From the Guardian:
Justin Welby delivered his message for 2018 from the London ambulance service’s special operations centre, which responds to major incidents in the capital. Its staff took hundreds of calls from members of the public caught up in the London Bridge and Borough Market terrorist attack in June.
The Archbishop of Canterbury’s message, which focused on compassion, was broadcast on BBCOne Monday afternoon. He talked also about being present at the Grenfell fire, and witnessing the tragedy and fear there.
Then there are those whose suffering will never make the news. People who are struggling to find work or relying on food banks. Those who are bereaved, or coping with poor mental health or physical illness.
When things feel unrelentingly difficult, there are often questions which hang in the air: Is there any light at all? Does anyone care?
Every Christmas, we hear from the Bible in the Gospel of John the extraordinary words, “The light shone in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.”
We see this light in the resilience of Borough Market. Today it is as crowded as ever and the people who work there are vibrant and welcoming.
We see it in the faces of the hundreds of volunteers who turned out after Grenfell, simply to help strangers in need.
…
So often in 2017, the depth of suffering was matched by a depth of compassion as communities came together.
Which stories will define us? The horror? Or the response? The darkness, or the light?
It is a choice. But not one we have to make alone. Jesus Christ the light of the world weeps for our struggles, works for our healing, and invites us to walk in his light. He is right there with us, in the midst of everything.
The video cannot be watched in the United States, but the full transcript has been published on his website (also the source of the above image).