A Christmas message from the Dean

"At the heart of Christmas is a message of love – of God’s love for us and of the call for us to love each other," says the Dean of Norwich, the Very Revd Jane Hedges.

"As Christmas arrives, this is the time for all of us to reflect on what life is all about, and about what we are celebrating on Christmas Day. At the heart of Christmas is a message of love – of God’s love for us and of the call for us to love each other.

This is all the more important this year because the past few months in particular have made everyone in our nation very uncertain about the future. Divided opinions about Brexit have led to people being very much at odds with each other and all this has led to a considerable break down of trust. We are also aware that our society has become one where, while many people flourish and prosper, others struggle to make ends meet and feel very much left on the edge.

2000 years ago the angels brought the Christmas message to the shepherds as they looked after their sheep out on the hills in the dead of night. They were people very much on the edge of their society at the time, but they were the first to hear of the birth of the baby who was bringing peace and goodwill to all people.

Tomorrow morning as church bells ring out, we welcome the infant Christ into the world and into our lives all over again; bringing into the present what God did 2000 years ago when he chose to come into our world as one of us.

As we celebrate this most wonderful present that God has given us, let us pray that his love will overflow from our lives in a generosity of spirit to everyone around us; that all God’s children, both in this nation and across the world may come to know that love, joy and peace and the hope of a more certain future.

So from all of us at Norwich Cathedral, we wish you a truly blessed Christmas and a New Year filled with real hope."

The Very Revd Jane Hedges

Dean of Norwich