A Christmas Message from the Revd Dr Elijah Brown
General Secretary and CEO of the Baptist World Alliance

“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” 
– Luke 2:10 –

In the midst of human fear, the Gospel of great joy is proclaimed. The shepherds were “living out in the fields” and “keeping watch over their flocks at night” (Luke 2:8). One angel soon joined by a great company of heavenly hosts appeared that life-changing night to announce the birth of Jesus, the Messiah of the world. The message was simple: live in fear no longer for Jesus is good news for all people. For all people in all places, of every profession or with no possession, Jesus offers living Good News of great joy.

There are around 64,000 words in the Greek Gospels, and only twice do the words “great joy” come together. It is when the Wise Men encountered the star shining over Jesus’ manger (Matthew 2:10) and when the Shepherds heard of Jesus’ birth (Luke 2:10). The message of Christmas is great joy. Great joy is found when the wise and the lowly, when the wealthy and those who have only themselves to bring, encounter the miracle of timeless eternity wrapped in the swaddling clothes of a vulnerable baby.

This Christmas let us proclaim in peace, “good news of great joy.” Let us not give into the temptation to amplify the message of those who sow discord and division, caustic commentary, or casual cruelty. Let us not exalt the actions of violence and death that isolate people, separate families, impoverish communities, and decimate countries. Let us not give into the temptation to echo the message of materialism that treats greed as good and endless gain as a sign of godliness. Let us not heed the whispers of doubt, hate, prejudice, and worry. For our weary selves and our wounded world, do not be afraid.

As believers and as people of good will, let us stand apart from that which coarsens our hearts and destroys our souls, and in our words and actions demonstrate, “Let us not follow the path of fear for we have good news of great joy.” This Gospel great joy is for all people. It does not belong to any one language, race, culture, or nation. It belongs to all people, including those who are near and those who are far, those who are beloved and those we might otherwise be tempted to call enemy. For every person, no matter how strongly we may disagree, is made in the image of God. We are to live that which brings great joy to the poor, marginalized, the rejected, the downcast; to those in famine, those in prison; to families trapped in violence, holding the grief of children buried too soon and standing before homes that no longer stand; to the stranger, the refugee; and to those who cannot read, cannot see, cannot hear, and cannot speak. As Jesus ultimately demonstrates, in the face of disorienting fear, joy is the practice of costly love.

This Christmas, God welcomes you. No matter who you are or where you are from, God welcomes you to know the miracle of peace in the person of Jesus. As the authors of the Gospels and our own lives testify, finding Jesus as a humble baby in a manger is the only path to the greatest joy. This Christmas, would you embody the Christmas invitation: to set aside fear and to live the good news of great joy to all people?

On behalf of the Baptist World Alliance and Baptists in 138 countries and territories, Merry Christmas.