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A ‘full communion’ Christmas greeting

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Published on 
December 14, 2009

Once again this year, Archbishop Fred Hiltz, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, and National Bishop Susan Johnson of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, come together to offer a reflection on the Christmas season and greetings to all Canadian Anglicans and Lutherans.

In this year’s message, both church leaders reflect on Christmas in the context of recent trips to the Holy Land.

The two church leaders are in frequent communication with each other and strive to give life to the special relationship that has existed between Anglicans and Lutherans since the Waterloo  Declaration on full communion was signed in 2001.

Watch the Christmas greeting on anglican.ca

Acknowledging the land and God’s creation

This acknowledgement is crafted in light of the Principles of Reconciliation by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, as we seek to live faithfully in Christ and in right relationship with all. 

We give thanks to the Creator for this land, its waters, forests and all living beings, and for the abiding presence of Christ among us. From coast to coast to coast, these have been cared for and nurtured by First Nations, Inuit and Métis through countless generations. 

We honour the enduring relationship Indigenous Peoples have cultivated with these lands and waters, and the treaties and agreements that reflect these sacred bonds. We acknowledge the harms caused by colonial expansion, through frameworks like the Doctrine of Discovery and structures like the residential school system. We recognize our past failures as a Church, including disruption of connections to the land and suppression of Indigenous spiritualities. 

Guided by the gospel of Jesus Christ, we confess our need for healing. We commit ourselves to seeking truth, pursuing reconciliation and nurturing harmony with all creation. We place our trust in Christ, through whom all things are reconciled to God. 

May God strengthen us to live faithfully as stewards of the Earth. Let us walk in love, justice and reconciliation, joining in God’s work to restore all creation.