"It is true that the world has had to confront moments of darkness this year, but the Gospel of John contains a verse of great hope, often read at Christmas carol services:
One cause for thankfulness this summer was marking 70 years since the end of the Second World War.
On VJ Day, we honoured the remaining veterans of that terrible conflict in the Far East, as well as remembering the thousands who never returned. ---
For Joseph and Mary, the circumstances of Jesus's birth - in a stable - were far from ideal, but worse was to come as the family was forced to flee the country.
It's no surprise that such a human story still captures our imagination and continues to inspire all of us who are Christians, the world over.
Despite being displaced and persecuted throughout his short life, Christ's unchanging message was not one of revenge or violence but simply that we should love one another.
Although it is not an easy message to follow, we shouldn't be discouraged; rather, it inspires us to try harder: to be thankful for the people who bring love and happiness into our own lives, and to look for ways of spreading that love to others, whenever and wherever we can. ---
There's an old saying that "it is better to light a candle than curse the darkness".
There are millions of people lighting candles of hope in our world today.
Christmas is a good time to be thankful for them, and for all that brings light to our lives."
BBC: Queen's Christmas message: Hope in 'moments of darkness'
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-35177022?ocid=socialflow_facebook&ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbcnews&ns_source=facebook
"Once again this year the Christmas broadcast confirms the profound importance to the Queen of her Christian faith.
It was in the Christmas broadcast in 2000 that she stated: "For me the teachings of Christ, and my own personal accountability before God, provide a framework in which I try to lead my life."
It's a theme to which she has returned again and again. In 2002, for example, she revealed how: "I rely on my own faith to guide me through the good times and the bad."
Last year she described how "the life of Jesus Christ" was an "inspiration and an anchor in my life".
This year - in reflecting on the "moments of darkness" endured by the world in 2015 - she turned to the gospel of John. "The light shines in the darkness," she said. And in recalling the plight of people forced to become refugees, she cited what she called "Christ's unchanging message" that we should love one another.
It is the Christmas message of a monarch sustained by faith: a monarch, moreover, who approaches her 90th birthday next April but who is - as she said - determined to remain "busy".
BBC: The full text:
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-35178485
Queen´s speech 2015 (video 8:46):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1idrV4XExv4
Photos: Kerstin Lindén
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