The Bishop of Dorchester Gavin Collins has written us a Christmas message which you can read in full here.

“O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie! Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by.”

 This has always been one of my favourite Christmas carols, and yet I find that this Christmas it is too painful and too poignant to sing it.

With the awful scenes we are seeing daily on the news of the danger, fighting and destruction in Palestine and Israel, it seems wrong to sing of quiet and peace in that famous “little town”. 

Bethlehem lies in the West Bank, the Palestinian territories which, while not part of Gaza where most of the fighting is taking place, are marked by violence, protests and shootings. 

Oxford Mail: A pro-Palestine protest takes place in OxfordA pro-Palestine protest takes place in Oxford (Image: Oxford Mail)Wherever our sympathies may lie in the current war, it is clear that there have been outrages perpetrated by both sides: the deadly, criminal terrorist attacks by Hamas and the ruthless and relentless retaliation and bombardments by Israel in response.

At this Christmas season, how should we – how can we – respond to such violence, destruction and death?

 Although it may be too painful to sing this wonderful carol this particular Christmas, I think its lyrics still contain much of the answer: It very realistically speaks of “darkness”, “fears” and “sin” – each of which we see so clearly in Bethlehem, Israel and Palestine this Christmas.

But it also speaks of the light that shines in that darkness – of God stepping down as “Emmanuel”, which means “God with us”, and of his coming to us not just as a light, but as an “everlasting light”, a light that can meet all of our fears, and also meet all of our hopes.

Oxford Mail: The Bishop of Dorchester The Bishop of Dorchester

#This is as we remember and celebrate the miracle that, in that stable in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago, God stepped down into the hopelessness and pain and suffering of our world to lift us up with the “wondrous gift” of new life, new hope and new joy.

And so, whatever darkness may surround us this Christmas-time – whether that’s the pain of seeing the awful scenes taking place in Israel and Gaza, or whether it’s darkness closer to home, the fears and worries and disappointments and pains in our lives and our relationships, I invite you to come to that stable and see the baby who was born to be the Saviour and the light of the world. 

As the carol ends: “O holy child of Bethlehem, descend to us we pray: Cast out our sin, and enter in, be born in us today. We hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell: O come to us, abide with us, Our Lord Emmanuel.”

With every blessing to you this Christmas-time.