Christmas Message

Date: 19 December 2017

Christmas Message

Christmas Message

Dear friends,

I love Christmas!

I love the time of advent, the preparation for Christmas celebrations and time to reflect on God sending his Son to save the world. I am a theologian by education and identity, and the most important theological term for me is INCARNATION. It means that God comes to us in the shape of a tiny little baby. The unconditional love of God becomes visible and touchable and receivable for us human beings. We see and meet with Eternity!

My Christmas message of 2017 was given to me by YMCA Scotland.

I was encouraged by their Christmas fundraising campaign (as seen in this picture). The headline reads “Homeless. Skint. New baby. Every Christmas it’s the same old story.”

Of course this is the original story of Mary and Jesus, but the same story has been true for so many people for more than 2,000 years. The YMCA is the continued INCARNATION so that teenage mothers and other young people in need can find a strong hand to hold. So that homeless and poor, drug addicts and child workers and lonely refugees can find the same strong hand to hold. The Christmas problem is Injustice towards Young People; the Christmas Answer is Empowering Young People!

Johan Vilhelm Eltvik,  Secretary General