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Christmas is nearly here, and the team at Canberra Declaration would like to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

The birth of Christ is a wonderful occasion. Without the Son being sent into the world, we would have no saviour. As Paul put it,

“This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’” (1 Tim 1:15).

Despite the commercialisation and secularisation of Christmas, it remains Australia’s largest cultural Christian event on the calendar. Remnants of Christ’s coming remain across the nation in the Christmas carols played and sung and the manger scenes displayed. Regardless of the motivations, Christ is still preached, and for this, we rejoice (Phil 1:18)! And we pray that believers and churches will take this opportunity to reach out to those who don’t yet know Christ.

You can watch Warwick’s Christmas message giving thanks for 2023 and for you on behalf of the Canberra Declaration team below!

A Grace-Filled 2023

By the grace of God, the Canberra Declaration community has continued the fight for freedom, family, faith and life this year. We could not have done it without the financial and prayer support from so many people. For this, we are extremely humbled and thankful!

This year has seen numerous highlights, but we can only mention a few. Without a doubt, the opportunity to present at the Senate Inquiry into the Babies Born Alive Bill was incredible. To have a proactive pro-life bill to promote and defend (which we will continue to do next year) is almost a miracle in itself.

2023 has also seen a remarkable increase in prayer. Although the challenges seem to grow, at the same time, God’s grace does too!

During the month of May, Canberra Declaration prayed 24/7 for an entire ten days. We have never done this before!

Further, at the end of the month, we were joined by around 100 million Christians around the world in praying for Israel. This is without precedent in the global Church.

Now looking back on the tragic events of the Hamas terrorist invasion on 7 October this year, we can’t help but believe God was and continues to orchestrate prayer movements to shift history in the directions He desires. It’s simply a privilege to be a part of it!

In October Canberra Declaration played a large role in the very early stages to see the World Prayer Assembly come to Australia for the very first time. With thousands attending in Perth and millions watching online, it’s incredible to see the body being mobilised in prayer like never before.

This December, Canberra Declaration published Jesus: The Centre of it All which has seen record sales. We are delighted that this evangelistic and discipleship book is finding itself in the hands of so many in the lead-up to and during the season of Christmas.

The Opportunity of Christmas

Christmas is a wonderful time to speak the Christian message into our culture. Recently, Kurt Mahlburg published a piece in The Spectator that has a large non-Christian audience. Kurt writes,

“Christmas is not first the story of an unplanned pregnancy, or a bold cross-country expedition, or the assemblage of shepherds, wise men and animals around a quaint manger scene.

“It is the story of God interrupting our world.

“The holy infant so tender and mild was no ordinary baby, but Immanuel – God with us.”

Warwick’s article, titled “Carols by Candlelight: A True Australian Tradition”, will also appear in The Spectator in the next day or so! The article tells the fascinating story of the origin of carols by candlelight in Australia, reaching back to the Cornish Methodist miners in the mid-1800s, particularly in places like Moonta, South Australia.

We are grateful for these open doors to reconnect Christ back into our culture.

This festive season, the lyrics from one of the most popular Christmas carols of all time by Charles Wesley continue to ring loudly ever since they were penned in 1739:

Hark! The herald angels sing,

Glory to the newborn King;

Peace on earth, and mercy mild,

God and sinners reconciled!

Joyful, all ye nations rise,

Join the triumph of the skies;

With angelic host proclaim,

Christ is born in Bethlehem!

Hark! the herald angels sing,

Glory to the newborn King!

Once again, our sincere thanks to you for your partnership in seeing our Judeo-Christian values continue to bless ourselves, our families, communities and nation.

Glory to the newborn King!

Yours for exalting Christ this Christmas,

Samuel & Leah Hartwich, Warwick & Alison Marsh, Kurt & Angie Mahlburg, Jean & Tasman Westbury and Kym & Nel Farnik

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Image by Dan Kiefer.