The Bishop of Worcester’s Christmas Message

23 Dec 2022 • Other News

The Bishop of Worcester’s Christmas message 2022

I’ve got power on my mind at the moment, for a number of reasons. The recent cold spell has meant the power we need to heat our homes has been in the news, as has the worry of paying for it. Across the globe many people don’t have that power: I think particularly of Ukraine, where people are suffering in much colder temperatures than we have experienced here. And then there’s the power of President Putin who caused all the difficulties, and other malign leaders. They want to throw their power around and inflict their will on others, causing immense suffering as they do so.

When we think of power, we tend to think of such world leaders who force their power on others, sometimes by violence. But actually, the greatest power in the universe, the ultimate power, is not violence but love. At Christmas, we see the truth of that revealed once again when we celebrate the birth of Jesus. God came to us as a vulnerable child to show us the depths of his love. It is by love that we shall be saved, the love of Jesus, not by the power of any world leader, good or evil, or any power of our own.

My hope and prayer for you this Christmas is that you will be embraced by that love, the greatest power in all creation, and that you’ll be given the will and the means to share that love in your life.