christmas is about a child. It is the story of the birth of a child and his later life and ministry that challenged the powerful political and religious leaders of the day to see beyond their own needs, to the needs of the widow and the orphaned. Christmas is the call of God’s justice. This is a radical call for renewal and hope, embracing a deep and reverent concern for others and the whole of creation.

The story of the birth of Jesus on that first Christmas is not just about there being no room in the inn, nor about a homeless child and refugee family some 2000 years ago. It is an account, a statement, a proclamation about the possibilities that are offered for the redemption of the whole human condition if we can gain a glimpse of the gift offered. A gift that calls us live our own lives as he lived, to share our resources with those who cannot provide their own, or who are victims of abuse, exploitation and poverty and to offer hospitality and care.

The birth of Jesus should be an unsettling moment when we see in the poverty of today the child in a manager. This is a reminder to us that our identity and being, our own redemption is compromised when we neglect the needs of frightened and lost children in today’s world.

Ray Cleary
12/12/2011