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01:00Happy and glorious,
01:06come to Him over us,
01:13O Savior and King.
01:19A few weeks ago, the Queen and I were delighted
01:30to make a state visit to the Vatican,
01:33where we prayed with Pope Leo
01:36in a historic moment of spiritual unity.
01:40Together, we celebrated the Jubilee theme,
01:42Pilgrims of Hope.
01:46Pilgrimage is a word less used today,
01:49but it has particular significance for our modern world,
01:53and especially at Christmas.
01:56It is about journeying forward, into the future,
02:00while also journeying back to remember the past
02:04and learn from its lessons.
02:07We did this during the summer,
02:10as we celebrated the 80th anniversaries of VE and VJ Day.
02:14The end of the Second World War is now remembered
02:19by fewer and fewer of us as the years pass.
02:22But the courage and sacrifice of our servicemen and women,
02:28and the way communities came together
02:31in the face of such great challenge,
02:33carry a timeless message for us all.
02:38These are the values which have shaped our country
02:41and the Commonwealth.
02:44As we hear of division, both at home and abroad,
02:48they are the values of which we must never lose sight.
02:52For instance, it is impossible not to be deeply moved
02:57by the ages of the fallen,
02:59as the gravestones in our war cemeteries remind us.
03:03The young people who fought and helped save us from defeat
03:07in both world wars were often only 18, 19, or 20 years of age.
03:16Journeying is a constant theme of the Christmas story.
03:20The holy family made a journey to Bethlehem
03:23and arrived homeless without proper shelter.
03:27The wise men made a pilgrimage from the east
03:31to worship at the cradle of Christ.
03:33And the shepherds journeyed from field to town
03:38in search of Jesus, the Saviour of the world.
03:41In each case, they journeyed with others
03:46and relied on the companionship and kindness of others.
03:51Through physical and mental challenge,
03:54they found an inner strength.
03:57To this day, in times of uncertainty,
04:01these ways of living are treasured by all the great faiths
04:06and provide us with deep wells of hope,
04:11of resilience in the face of adversity,
04:15peace through forgiveness,
04:18simply getting to know our neighbours
04:21and by showing respect to one another,
04:24creating new friendships.
04:26Indeed, as our world seems to spin ever faster,
04:33our journeying may pause to quieten our minds,
04:37in T.S. Eliot's words,
04:39at the still point of the turning world,
04:43and allow ourselves to renew.
04:46In this, with the great diversity of our communities,
04:51we can find the strength to ensure
04:54that right triumphs over wrong.
04:58It seems to me that we need to cherish
05:01the values of compassion and reconciliation,
05:05the way our Lord lived and died.
05:09This year, I have heard so many examples of this,
05:13both here and abroad.
05:16These stories of the triumph of courage over adversity
05:21give me hope,
05:23from our venerable military veterans
05:25to selfless humanitarian workers
05:28in this century's most dangerous conflict zones,
05:32to the ways in which individuals and communities
05:36display spontaneous bravery,
05:39instinctively placing themselves
05:42in harm's way to defend others.
05:47As I meet people of different faiths,
05:50I find it enormously encouraging
05:53to hear how much we have in common,
05:56a shared longing for peace
05:59and a deep respect for all life.
06:02If we can find time in our journey through life
06:07to think on these virtues,
06:09we can all make the future more hopeful.
06:14Of course, the greatest pilgrimage of all
06:17is the journey we celebrate today,
06:20the story of the one who came down to earth from heaven,
06:24whose shelter was a stable,
06:27and who shared his life with the poor and lowly.
06:31It was a pilgrimage with a purpose,
06:36heralded by angels,
06:38that there should be peace on earth.
06:41That prayer for peace and reconciliation,
06:46for doing to others as we would have them do to us,
06:50which rang out over the fields near Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago,
06:57still reverberates from there and around the world today.
07:03It is a prayer for our times and our communities too,
07:09as we journey through our lives.
07:12So, with these words and my whole heart,
07:18I wish you all a most peaceful and very happy Christmas.
07:25SONG PLAYS
07:35SONG PLAYS
07:40SONG PLAYS
07:50Merry, merry, merry Christmas.
08:20Merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry
08:50Merry Christmas!
08:59Merry Christmas!
09:06Merry Christmas!
09:22Merry Christmas!
09:28Merry Christmas!
09:40Merry Christmas!
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