By the time these words have appeared in I)rint your ears will be ringing with the familiar words "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is well pleased." This is the message of the Christmas season, but this is also a message which Christian churches seek and struggle to proclaim to a strifetorn world throughout the year in many ways and forms.

That the Gospel's message is still eagerly sought is witnessed by the fact that the New Testament edition Good News for Modern Man continues to be a bestseller among the books sold in English speaking countries. Good News is the modern translation of the New Testament in simple language. It uses a vocabulary of only 3000 words. Since its publication three years ago almost 17,000,000 copies have been sold. As a result of Good News' popularity a companion volume of the Old Testament is being prepared for publication in 1975.

That the power of the message of God's love for mankind has not in the least diminished appears also from the astounding things which are happening on the islands of 'de Gordel van 'Smaragd' Indonesia. Representatives of ten seminaries met recently at Sukabumi to discuss the emergency situation which has resulted from the great flow of new members into the Christian churches. The seminaries are unable to keep up with the demand for Bible-trained ministers. In reply to the situation the seminaries will seek to attract more able men who will supply the need for leadership and training Christian literature.

As we approach the celebration of our Lord's birth into a sin-burdened world, we know ourselves surrounded by those who s suffer through oppression and war, as well as by people who have not yet been able to recover from griefs suffered in the past. In various ways Christian churches seek to identify with those in need. For instance, the German Protestant movement "Aktion Siihnezeigen" seeks to erect monuments of reconciliation in those areas of Europe which have suffered bitterly from German action during World War II. The latest effort to heal wounds of the past dealt with the village of Filetto ,in Italy. Sometime ago Filetto made world news when it accused the Roman Catholic Bishop Defregger of having had a part in the mass-execution of its citizens. "Aktion Silhnezeigen" requested in a letter to the magistrates of Filetto to grant forgiveness for the actions of the past and offered volunteers to beautify the cemetery and to do any other necessary work in the village.

New disturbances have opened up ancient wounds in the relationships between Roman Catholics and Protestants of Northern Ireland during the last year or so. Rather helplessly the world has looked on as brother turned against brother under the cloak of Christianity and guided by religious bigots. Particularly in Holland people followed the events with a disturbed feeling, for they were reminded of the often severe tensions which existed in their own midst not too long ago. Sympathy was turned into action when the congregation of the Reformed "Nieuwe Kerk" at the Dam in Amsterdam requested the bishop of Belfast to send two Roman Catholic representatives to Amsterdam. The request was motivated by the desire to share under humble thanksgiving some of the joys of Dutch ecumenical co-operation with the Irish brethren. The bishop of Belfast answered the Dutch request by sending Father Ambrose Macauly, a student chaplain, and Mr. James Fitzpatrick, a lawyer. For four days Protestant and Roman Catholics in Amsterdam entertained the Irish guests. At one time Father Ambrose shared the Protestant pulpit of the Westerkerk with ds. H. A. Visser, a fact not uncommon today among the Dutch clergy, but no doubt very unique for a priest from Northern Ireland. On many occasions the priest and the lawyer emphasized that the differences between Protstant and Roman Catholic groups in Northern Ireland are only a cloak which cover the social iniquities of unhappy Ulster.

If some people at times raised a question concerning the practical need for these two Irishmen to visit the Low Countries, the answer must be that through this gesture Protestant Christians of Amsterdam desired to show their sympathy to the whole suffering population of Ulster. Moreover, they wanted to remind their brethren that the history of the Dutch people and their churches has shown that peace on earth between the people is certainly not impossible, as together they seek to find guidance from God's Word and as is shown by the present ecumenical co-operation of Christian groups in Holland.