Magic Statistics

Excerpt from Times of London article headlined: "Iraqis risk their lives to celebrate Christmas in church":

Protected under Saddam, Christians once numbered between 600,000 and 700,000 in Iraq, but church officials say that about half have now fled, especially from the south, where militias linked to Iraq’s ruling parties have waged a three-year campaign to Islamise the country at gunpoint.

The worst attacks were by insurgents in central and northern Iraq in August last year, when bomb attacks on four churches in Baghdad and one in Mosul killed a dozen Christians during Sunday services.

Priests have been threatened and killed, women abused in the street for not wearing veils and three months ago the entire lay leadership of Iraq’s main Anglican church were ambushed and killed.

Despite the fears of insurgent bombings and Islamist intolerance, congregations turned out in greater numbers yesterday than last year.

A priest named Father Haritounian fled Basra after receiving a death threat delivered via local police. The presence of British troops, he says, doesn't stop the killings and persecution.

Archbishop of York, the Rev Dr John Sentamu, had a Christmas message in The Daily Telegraph just over a week ago. Now he's published another message in The Yorkshire Post on Christmas Eve. He thanks everyone for the favourable response to his recent inaugural sermon in York Minster, focusing especially on the "vigourous support" for these words:

For me, the vital issue facing the Church in England and the nation, is the loss of this country's long tradition of Christian wisdom which brought to birth the English nation: the loss of wonder and amazement that Jesus Christ has authority over every aspect of our lives and our nation.

Recent opinion polls suggested that over 40% of Britons intended to go to church this Christmas. Abp Sentamu points out that this presents an excellent opportunity to encourage people to become Christian disciples because the Christmas story is so joyously amazing.

"The Ruler of the stars and sea became a child on earth for me," as the late Sir John Betjeman put it. Doesn't that take your breath away?

Religions are often portrayed as exemplars of the human search for God. By contrast, the Bible is the story of God in search of us and our inclination to try to hide from Him. There is something about human nature which wants to go its own way: the calamities of human history chronicle the result.

Christmas says that God refuses to give up on his rebellious creatures. In the birth of Christ, a baby came into the world with power to redeem and transform human character.

via Saskatchewan Diocese.

The collect for today, the Nativity of our Lord, or the Birth-day of Christ, commonly called Christmas-day, from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer:

Almighty God, who hast given us thy only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and as at this time to be born of a pure Virgin; Grant that we being regenerate, and made thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit; through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

The Epistle: Hebrews 1:1-12
The Gospel: St John 1:1-14