‘Let us ask God to transform our life of darkness into life of light’ |23 December 2016

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness, on them light has shined.”

[Isaiah 9:2 NRSV]

My dear brothers and sisters in the Child of Bethlehem, a very Happy and Blessed Christmas and a peaceful New Year 2017 to you as you read and/or listen to this Christmas message. On the first Christmas, Jesus: the Light of the World was born - a light that spread and transformed everything on its path. That light of Christ still transforms today - regardless of how hopeless, alone, or broken we and the society in which we are living in may be.

Today, as we look in our lives, in our families, our communities, our churches and our society, we can unfortunately see darkness and its fruits. Many of us are experiencing injustice, divisions in the family because of political allegiance and religious belonging, inequality between the rich and the poor, domestic and gender violence, addiction to substances and refusal to forgive one another. The list can be longer. In the darkness we are living in, there has been a loss of hope. These situations seem to darken our world but we are all longing for light and hope.

My dear fellow pilgrims on our earthly journey, at this Christmas time, I would like to suggest that you invite the Light of God to fill you with his presence and his peace in whatever situation we are so that you could become instruments of grace and blessing to our nation. God has called you and me, his church, to be beacons of Light and means by which our people will gain back a fighting spirit against the forces of darkness knowing that the Light that comes from God has already overcome this world of darkness we evolve in.

In the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, we read how the shepherds, a marginalised group saw a great light and they were frightened. Are you afraid to receive the light of Christ in your lives? The shepherds left their flock by night and went to worship the Child of Bethlehem. Are we ready to follow their example?

There was also another group of people we associate with Christmas, the magi from the East. They were foreigners to the People of God and sometimes associated with magic practices, but they saw the light of the star of the king of the Jews. They left their comfort, their work and started a new journey in their life. Whatever our background may be, are we ready to leave the old creation and let God give us new birth in the new creation? (2 Corinthians 5:17)

My dearly beloved, we are called to be the light of the world here in the Seychelles. At this Christmastide, let us ask God to transform our life of darkness into life of light. Ask Jesus to be born in our heart anew. Ask God for a new experience of His glory that our heart may be set on fire with love for God and for His world.

The light and glory of God manifest themselves in a deep passion for truth; a burning desire for justice and an immense yearning for peace, a profound compassion for the outcast, the sick, the lost, the suffering and the oppressed.

May the Spirit of Christmas bring us a new vision, a new direction in our lives so that as we are blessed, may we be a blessing to our brothers and sisters.

“This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. Let it shine, Let it shine, Let it shine.”

Together for His glory

The Rt Rev James Richard Wong Yin Song

Your fellow pilgrim and (Anglican) Bishop