Head Bishop’s Message to the Church and the Nation
Christian greetings to every member of our Church, and to all members of our communities across the country. I bring warm Christmas greetings to everyone.
I take this opportunity to express my gratitude to our stakeholders and partners who have been working with us throughout the past twelve months. We have maintained our solidarity as partners, and we continue to support the work of the Church as we extend God’s mission into our communities: preaching the Gospel of peace and reconciliation, and empowering communities to embrace unity and solidarity so that we may continue to live together as one people and one nation.
Thank you for every support you have given, for your encouragement, and for your prayers. This has been very important for us on our journey in 2025. We have come a long way from January to December, and this is a special time for reflection.
As we draw near this sacred season of Christmas at the close of the year, we are reminded of God’s grace and faithfulness, and of what Christmas means for us: Christmas is the story of God coming into our world. The precious gift He brought from heaven to earth is His own Son, Jesus Christ. He came as the Saviour of the world: to deliver us from the bondage of sin, from death, and from the suffering that burdens humanity.
More than 2,000 years ago, Christ came and proclaimed the Gospel of peace, restoration, reconciliation, and freedom. Wherever the Christian Church exists, this Gospel continues to be proclaimed: the Gospel of freedom, the Gospel of liberation from the bondage that causes human suffering.
This is the message we carry at Christmas and into the new year: Christ has set us free; therefore, let us stand firm, and live as salt and light in our communities. For the Child born in Bethlehem is God’s living promise to the world, and His coming among us gives us courage to stand firm.
At the same time, we are called to make this Gospel relevant in the daily lives of our people and in the realities of our communities. As we look forward to the new year, we are encouraged to continue being faithful and relevant, because the Church must remain a prophetic voice in communities where there is inequality, injustice, and violence that lead to suffering.
In the past couple of years, we have experienced many challenges in our country, and I want to mention a few. We are living in a time of great change. We have entered an era of AI, or artificial intelligence, which is changing the dynamics of society and shifting mindsets, worldviews, and behaviour. As the Church, we must respond with wisdom: we must uphold truth, protect human dignity, strengthen families, and guide our people, especially our young people, to use technology responsibly and not be misled by harmful content, false information, and destructive influences. Let us use technology as a tool for good, but never allow it to shape our hearts more than God’s Word.
These changes are enormous, and we are still learning new ways of doing mission, new ways of communicating, and new ways of empowering communities.
We continue to face ongoing issues such as ethnic conflict, alcohol abuse, unemployment, and youth disorientation, fueled by weak systems of implementation and monitoring, and by a lack of due diligence from those in authority to deliver critical services. At the same time, the Church must also examine itself and lead with integrity, because we are called to uphold integrity and to be a moral light that leads.
We also face increasing pressure from industries, especially extractive industries, on our natural and pristine biodiversity. These pressures directly affect our lives, because the bulk of our population depends on the land and sea for the basic necessities of life: food, medicine, and shelter. While we want development, we must also be vigilant and discerning, especially where true intentions are not to serve our people but to exploit them. Our resources are being extracted through logging, fishing, gas, mining, and other activities.
We must not take these matters lightly, and we must not disconnect them from our everyday life, because the environment is part of our livelihood; we depend on it. Yet we are experiencing destruction, and this challenges our calling as stewards of God’s creation. Freedom in Christ also calls us to care for creation, defend what gives life, and speak up where greed destroys communities and silences the weak.
We also see social instability affecting families and communities. We cannot avoid these realities, because they challenge our faith and our mission. We cannot continue to be the Church while ignoring them. If we do not address these challenges, more people will continue to suffer.
But we must continue to embrace the mandate Christ has given us: to go, to preach, and to teach. This is our collective responsibility: to restore peace, restore harmony, promote human dignity, and uphold rights and freedom. And we must remember this: the freedom Christ gives is not freedom to do anything we want; it is freedom to live responsibly, to love our neighbour, to seek justice, and to serve one another in humility.
At our 2024 Synod, we reflected on Matthew 5:13–14, where Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth” and “You are the light of the world.” In the last two years, we have journeyed with this theme of being salt and light. It reminds us that we have a duty to promote goodness, what God has brought to us through Christ, and to let the light of Christ shine in communities where people experience violence and where dignity is robbed.
This year, as we look forward to the Synod 2026 in January, under the theme from Galatians 5:1, “Christ has set us free; therefore stand firm,” we are invited again to reflect on what freedom truly means. This reflection comes at a time when Papua New Guinea marks and reflects on 50 years of Independence. We have come a long way. There have been positive developments, but also many challenges.
At the same time, next year we will also commemorate 50 years since the declaration of autonomy, when our Church affirmed its responsibility and freedom as a local Church. In this way, the message of freedom is not only a matter of faith; it also speaks to our life as a nation and society.
When we look at the challenges we face: division and conflict, unstable marriages and families, unemployment, injustice, and environmental pressures, we see that these realities affect the way people experience freedom. So the message we want to carry from this Christmas into the new year is this: the freedom of humanity, the freedom of creation, and the freedom of our communities must be proclaimed, from the national Church to the districts, and down into the congregations, families, and individuals. We must capture this message and live it out: freedom from violence, freedom from division, and freedom from the burdens that destroy life together.
Therefore, I encourage every congregation and every family to take these simple steps as we celebrate Christmas and prepare for the new year, standing firm on Galatians 5:1, and confessing that Christ has already set us free. Because God has come near to us in the birth of His Son, we do not speak from fear or defeat, but from faith and hope. Regardless of the challenges we face, to proclaim “we are free” in the midst of these realities is a statement of faith. It is a confession spoken from a victor’s standpoint, not a victim’s standpoint. Through Christ, we are already free; we must believe this, hold to it, and strive toward it. As God’s people, we must never portray a victim mindset, but live and speak with the confidence of those set free by Christ: the confidence of those who have received God’s gift at Christmas.
- Choose peace and reject violence: start reconciliation in your home, your clan, and your community.
- Support and guide our youth: help them find purpose, work, and hope, and protect them from harmful influences.
- Stand for truth and dignity: do not spread misinformation; speak responsibly and build unity.
- Care for creation: protect land, rivers, forests, and seas, because they sustain life and future generations.
- Pray and worship together: keep Christ at the centre, and let His light shine through your life.
- Join your congregation in worship and fellowship: strengthen unity through shared prayer and service.
With that, I say thank you for listening, and thank you for this opportunity to share this Christmas message with you. Christmas is God’s gift of peace and joy to the world. I encourage everyone to celebrate this season in the spirit of solidarity, and in the true spirit of peace and unity.
Once again: Christ has set us free; therefore let us stand firm, and live as salt and light in Papua New Guinea. And as we remember the Child born for us, let us carry His light into every home and community.
As we look forward to the new year and the Synod 2026 journey to Siassi, may we continue to uphold and celebrate the freedom Christ gives, so that we may stand firm together.
Thank you, and I wish you all the best this Christmas.
Dr. Rev. Jack Urame
Head Bishop, ELCPNG