The Chairman of the Anglican and Eastern Churches Association wishes Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.:
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As we approach the annual commemoration of the Birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, I am taking this opportunity of communicating with you through the new media channels in which the AECA is now working.
On whatever date we celebrate The Word becoming Flesh, and whatever images we use, Anglicans & Orthodox are united in affirming that the Birth of Christ, in a stable or a cave, comes to the lowest place of human need and raises humanity. God becomes fully human, that we might be shown what God is like, and so pattern the God-like in our lives. This gives us hope wherever we are, but especially for those who live in present darkness and difficulty.
So at this time, we pray especially for the people of Egypt, Syria and the Holy Land, and we feel the close proximity of our brothers and sisters in the faith in those countries. We pray for all facing economic uncertainty and hardship, and think particularly of the people of Greece.
Working together in prayer and charitable work, Anglicans and Orthodox can and do make the world a better place, and that is my prayer as we celebrate Christmas, end one calendar year, and begin another.
May the Birth of Our Lord bring comfort and joy to all the people of the world, now and in the years ahead. And may all of us work, in small steps and large, to make the world a better place in 2013.
Yours in Christ
William
