CHRISTMAS MESSAGE-NSW Council of Churches

United in prayer, united in care

christianreview | 입력 : 2014/12/17 [04:53]

This Christmas season reminds us again how vulnerable we are, with the tragic death of Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes on November 27, and the horrific Lindt Café siege in Martin Place on the night of December 15 claiming the lives of innocent victims Katrina Dawson and Tori Johnson.

“As we have been drawn together as a nation by these events, we recognise the deep sense of spirituality we share. Nearly all of us, from politicians and media commentators to ordinary persons, have responded to these tragedies with heartfelt thoughts and prayers,” the President of the NSW Council of Churches, the Reverend Dr Ross Clifford, said.

“In the light of this, the Christmas message calls us back to the hope that each of us holds on to, a hope that helps make sense of the world around us when events distress us. Our hope is not misplaced as we look at the person of Jesus this Christmas, who is God with us, Immanuel,” Dr Clifford said.

The Christmas story also reminds us that we may be poor in spirit, but Jesus raises us up and invites us to share our experience of the grace and compassion of God with others.

“We have a responsibility to share with others as individuals, and as a national community. It is disappointing to hear of the latest cuts to Australia’s foreign aid budget which directly hurt the most vulnerable and needy of our regional neighbours. The federal government must do all in its power to avoid further cuts to foreign aid, and seek to return the federal aid budget to a more responsible footing,” Dr Clifford said.

On Monday, federal Treasurer Joe Hockey announced that the foreign aid budget would be slashed by a further $3.7 billion over three years, taking the total funding cut to the sector to more than $11 billion since the Coalition took office in September 2013.

“As Christmas approaches, we also think of families doing it tough closer to home, some of them devastated and divided by problem gambling.

“The NSW government has clear recommendations for reform of the gambling industry from a report tabled in the NSW Legislative Council in August this year. We would respectfully encourage Premier Mike Baird to consider implementing all recommendations in the report to ensure harm minimisation and responsible gambling for the people of this State,” Dr Clifford said.
 
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