Dear Jamaica,
As we head into the Christmas Season and the close of another year. I give thanks to God for blessing and protecting this beautiful country and I thank you the good people of Jamaica for the privilege and honour of leading this country for yet another year.
An important part of job of a leader is to set direction and give hope, which is particularly important in times of crisis and bewilderment. The story of the birth of Jesus Christ, which we celebrate as Christmas, tells of the emergence of a spiritual leader who would give hope to a despairing people and direction along a pathway to peace and redemption.
So it is today, as it was in biblical times, there is despair, uncertainty and suffering for many:
- at the global level; with wars, climate disasters, pandemics, and economic crises;
- at the community level, with poor infrastructure and amenities like roads and healthcare, and a breakdown in public order;
- at the household level, with high cost of living, poor housing, and a feeling of insecurity due to crime and violence;
- and at the personal level, broken relationships consuming us with anger and rage, and unfulfilled desires and expectations weighing us down with depression and negative thoughts.
Yes, so much trouble in the world, but our faith tells us that Jesus came into the world to shine a light to nations, but more so to be the saviour of the individual soul, to help you find the pathway to peace in your life.
The important lesson in the birth of Christ, and in the life of Christ is that the solutions to national problems or personal problems do not lie in material things. Indeed, the story of the nativity is deliberate in Jesus being born in poor circumstances in a horse stable. And the life of Jesus was remarkably humbling as a carpenter.
However, his teachings were revolutionary in liberating the minds of the people from material worship and selfish desires to a deeper understanding of love and peace.