wfn.org | Christmas Message 2002

["WCC Media" <Media@wcc-coe.org>]

World Council of Churches
Press Release PR-02-31
For Immediate Use
22 November 2002

Christmas Message 2002
Rev. Dr Konrad Raiser
General Secretary, World Council of Churches

Once again we approach Christmas. Yet particularly this year, people all over
the world are struggling with fear and anxiety: fear of a possible war in the
Middle East and its unpredictable consequences far beyond the region; fear of
deadly terrorist attacks like those that occurred in Bali or in Moscow
recently; fear of loss of livelihood and destitution, as in Argentina; fear
of a long-drawn-out illness and death among those living with AIDS,
especially in sub-Saharan Africa; fear of becoming a victim of bigotry,
hatred and violence among ethnic or religious minority groups in countries
like India; or simply fear of natural disasters, like hurricanes, floods,
earthquakes or volcanic eruptions, and the consequences of climate change.
The list could continue, indicating a widespread sense of insecurity and
powerlessness. 

In the midst of this climate of fear and anxiety, we hear once again those
ancient words of the angel to the shepherds on the first Christmas night:
"Fear not!" (Luke 2:10). The shepherds in the field near Bethlehem were
afraid because they encountered the holy and its overwhelming power. In their
fear, they understood the fragility of their lives and were confronted with a
power beyond their control that could either destroy them or save them. But
they also remind us that fear is not a sign of human weakness to be
concealed. In the emotion of fear, we anticipate a potential danger or threat
and mobilise possible defences. We need not be ashamed of our fears: they
remind us that we are human creatures and not God. 

The instinctive natural response to fear is to seek protection and security,
to draw closer to one another. The solidarity of fear can mobilise people
into action. It can also cause them to follow blindly those who offer or
promise security. But how to protect ourselves from those who exploit our
fears for their own interests and deliberately disempower us? How can we
break the vicious circle, in which the very search for security becomes
itself the source of increased fear and security measures become ends in
themselves, holding us hostage to our fears? 

Christmas invites us to take our fears to a God who does not want to remain
an unapproachable or awe-inspiring holy other. God knows our human fears, but
God wants to take them away by calling out to us, as to the shepherds through
the words of the angel: "Fear not!" God does not offer us security, but
utterly vulnerable love in the child of Bethlehem. It is the love of "God
with us" that can cast out fear (1 John 4:18) and liberate us from the
idolatry of security. This is also the thrust of the Ecumenical Decade to
Overcome Violence. For, as the Apostle Paul says: "I am convinced that
neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor
things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all
creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our
Lord" (Rom. 8:38f). 

The Christmas message is also available on CD or cassette, free of charge.

This recording of the Christmas message, read in English, French, German and
Spanish by the general secretary of the WCC, Konrad Raiser, may be ordered by
radio broadcasters and audio-visual services until 10 December.

Order should be sent to the WCC Media Relations Office:
E-mail:  chd@wcc-coe.org 
Telephone:  +41 (0)22 791 64 21

**********

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a fellowship of churches, now 342, in
more than 100 countries in all continents from virtually all Christian
traditions. The Roman Catholic Church is not a member church but works
cooperatively with the WCC. The highest governing body is the assembly, which
meets approximately every seven years. The WCC was formally inaugurated in
1948 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Its staff is headed by general secretary
Konrad Raiser from the Evangelical Church in Germany.

World Council of Churches
Media Relations Office
Tel: (41 22) 791 6153 / 791 6421
Fax: (41 22) 798 1346
E-mail: media@wcc-coe.org 
Web: www.wcc-coe.org 

PO Box 2100
1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland