The Bishop of Leicester and the Bishop of Loughborough's Christmas Message reminds us that Christ came for all people. The video features Christmas wishes in many languages, thanks to the community of Hope Hamilton Church of England Primary School.
Video transcript:
Bishop Saju Muthalaly:
"The angels in the Christmas story proclaim to the shepherds, ‘fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be for all people.’ This powerful message of joy and hope resonates in every corner of the world, and we experienced a glimpse of that joy of the Global Carol Service at Leicester Cathedral recently. The joy of hearing the Christmas message in our own languages was truly remarkable.
"Vibrant tunes, diverse accents. Behind the lively dance and heartfelt prayers, what was vividly reflected was the reality of the good news for all people. We even witnessed a spirited bhangra dance to the tune of Jingle Bells. I was particularly moved by hearing the many languages spoken in the carol service, including Gujarati and German, Farsi and Hindi, Hebrew, Urdu, Swahili, English, Tamil, Yoruba, Telugu and indeed my mother tongue, Malayalam.
"After the service, someone said over these precious pakoras and warm mulled wine, “When I heard carols sung in Cantonese, it sent shivers down my spine.” We must remember that Jesus grew up in a rich tapestry of cultures, and it is no wonder that He is described as the saviour of the world. We watched this video which beautifully captures the essence of good tidings, of great joy for all the people of the world.
"Enjoy it as much as I did. And a Merry Christmas to you."
Bishop Martyn Snow:
"We're enormously blessed in this Diocese of Leicester to have people of many different languages and different cultures. And even as we give thanks to God for the wonderful diversity of this diocese, so also our minds turn to peoples around the world. Alongside the Advent wreath, behind me is also the candle for Ukraine. We've been praying here in my chapel for Ukraine for this past year and more, and we go on praying in particular as well for the peoples of the Middle East, for Israel, Palestine and Gaza, Lebanon and also Syria.
"And there are many other places that we remember regularly in our prayers as well, where people are living in anxiety and in fear. And so at this Christmas time, we remember in particular that this Christ child was born as the Prince of Peace; the one who came to break down the barriers of this world, the one who came to reconcile communities even as we are reconciled with God.
"So wherever you are celebrating Christmas this day, I pray that you will know the peace of Christ ruling in your hearts and minds, and that you may be empowered to be a peacemaker within your own communities and indeed, wherever God may take you in this coming year. God be with you and the peace of Christ be in your hearts."