In a world so largely shaped by the influence of commerce, so scarred by want and ignorance and by brutality of every kind, the endurance of the Christian message for almost 2000 years is a wonder far beyond the mere words of priests or historians or editorial writers. In one way or another, over the next 24 hours, most of western society and at least parts of every continent, will commemorate the profound change in the course of human history which grew from extraordinary events, beginning with the birth of a baby boy in Nazareth, about two millennia ago.
For many, the traditional religious observances, even at this very special Christmas, will have a limited meaning. Yet even in the grossest commercialisation of the feast, there will be some genuflection to the altruistic virtues. That Christmas is a time for giving and remembering is common-case among those whose priorities are material and spiritual alike. Many will make seasonal profit from the impetus of buying and giving gifts. Many will decry it, along with the partying, the food and the drink. But was there not heavenly music, as well as gold, frankincense and myrrh in the stable at Bethlehem too?
It is important to remember that for more than two thirds of the six billion people on the planet, the 2000th Christmas and the completion of two millennia of Christianity have no immediate relevance. But it is the Christian religion which has uniquely girdled the globe, travelling on the coat-tails of western scientific knowledge, economic strength and military might. It has been the religion of earthly power and consequence. It followed in the paths hewn by conquerors, colonists and economic adventurers. Its founder's assurance to the meek that they will inherit the earth have been invariably contradicted by the convergence of interests between Church and State which has shaped so much of the second millennium.
And yet, in spite of the alliances of popes and kings, bishops and princes, the central Christian message has endured. Man can gain redemption. Alongside that wonderful message stands Jesus Christ's gentle commendation to the virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity. And so often, even as the institutional churches and their leaders have fallen into step with the temporal powers, other Christians have aligned themselves with the poor, the dispossessed and the wretched of the Earth. The exquisite imagery of the Beatitudes - the Sermon on the Mount - has remained a guiding star for Mankind. The "dream, born in a herdsman's shed", as the Irish poet, Tom Kettle, expressed it so beautifully, has never died.
Christianity faces an extraordinary challenge in reshaping its message. It can no longer depend on fear or temporal influence to secure allegiance. The demands for unquestioning obedience or the various, exclusionary claims to sole teaching authority, are no longer viable. Indeed, it seems likely that the Christian denominations in the time ahead will have to rediscover themselves in the likeness of the early Church. There will surely be a return to earlier simplicities, with lesser roles for prelates and ministers and a more meaningful recognition that the church founded by Jesus Christ is a church of sinners, of outcasts, of ordinary people, striving to work their passage through a troubled world.
Christianity will have a task of Himalayan proportions in the 21st century. In a world with more wealth than could ever have been imagined 2000 years ago, hunger, disease and ignorance are still the lot of the greater portion of mankind. And as the world's consumer appetites grow, so the planet's balance of natural resources diminishes. Sufficient nuclear weapons have been created to devastate the earth several times over. If mankind is not to destroy itself, whether by conflagration or slow-poisoning, it will have to embrace fully the truth that every man must treat his neighbour as himself; that he must do unto others as he would wish them to do unto him. Fine buildings and robed ministers, rules and rituals will not bring Christ's church through the third millennium. If it survives another 1,000 years, it will be because mankind has taken the words spoken by Jesus of Nazareth and, at last, taken them truly into its daily life.