00:30["Pomp and Circumstance"]
01:01["Pomp and Circumstance"]
01:09Earlier this year, as we commemorated
01:12the 80th anniversary of D-Day,
01:15the Queen and I had the enormous privilege
01:18of meeting once again the remarkable veterans
01:22of that very special generation
01:24who gave of themselves so courageously
01:27on behalf of us all.
01:30Listening to these once young servicemen and women
01:34touched us deeply
01:36as they spoke of their comrades
01:39drawn from across the Commonwealth
01:42who never returned
01:44and who now rest peacefully
01:46where they made the ultimate sacrifice.
01:49Their example of service and selflessness
01:52continues to inspire across the generations.
01:57During previous commemorations,
01:59we were able to console ourselves
02:02with the thought that these tragic events
02:05seldom happen in the modern era.
02:07But on this Christmas Day,
02:10we cannot help but think
02:12of those for whom the devastating effects of conflict
02:16in the Middle East, in Central Europe,
02:19in Africa, and elsewhere
02:22pose a daily threat
02:24to so many people's lives and livelihoods.
02:27We also think of the humanitarian organisations
02:31working tirelessly to bring vital relief.
02:35After all, the Gospels speak so vividly of conflict
02:41and teach the values with which we can overcome it.
02:45The example that Jesus gave us is timeless and universal.
02:50It is to enter the world of those who suffer,
02:55to make a difference to their lives
02:58and so bring hope where there is despair.
03:03As the famous Christmas carol
03:06Once in Royal David's City reminds us,
03:09Our Saviour Holy came down to earth from heaven,
03:14lived among the poor and mean and lowly,
03:18and transformed the lives of those he met
03:21through God's redeeming love.
03:24That is the heart of the Nativity story,
03:28and we can hear its beat in the belief of all the great faiths
03:33in the love and mercy of God in times of joy and of suffering,
03:39calling us to bring light where there is darkness.
03:45All of us go through some form of suffering
03:49at some stage in our life,
03:51be it mental or physical.
03:54The degree to which we help one another
03:57and draw support from each other,
04:00be we people of faith or of none,
04:03is a measure of our civilisation as nations.
04:08This is what continually impresses me
04:11as my family and I meet with and listen to
04:15those who dedicate their lives to helping others.
04:20I am speaking to you today from the chapel
04:23of the former Middlesex Hospital in London,
04:26now itself a vibrant community space,
04:30and thinking especially of the many thousands of professionals
04:36and volunteers here in the United Kingdom
04:39and across the Commonwealth
04:41who, with their skills and out of the goodness of their heart,
04:46care for others, often at some cost to themselves.
04:51From a personal point of view,
04:54I offer special heartfelt thanks to the selfless doctors and nurses
04:59who this year have supported me and other members of my family
05:04through the uncertainties and anxieties of illness
05:08and have helped provide the strength, care and comfort we have needed.
05:15I am deeply grateful, too,
05:17to all those who have offered us their own kind words
05:21of sympathy and encouragement.
05:25On our recent visit to the South Pacific
05:28to attend the Commonwealth Summit,
05:30I was reminded constantly of the strength
05:34which institutions as well as individuals
05:37can draw from one another
05:39and of how diversity of culture, ethnicity and faith
05:44provide strength, not weakness.
05:48Across the Commonwealth, we are held together
05:51by a willingness to listen to each other,
05:54to learn from one another
05:56and to find just how much we have in common.
06:01Because through listening, we learn to respect our differences,
06:07to defeat prejudice and to open up new possibilities.
06:12I felt a deep sense of pride here in the United Kingdom
06:16when, in response to anger and lawlessness
06:20in several towns this summer, communities came together
06:25not to repeat these behaviours but to repair,
06:30to repair not just buildings but relationships
06:35and, most importantly, to repair trust
06:39by listening and, through understanding,
06:43deciding how to act for the good of all.
06:47Again, listening is a recurrent theme of the Nativity story.
06:53Mary, the mother of Jesus, listened to the angel
06:57who revealed to her a different future
07:00full of hope for all people.
07:04The message of the angels to the shepherds,
07:07that there should be peace on earth,
07:10in fact echoes through all faiths and philosophies.
07:16It rings true to this day
07:18for people of goodwill across the world.
07:22And so it is, with this in mind,
07:25that I wish you and all those you love
07:29a most joyful and peaceful Christmas.
07:35Once in royal David's city
07:42Stood a lowly cattle shed
07:49Where a mother laid her baby
07:56In a manger for his bed
08:03Mary was that mother mild
08:10Jesus Christ her little child
08:19He came down to earth from heaven
08:26Who is Lord and God of all
08:33And his shelter was a stable
08:39And his cradle was a stall
08:46With the poor and weak and lonely
08:53With God our Savior holy
09:01And our eyes at last shall see him
09:08Through his own redeeming blood
09:15For that child so dear and gentle
09:22Is our Lord in heaven above
09:29And he leads his children on
09:36To the place where he is gone
09:44Not in hell, O lowly stable
09:50With the altars standing by
09:57We shall see him, God in heaven
10:03Set at God's right hand on high
10:10Where life's lofty children crown
10:17Holy ones shall wait around
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