Winnipeg, 14 December 2012 — In their 2012 Christmas video message, Anglican and Lutheran national leaders give a nod to the past and the future. The video messages are a tradition enjoyed by the Anglican Church of Canada and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, two churches that are in full communion.
In the short greeting, Archbishop Fred Hiltz, Primate, Anglican Church of Canada (ACC), and National Bishop Susan C. Johnson, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC), first recall their May 2012 visit to Jerusalem where they fostered Anglican-Lutheran cooperation in the region.
Archbishop Hiltz and Bishop Johnson then look forward to the joint national assembly of their two churches, to be held in Ottawa July 3 to 7, 2013, under the theme Together for the Love of the World. The video message this year was recorded in Ottawa during a break in joint planning meetings.
Bishop Johnson says that at the assembly, we hope to act out and act upon the gift that we have received through the birth of Jesus.
Jesus calls us to people of love, people of hope, and people of peace, adds Archbishop Hiltz.
Since 2001, the ACC and the ELCIC have been in a full communion relationship. This means that each church maintains its own autonomy but cooperates in many ways, including using each others liturgies and serving as clergy in each others churches. Several joint Anglican-Lutheran parishes and cooperative ministries have sprung up across Canada.
· Watch the Christmas message online (https://elcic.ca/From-the-Bishop/default.cfm)
· Learn more about our Full Communion relationship (https://elcic.ca/ecumenical/anglicans.cfm)
· Access Anglican-Lutheran Epiphany devotions
· Follow the Anglican-Lutheran prayer cycle
