By Dorothy Moon
IDGOP Chairwoman
As the year 2023 draws to a close, our nation faces uncertain times. Our place in the world is precarious as our allies are under attack and our enemies are emboldened. The economy is fragile, with prices for food, energy, and housing still rising, forcing tough decisions on millions of families. Finally, the once and perhaps future President of the United States, the leader of the opposition to the Biden regime, has been indicted and removed from ballots as they desperately try to keep him from winning office again.
Yet despair is not the answer, because there is always hope. Each Christmas we remember that seminal moment in history when hope came to mankind in the form of an innocent and helpless baby, laid in a manger because there was no room in the inn.
The message angels brought to the shepherds who came to Bethlehem remains just as timely today as it was more than two thousand years ago: “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
That message has brought hope to millions of people through the centuries, from those suffering under the Roman yoke to those oppressed in countries like Communist China and Iran today. The message of Christmas is not simply about the birth of a baby, but is inextricably linked to the Cross, to the death and resurrection of that same Jesus Christ. It is a message of forgiveness, of salvation, of hope — hope both for this world and the next.
More than 100 years ago, French and German troops on the Western Front of World War I took a break from the horrors of trench warfare to share a time of fellowship, gifts, and music. Despite the war that divided them, Christmas was part of their shared heritage and gave them common ground, for a few hours at least.
The message of Christmas is that no human being is disposable. The certainty that we are made in the image of God is the foundation for the traditional conservative values that Republicans have always cherished. The first Republicans came together as a party in 1854 to oppose slavery because they believed in the inherent dignity of all mankind. Today we come together for the same reason as we oppose abortion, tyranny and the ongoing assault on childhood innocence.
It is in that same spirit that I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas. May the same God who brought Jesus Christ into the world to save mankind bless you and your family this Christmas and coming year.