Region's church leaders offer message of hope at end of dark year
Church leaders today spread a message of hope amid the despair of a Christmas under the shadow of coronavirus.
Bishops attempted to offer reassurance as they also remembered those who have been lost to the pandemic.
It comes as many prepare to spend Christmas alone, or away from extended family they have not seen for months.
Bishop of Lichfield spoke of the joy of hearing carol singers, saying Christmas “brings light to our sad world”.
He added: “The festive season will feel very different for most of us this year, and many of the familiar ways of marking it will be taken away – but maybe the message at its heart will stand out even more clearly.”
The Bishop of Worcester, Dr John Inge, spoke of the vaccine as “real light at the end of the tunnel”.
He added: “My prayer is that we can all look forward to better times ahead, with the wider roll out of vaccines hopefully enabling the removal of restrictions during next year.”
The Bishop of Dudley, Martin Gorick, said that this year had been “almost impossible”.
He added: “This wretched virus has dominated our lives. It has tragically killed many, caused bereavement and heartache, wrecked jobs and livelihoods, challenged our securities, disrupted our travels, limited our gathering together and even restricted our expressions of affection and love. We pray it passes soon.
“Yet the virus can never destroy our dignity, nor our hope. Humanity is bigger and greater than this wretched virus. We see the selfless, courageous acts of people serving and caring for one another.”
In our despair there is always hope to be found
Bishop of Lichfield Dr Michael Ipgrave today stressed that hope remains despite the challenging times of the coronavirus crisis.
In his Christmas message, he speaks of the joy a socially-distanced carol service brought him as our difficult winter continues.
He says: “What I shall remember is a crowd of people, of all ages and backgrounds, gathered outside Lichfield Cathedral, just in front of our house, cheerfully singing carols in the pouring rain as the darkness fell.
“It was a real celebration, and outdoor events like that are happening every day around now. People are gathering outside churches to sing of the joy which Christmas brings to our sad world, of light shining in our darkness.
“The festive season will feel very different for most of us this year, and many of the familiar ways of marking it will be taken away – but maybe the message at its heart will stand out even more clearly.
“There is hope for us all in this simple story of a baby’s birth in a draughty stable, and the cold and the darkness around us underline how much that hope means to us.
“Whatever comforts we miss this Christmas, I pray we may know a deep joy.”
The Bishop of Worcester Dr John Inge speaks of “light at the end of the tunnel” that brings hope to us all.
In his message, he says: “Life remains very trying for so many because of the pandemic and for those who have lost loved ones, this Christmas will be a particularly difficult time. My prayer is that we can all look forward to better times ahead with the wider roll out of vaccines.”
Bishop of Dudley Martin Gorick said: “Christmas 2020, almost the end of a year like no other. Some have faced Covid-induced illness death and bereavement. Others have faced loss of job, loss of income, loss of contact with family and friends. Added to that is an almost chronic sense of uncertainty, with rules and regulations, advice and guidelines changing time and time and time again. Most people like to be able to plan, to look forward, to make arrangements. This year that has been almost impossible.”
He likens the current confusion to that felt by Joseph and Mary 2,000 years ago when she fell pregnant and faced being shamed. But they trusted in God and the Bishop adds: “The baby born was Jesus Christ, and 2,000 years later I gave my life to follow him, and he is with me still.”
A time to reflect as our holiday plans change
Bishop of Wolverhampton Clive Gregory reflects on a very apt song by John Lennon in his Christmas message for 2020.
He says: “Just before he was tragically murdered forty years ago this month, Lennon wrote a song containing the lyric; ‘Life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans’.
“How true that has been of our experience during 2020. So many plans aborted, so many hopes unfulfilled; snatched away by Covid restrictions. As a result, this Christmas will be very different, for many of us, from the one we were planning and hoping for. And for some it will be overshadowed by grief and loss.
“One of the things we can still do this Christmas is to go to Church or access it online, and hear the timeless story of Jesus’ birth. And perhaps the story will speak to us in a different way this year because of the circumstances we are in?
Perhaps our own, stripped down, Christmas will enable us to see how bare that stable was? Perhaps ou”r own vulnerability and concerns for the future will help us see the insecurity of Mary and Joseph’s situation, as they took flight from Herod’s vengeance?
“The Christmas story has never been a Bethlehem fairy tale. It has always been a gritty human story, of plans being overturned; of anxiety, risk and danger. Yet at its core there is a pulse of hope and joy, beating from the heart of a new born infant, transmitting a message of love to all creation – reassuring us that God is with us, offering us his love and presence in the very midst of our vulnerability and brokenness.”
Stephen Wright, the Auxiliary Bishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham, says the words “do not be afraid” stand out in the Christmas story.
In his message, he says: “We all need to take to heart that message, this Christmas. This wretched virus has dominated our lives. It has tragically killed many, caused bereavement and heartache, wrecked jobs and livelihoods, challenged our securities, disrupted our travels, limited our gathering together and even restricted our expressions of affection and love. We pray it passes soon.
“Yet the virus can never destroy our dignity, nor our hope. Humanity is bigger and greater than this wretched virus. We see the selfless, courageous acts of people serving and caring for one another.
“We see the love people show by making painful acts of sacrifice to ensure the virus is not spread.”
