Lord Mayor of Bradford, Coun Naveeda Ikram
Christmas Message 2011
As Lord Mayor, may I wish you a very happy Christmas.
The Christmas festival is meant to be a time for rejoicing. It's a time to step outside the everyday routine, and for a few days get back to what really matters in life.
For many of us, Christmas joy may seem a long way away, in the midst of worries about money, unemployment, security and the future.
Yet that is why Christmas matters so much. As we have had other religious festivals recently to remember the power of light in the midst of darkness, such as Diwali and Eid, so the real meaning of Christmas can give us hope and reassurance when it's hard to find.
The Christmas story is about the birth of Jesus. That also took place in difficult times, when war and economic collapse were part of everyday life. Mary and Joseph didn't have a safe space to put the newborn child, and his life was under threat from others. But people helped them with the things they needed; and the child born then became someone who gave his life to helping others in the name of God.
There's a lot of pressure to buy things and to be things at Christmas: but that's not part of the original story. Whether you're with a family or living alone, whether you're young or old, whether you're a Christian or a Muslim or a person with faith or not sure about what the world is for – what matters are the basic virtues of love and compassion, caring and community, giving to others and looking out for them. What matters is not buying gifts which cost a lot of money, but the gift of ourselves, our time and attention, to others.
The spirit of Christmas is about loving and sharing, and accepting what we are given with joy in the simple things: the gifts of life, love and laughter. In all religious traditions is the understanding that the light of God shines brighter than any darkness: let's share that light with others in Bradford and beyond this Christmas. Let's not only give something of what we have to those with little or nothing, but let's also share with others a thankful heart
May God's peace and blessing be with you all this Christmas time.
