Bishop urges focus on the good news of Christmas

The Right Reverend Dr Mike Harrison said he would like people to focus on the "good news of Christmas"

The Bishop of Exeter, Dr Mike Harrison, has urged people to think of "the good news of Christmas".

He said "there's a lot of uncertainty and anxiety" in the world.

Dr Harrison said: "What I'd love people to be thinking about is the good news of Christmas, that what we see at Christmas is a God who comes looking for us, who loves us, wants us to be in a relationship with him and actually leads us into becoming more of our best selves".

"That kind of good news I think is really important and light in the darkness, and there is plenty of darkness at the present time," he added.

'Friendly face'

Dr Harrison was consecrated as the 72nd Bishop of Exeter in November.

He said: "If you look at our world with war still raging in Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere and issues at home whether that's to do with the economy, or to do with mental health, there's a lot of uncertainty and anxiety."

The bishop said he recently hosted a variety of charities from across Devon and "it was good to hear some of the ways in which issues like rural poverty, transport, housing were being addressed".

"If you are feeling overwhelmed by Christmas, isolated or down, and would love to see a friendly face and gather with others for hospitality and more, then I would really encourage you to pop along to your local church," he said.

'Beautiful and broken'

In his Christmas message the Bishop of St Germans, the Right Reverend Hugh Nelson, said: "This Christmas, life is astonishingly beautiful. And this Christmas, life is hard and difficult.

"And what's true of the world is true of us as well.

"We, like the world, are also utterly beautiful and broken."

He added: "We are capable of the most astonishing things, and we are capable of hurting each other and damaging the earth."