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]