ANGLICAN MEDIA

DIOCESE OF CANBERRA AND GOULBURN

 

JAMIESON HOUSE

43 CONSTITUTION AVENUE

REID, ACT 2601

                                            Friday 14 December 2007

 

 

MEDIA RELEASE

 

Christmas Message: Bishop George Browning

 

 

Adults know that the most exciting thing about Christmas is being in the company of children.  Their sense of anticipation, uninhibited joy, and unfettered imagination, make the celebration of Christmas an unforgettable experience.

 

Why is it then that adults, who unfortunately rule the world, are so often devoid of such powerful imagination?

 

The imagination of God, which takes a human face in Jesus, is challenging: here we observe the eternal Word of God being born in human likeness in the lowliest of all places, amongst the most common of people.  A fairly ignominious start for a very grand plan!  Who would have thought it would be like this!  No wonder the Bible describes such folly as stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.  Modern day successors, such as Richard Dawkins, have gone out of their way to reinforce how foolish they believe it is.

 

But who is the fool?  As together we face the challenges of the 21st century I strongly argue a really large dose of this kind of foolishness is required to see us through!  There can be few who now doubt that climate change, induced by human behaviour, is our largest challenge.  The challenge can be met and overcome: dare I say, will be met and overcome.  It will be met by a change in our behaviour, by the use of our imagination.  We will ask, what actions of ours contribute to a sustainable future and what actions have to be changed, and or abandoned, because they are destroying our future.  We will all do this!  We must all do this!  The last thing we should be doing is thinking about the few extra dollars a day it may or may not cost us.  We should use our imagination to see what quality of life experiences will be added, not only for ourselves, but especially for the poor of the world who are now unquestionably threatened by the prosperity of people like ourselves.  We have no time to waste.  Too much time has already been wasted by inactive leaders these last several years.  We must think about it at Christmas because the worst face of Christmas is self indulgent consumerism, the major cause of the problem.

 

We must also face the growing inequities of our world.  In Australia, as well as in the global community, the gap between the poor and the prosperous is widening.  It is somewhat ridiculous that at Christmas prosperous adults exchange expensive gifts, or give expensive gifts to children.  Children would benefit far more from expressions of generosity and hospitality shared with those who are less advantaged.  Please consider giving a gift through AngliCORD, TEAR, Care Australia, or some equivalent charity, rather than sharing gifts with each other.

 

This Christmas use your imagination, if possible get your mind around the imagination of God who takes the lowest place in order that all might be included in his invitation list to a table at which those who consider themselves first, may in fact be last, and those who are treated as last, will indeed be first.

 

Have a wonderfully, happy and imaginative Christmas.  Find yourself in Church hearing the ancient story.  This is a season of hope because the imagination of God revealed in Jesus is indeed good news for the world.  May God give you the grace to enter this imagination, may you have the generosity of spirit and courage of will to be partners with God in bringing equity, justice, and compassion, to a beautiful, but also, a broken world.

 

 

Bishop George Browning

Bishop of Canberra & Goulburn

 

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Contact:

To arrange interview: Bev Forbes, Bishop’s Executive Officer on (02) 6248 0666 or bev.forbes@anglicancg.org.au