December 2021
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Christmastime is upon us, with the manifestation and revelation of the One who has come to set us free, so we may in turn “proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners”.
This Christmas, I would like to invite the whole people of God to embrace the gift of liberty that a fearless soul-searching truth will bring into two areas of our lives.
First, the truth that the earth itself needs freedom from the captivity of insatiable consumption of the beauty and gifts of creation, which creates an ever-increasing expansion of the desertification of what should be a garden of delight and health for all. In the light of this truth, we pray for freedom from the captivity of “having”, so we may enjoy the liberty of being children of God and co-heirs with Christ.
And second, in the truth of our frailty and weakness, may this Christmas be a time for a deep renewal of our awareness of our vulnerability and smallness, in imitation of the smallness of our Saviour Jesus, born in a humble stable.
Christmas once again is the invitation to embrace the liberty and freedom offered by our God to each of us, and the whole world, in the communion, participation, and mission of Emmanuel. May we welcome this invitation to risk an encounter with the demanding cry of the poorest Prince of Peace, so that all may have liberty, life, and a peace the world cannot give.
May the joy of Christ’s birth embrace you and your families with abundant love. Merry Christmas!
In Communion,
Most Reverend Gary Gordon
Bishop of Victoria
