More stories in uk

• 

  Good news of great joy: Immanuel has come

  Dwight Clough | Tue 25 Dec 2018 8:04 GMT

  I remember my first Santa Claus doubts. How could a fat man get down a skinny chimney, not just at our house, but at the houses of little boys and girls all over the world?

• Remember the poor and shun materialism, pope says on Christmas Eve

  Reuters | Tue 25 Dec 2018 8:01 GMT

  Francis, 82 led a solemn service for nearly 10,000 people in St Peter's Basilica for his traditional Christmas Eve Mass.

• 

  Libyan authorities exhume bodies of 34 Ethiopian Christian martyrs

  Christian Today staff writer | Mon 24 Dec 2018 15:13 GMT

  The bodies of 34 Ethiopian Christians executed in Libya by Islamic State (IS) in 2015 have been exhumed from a mass grave, Libyan authorities said on Monday.

• 

  Pilgrims converge on Bethlehem to celebrate Jesus' birth

  Reuters | Mon 24 Dec 2018 15:01 GMT

  The Palestinian town in the Israeli-occupied West Bank is enjoying its busiest Christmas in years, with hotels nearly fully booked and the security situation relatively calm.

• 

  Hong Kong Christians wear black to protest China church closures

  Christian Today staff writer | Mon 24 Dec 2018 14:45 GMT

  Christians in Hong Kong are coming to church dressed all in black as a protest against mainland China's crackdown on prominent congregations.

• 

  What has Isaiah's Immanuel prophecy got to do with the birth of Jesus?

  Mark Woods | Mon 24 Dec 2018 11:23 GMT

  What's gone before is a picture of muddle and confusion, fear, politics, war, destruction and hunger. We skip all that and go straight to the nice bit.

• 

  Why I don't care about putting on a perfect Christmas

  Lizzie Bassford | Mon 24 Dec 2018 10:23 GMT

  There is nothing wrong with excelling at hospitality and there is certainly nothing wrong with opening up our lives to share with others in need.

• 

  Indonesia searches for survivors after devastating tsunami

  Christian Today staff writer | Mon 24 Dec 2018 9:56 GMT

  'Our thoughts and prayers are with all those whose lives have been thrown into turmoil by this latest disaster, which comes so quickly after September's tsunami and earthquake.'

• 

  Modern-day Marys: How millions of mothers need to hear a message of liberation

  Isabel Crawley | Mon 24 Dec 2018 9:47 GMT

  Traditional Christmas stories suggest a serene invitation to turn inwards towards the glowing Christ child, to leave the harsh realities outside.

• Queen to call for peace and goodwill in Christmas message

  Reuters | Mon 24 Dec 2018 9:43 GMT

  Queen Elizabeth will say in her Christmas message that the festival's message of peace and goodwill needs to be heeded as much as ever.

• 

  The lost message of Christmas: Why we need to read Matthew 1

  Mark Woods | Mon 24 Dec 2018 9:00 GMT

  One passage that's never, ever read at the carol service is Matthew 1: 1-17.

• 

  Dissent in the Church of England over new guidance on transgender services

  Staff writer | Sun 23 Dec 2018 22:31 GMT

  A member of the Archbishops' Council has pleaded with the leadership of the Church of England to stop being 'hijacked' by 'very small special interest groups'.