Christmas in Germany | A Message from the President

“Merry Christmas” and “Happy Holidays” are a very frequent greetings you hear in Germany leading up to Christmas. The same is true for Christmas songs.  It does not matter where you are . You hear it on state television, on commercial television, as a sign off at the end of ads from major brand name companies, from news casters, just about everywhere. Even though I have come to Germany many times for Christmas, it struck me more this time than ever before, perhaps because it so widely differs from the US.

Flicking through television channels on Dec. 24 , it did not seem to matter what station I hit, everywhere the talk was about about the Christ child and celebrating Holy Night.  On some of them the Christmas story, as recorded in Luke, was read, both on state television or on commercial television! How can that be? What about sensitivities of those who don’t celebrate Christmas?

Germany just admitted about 1 million refugees, most of them Muslims, and yet it did not seem to matter. Celebrating Christmas as it has been going on here for centuries and accepting big numbers of people of a very different faith  expresses the Christmas spirit better than anything else. Attending Christmas service at a Lutheran Church, held on Dec. 24  at 11pm in many churches, I noticed several Muslim families, and they seemed to be following the order of service with full attention. The message during the service was about the Christ child being a refugee born in a stable and related to the blight of the refugees flooding Germany. We heard that only through a relationship with Christ can we be reconciled with God.

Most churches have welcomed these refugees with open arms. I heard very little talk about the dangers of terrorists infiltrating the country, just talk about how to make life easier for those among us who have lost everything. The difference in the US could not be greater, at least that’s how it seems to me. There are of course reports about refugee homes being burned down by anti-refugee groups and police raids on homes where terrorists may be hiding; but all in all, I could not have been more struck by the different atmosphere surrounding Christmas here compared to the US.

My prayer is that I, Christians everywhere, and especially Christian leaders everywhere, may be able to share Christ’s love in word and deed throughout the year and lead well in a world with so much conflict.

Gary Schwammlein
President of Willow Creek Association