DEVOTION
God With Us
Christmas Message 2021
G
reetings of Peace and Joy in the name of Jesus of Nazareth from the Council for World Mission. It is my prayer that this Christmas season will fill you and your families with the hope of life even in the midst of pandemic. Advent is a season of joy and jubilance. Christmas is a festival of hope, joy, and peace that we celebrate together. How are you in this Christmas? Unfortunately, this year also, like last year, most of us cannot hold celebrations with families, friends, and communities together because the Covid-19 global pandemic continues to impact our lives even after two years. As a result, we are confronted with worry, stress, anxiety, and other emotional challenges caused by the ongoing uncertainties and instabilities. The number of infections continue to rise in many countries. The emergence of the new and more infectious Covid variants causing increased fear and anxiety among the people. The impact of prolonged lockdowns, social distancing and quarantine measures, growing financial insecurities, and lack of access to medical and social services are creating an increased emotional and psychological illness in the millions of people globally. Specific vulnerable populations like migrant workers, homeless, elderly as well as those who already have mental health conditions, are even more affected. Unfortunately, mental illness is often associated with failure, blame, shame, and stigma, and as such, affected persons rarely get the help they need. It is in this context of challenges, we prepare to celebrate Christmas this year. Christmas is a celebration of God’s manifestation in this world of darkness, suffering, and death to bring light, healing, and life. Christmas reminds us that Christ came into this world not only to set us free from spiritual bondage but from every form of bondage, including mental and emotional. Christmas reminds us that Christ came into this world to live among us (John1:14), giving us the assurance of “God with Us” (Matthew 2:23) even in the midst of the ongoing pandemic and all the chaos that it has created. Our challenge this Christmas is to remember and remind others that God revealed Godself in human form and came to us, to meet us at the point of our struggles and our search for meaning in life.
02 INSiGHT DECEMBER 2021
