For its morning service on New Year's Day, 2011 has certainly been a momentous year with natural disasters (several major earthquakes including a Tsunami with nuclear threats, and devastating floods), the city riots, the continuing financial collapse. By contrast, was the joy of Royal weddings. Only too often, the problems that there have been have had a human element. The riots in our cities showed how fragile was the veneer of civilisation. Even in the financial meltdown, greed played an important part.
The Queen picked up the issue of our individual responsibility in her Christmas message when she said: "Although we are capable of great acts of kindness, history teaches us that we sometimes need saving from ourselves - from our recklessness or our greed." and she pointed to the Christ child as someone who had come to save us from ourselves, as she continued:
“God sent into the world a unique person - neither a philosopher nor a general, important though they are, but a Saviour, with the power to forgive.
Forgiveness lies at the heart of the Christian faith. It can heal broken families, it can restore friendships and it can reconcile divided communities. It is in forgiveness that we feel the power of God's love. In the last verse of this beautiful carol, O Little Town Of
O Holy Child of
Descend to us we pray.
Cast out our sin
And enter in.
Be born in us today.”
As we go forward into 2012, that's a message of joy and peace and hope. It’s a message that
The Queen concluded: "It is my prayer that on this Christmas day we might all find room in our lives for the message of the angels and for the love of God through Christ our Lord.”
That's our prayer, too. We wish you a Very Happy New Year!
