Please Remember this Christmas...

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Please remember this Christmas…

  • When Jesus was born, he was displaced and homeless because an occupying power demanded compliance…
Please remember this Christmas…
  • Shortly after Jesus was born, one of the most powerful men in the world and from his land spied on him and put a hit out on him…
Please remember this Christmas…
  • This power-hungry ruler slaughtered many innocent children because he was hunting a toddler he perceived to be a threat to the empire and his legacy…
Please remember this Christmas…
  • As the sadistic king launched an attack on children, the most powerful ruler in the world didn’t use his power to prevent it.
  • The children and families of Bethlehem were victims of collective punishment and genocide…
Please remember this Christmas…
  • The parents of Jesus did everything in their power to keep their child safe and alive, and as a result, they took their youngster and fled their beloved country and became refugees in Egypt…
Please remember this Christmas…
  • While the Powers-That-Be had blood on their hands, people of various backgrounds came and blessed Jesus and his parents with unusual and strangely comforting gifts.
  • While darkness and despair may surround us and threaten us, look for the lights that flicker and the glimmers of hope that sprout up in the ashes…
Please remember this Christmas…
  • When Mary was young and pregnant, she proclaimed: “He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty.”
  • As a loving mama, Mary must have been heartbroken watching her beloved son be in constant conflict with the empire and then brutally lynched by those called to "serve and protect". It would have been near impossible to find any hope in the words she spoke until she saw her son rise from the grave…
Please remember this Christmas…

Jesus announced that he came as a babe into this world to…
  • Bring good news to the poor
  • Proclaim freedom for the prisoners
  • Recover the sight of the blind
  • Set the oppressed free
  • Proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour*
*When Jesus spoke about proclaiming the year of the Lord's favour, he referred to the Year of Jubilee, an extremely radical idea of a socio-economic reset every 50 years. When Jesus spoke, he said this was "being fulfilled in their hearing", so he was talking about cancelling debt, challenging injustice and creating more equality all day, every day.*

Please remember this Christmas…
  • The birth of Jesus exposes the corruption of warmongering thugs, oppressive regimes or politicians who remain silent and establish policies that side with money and power.
  • The birth of this unhoused and oppressed child sides with and brings hope to all who are poor, marginalised, and vulnerable.
  • The birth of the One whom the State executed calls us to follow his example by exposing the empire and compassionately loving our oppressed and poor neighbours…
Please remember this Christmas…
  • The children and families of Bethlehem, Gaza, and anywhere throughout the world, where people are victims of power-hungry thugs who are part of or have been endorsed and promoted by the empire...
  • All those who have been displaced, are experiencing homelessness, live in poverty, are refugees, or are incarcerated...
  • The message of Christmas calls us to love our neighbours as ourselves, which means playing our part in bringing good news to the poor, and freeing the prisoners and oppressed...
Location: Auckland, New Zealand

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