The Best Christmas Sermon You Might Get This Year

It comes from Bishop Markus Droge of the Berlin Evangelical Church in his comments about this week's Christmas market atrocity. From an interview in Deutsche Welle:


People are rattled, frightened and - understandably, I think - angry that something like this has happened. They are wondering what kind of people would plan such a violent attack that results in death and destruction and breeds fear during a peaceful time of year and at a peaceful Christmas market. I think everyone in Berlin is shocked, and we are unified as a city in our mourning - with the victims' families, with the injured - and we haven't really processed it all yet.

...The most important task will be preventing those responsible for the attack to be proven right in retrospect, and that the seed they sowed begins to grow. They want to sow hate and discord, and incense people and religions against one another. The main task will be to prevent that and to make clear to people to not prove the attackers right by continuing on this path, but instead, that we must stick together, respect and exalt humanity and not lose sight of our compassion. Only then can we overcome the attackers and ensure that they do not succeed in their goal.