Title: ELCA Bishop H. George Anderson?s Christmas Message
ELCA NEWS SERVICE - NEWSBRIEF

December 20, 1996

BISHOP H. GEORGE ANDERSON?S
CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

?The world needs Christmas to show us how wonderful it is to be
remembered, no matter how much or how little we possess.  It
sensitizes us to the many ways in which the work of others blesses our
lives.  The world needs Christmas to open our hearts to the needs of
persons that we tend to overlook the rest of the year.  The world needs
Christmas to remind us that giving is really a joy.  A gift that truly meets a
need is a blessing to both the one who gives and the one who receives.
The world needs Christmas to assure us that God is not a distant judge
waiting to see whether or not we can pass some cosmic final exam.
Christmas tells us that God has come to be with us in Jesus, helping us
to face the daily challenges of life.  So, of all the gifts that we expect this
year, Christmas itself is the best.  Let us thank God for the many ways in
which the coming of Jesus has blessed our world.?

H. George Anderson, Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, December 1996

For information contact: Ann Hafften, Dir., ELCA News Service, (312)
380-2958 or [log in to unmask]; Frank Imhoff, Assoc. Dir., (312)
380-2955 or [log in to unmask]; Melissa Ramirez, Assist. Dir., (312)
380-2956 or [log in to unmask]