A Christmas Message

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us...
(John 1:14)

In the midst of our insecurity, instability and vulnerability, Christmas comes once again as a sign of hope that God will bring about "fullness of life for all".

During the past year here in Asia, we experienced the continuation of the economic crisis, the increase in unemployment and underemployment, the spread of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the continuation of communal violence and human rights abuses, the rise in fundamentalist militancy, the push to militarism, the continuation of dictatorial regimes, the increasing influx of displaced peoples and refugees and the increasing disregard of their human rights by many countries, to name just a few of these human tragedies.

Most of these problems have affected our Asian region for sometime now. But the recent events following the September 11 attacks in the US have further escalated them. Since the problem of terrorism has long been brewing all over the world, what happened on September 11 is merely an eruption of the problem. It brought to us the realization that globalization has not only made the world a little economic village but that war has also become truly borderless.

We are therefore reminded of the first Christmas when the Christ child was born in the midst of similar conflicts of poverty, bondage and oppression in concrete economic, political, and cultural terms. We remember how the family of Jesus experienced the vulnerability of life as refugees, threatened by poverty and by the powers-that-be.

Yet, the message of Christmas is that it was in such a seemingly hopeless time as theirs, that God sent Jesus in order that people might have life, "life in its fullness".

And so our prayer is that we will experience once again, this Christmas season and throughout the New Year, the hope that God's will for life in its fullness will truly come about. This is what it means to be the church in Asia -- that because we are partakers of this hope, we cannot afford to be mere bystanders and onlookers. We are called to be agents of repentance of the hatred, intolerance and enmity that characterize human relationships. We are also called to be agents of the birthing of God's will. Hence, we are called to continue being present where our Asian people suffer and hurt most and to participate in ministries of peace-making and justice-seeking.

I am telling you the truth: whoever believes in me will do what I do -- yes, they will do even greater things... (John 14:12)

Sincerely,

Jennifer Dawson, President
Anthony Row, President
Wong Wai Ching, President
Joseph Mar Ireneaus, President
Israel Paulraj, Honorary Treasurer
Ahn Jae Woong, General Secretary

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