to be able to extend Christmas greetings to all the good people of Bermuda. A very Merry Christmas to you all.

"O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie.'' The melody of this beautiful Christmas Carol lingers in my mind as I read the account of the birth of Jesus in Luke's Gospel: "This day in David's city (Bethlehem) a saviour has been born to you, the Messiah and Lord. Let this be a sign to you: in a manger you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes. Suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly host praising God and saying: Glory to God in the high heaven, peace on earth to those on whom his favour rests.

"Peace on earth.'' The sad reality of the imperfect world in which we live is that today, even in the little town of Bethlehem, birthplace of the "Prince of Peace'', there is no peace. What we find is tension, strife and Arab-Israeli conflict. And what about Northern Ireland, Sierra Leone or other areas closer to home? We are reminded today that peace is a gift of God. Peace flows from justice.

If we desire peace, we must work for justice with God's help. There is a beautiful hymn we sing in our Churches: "Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.'' Today, hope for peace is born a new with the birth of Jesus, the Prince of Peace. The message of the angel to the shepherds and to us is that there is "peace on earth to those on whom God's favour rests''.

May God's favour and the gift of peace fill our hearts as we work for justice in our own personal lives, in our families and in our society. Let peace fill our hearts as we treat each other with mutual respect and charity, without regard for race, religion, age, gender or social status.

On this first Christmas of the new Millennium, in this Jubilee Year, as we celebrate the birth of Jesus in the little town of Bethlehem, may God's favour, the gift of peace, fill our hearts and our homes. Let the hope of the angelic message and the desire for peace fill the hearts of all people of good will here in Bermuda and throughout the world: "Glory to God in high heaven, Peace on earth to those on whom God's favour rests.''