BISHOP'S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE: Together, we can seek justice, love and peace
By the Church of England Bishop of Portsmouth, the Rt Rev Jonathan Frost
CAN I wish all readers of the News my best wishes and to assure you of my prayers for a happy and glorious Christmas!
Going through Advent – the run-up to Christmas – has brought a memory to my mind. In a previous Advent season, all the youth workers and the youth centres in our city closed. I was working alongside a colleague and a priest called John, and we had a conversation about whether he could step right into that mess and muddle.
We talked about whether he could – with no previous experience, but a great heart, great intelligence, warmth and love – work with others to keep one of those youth centres open. That team could therefore keep open the possibility of a safe place for young people to be together. They could have some fun, but have an older person around who was concerned for them, and a safe place in which to grow and flourish.
Remarkably, John did it. The overnight closures caused real harm and problems right across the city in which I was working. But through John’s courage and wisdom, through drawing in good practice, making sure it was done properly and safely, he kept that door open for a generation of young children.
I’ve just heard there is the possibility of youth centres in our communities opening up again. This is wonderful news. It’s also Christmas news because this is God’s way with us: to have an open door for us.
As we recall the birth of the Christ-child in the stable, we mark ‘God with us’ in the person of Jesus. We celebrate God’s invitation to come, to be together, and to share the challenges and joys of life.
I know many of you already volunteer to meet the needs and concerns you find in our communities, whether from Christian or other motives. I rejoice in what you do. Together we can seek justice, love and peace and bring light into our world.
So I ask for God’s blessing on you. When energy flags, just lean on God afresh, and ask for his strength to keep on taking a step towards those around you – just as God took a step towards our world. By being born as Jesus, he heard our cry and came alongside us to love us into life.
Thank you for all you are and do to serve others – not just at Christmas, but throughout the year. And keep speaking boldly against injustice, in the name of Mary’s child.