The Anglican Communion Office

Christmas Letter

“A Virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall

name him Emmanuel” (Matt 1.23)

Emmanuel – God is with us – loudly proclaims at this Christmas time, the

breaking in of a transcendent God to our mortal and very human existence.

“God is with us” is not just a statement on a Christmas card or a line in a

Christmas carol – it’s a reality every Christian preaches and witnesses to as we

recognise God’s transforming work in our world.

This is a world where transformation is sorely needed – audible in the cries of

the hungry and the lost, of those who seek for justice and right relationships one

to another, and for an appropriate way of living which respects the environment

and all of God’s creation.

All of this takes flesh, literally, at Christmastime, as we celebrate the events in

Bethlehem 2000 years ago, and make them a reality in 2009.

My colleagues at the Anglican Communion Office join me in celebrating with our

wider Anglican family the Good News of Christmas – Emmanuel, God is with us

- and assure you of our prayers and hopes for a peaceful and meaningful

Christmas, and a blessed New Year.

In the joy of the Incarnate Christ,

Kenneth Kearon and the staff of the Anglican Communion Office

This letter is sent by email instead of on paper as a small contribution to reducing our carbon