Christmas Broadcast 2000
Published
By any measure this Millennium year has been an unforgettable one.
The Queen used her Christmas Broadcast at the end of the year 2000 to reflect on the true start of the new Millennium and the role of faith in communities. The broadcast included film of that year's visit to Australia.
By any measure this Millennium year has been an unforgettable one.
Since the turn of the year it has been celebrated and marked in this country and throughout the Commonwealth, and it has been a particular pleasure for me to visit Millennium projects large and small which will be reminders for generations to come of the time when the twenty-first century began.
But as this year draws to a close I would like to reflect more directly and more personally on what lies behind all the celebrations of these past twelve months.
Christmas is the traditional, if not the actual, birthday of a man who was destined to change the course of our history. And today we are celebrating the fact that Jesus Christ was born two thousand years ago; this is the true Millennium anniversary.
The simple facts of Jesus' life give us little clue as to the influence he was to have on the world. As a boy he learnt his father's trade as a carpenter. He then became a preacher, recruiting twelve supporters to help him.
But his ministry only lasted a few years and he himself never wrote anything down. In his early thirties he was arrested, tortured and crucified with two criminals. His death might have been the end of the story, but then came the resurrection and with it the foundation of the Christian faith.
Even in our very material age the impact of Christ's life is all around us. If you want to see an expression of Christian faith you have only to look at our awe-inspiring cathedrals and abbeys, listen to their music, or look at their stained glass windows, their books and their pictures.
But the true measure of Christ's influence is not only in the lives of the saints but also in the good works quietly done by millions of men and women day in and day out throughout the centuries.
Many will have been inspired by Jesus' simple but powerful teaching: love God and love thy neighbour as thyself - in other words, treat others as you would like them to treat you. His great emphasis was to give spirituality a practical purpose.
Whether we believe in God or not, I think most of us have a sense of the spiritual, that recognition of a deeper meaning and purpose in our lives, and I believe that this sense flourishes despite the pressures of our world.
This spirituality can be seen in the teachings of other great faiths. Of course religion can be divisive, but the Bible, the Koran and the sacred texts of the Jews and Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs, are all sources of divine inspiration and practical guidance passed down through the generations.
To many of us our beliefs are of fundamental importance. For me the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life. I, like so many of you, have drawn great comfort in difficult times from Christ's words and example.
I believe that the Christian message, in the words of a familiar blessing, remains profoundly important to us all:
"Go forth into the world in peace,
be of good courage,
hold fast that which is good,
render to no man evil for evil,
strengthen the faint-hearted,
support the weak,
help the afflicted,
honour all men."
It is a simple message of compassion... and yet as powerful as ever today, two thousand years after Christ's birth.
I hope this day will be as special for you as it is for me. May I wish you all a very Happy Christmas.
Related content
A speech by The Queen at the CHOGM Dinner, Kampala, 2007
I am so very pleased to be with you again and wish you every success in your deliberations.
A speech by The Queen at the Parliament Building in Kampala
It gives me great pleasure to address this House today in recognition of the importance of parliamentary democracy to the Commonwealth as a whole.
A speech by The Queen at the Ugandan State Banquet,2007
We are so pleased to be back in Uganda.
The Queen's message to the President of the Republic of India
The Queen's message to the people of The Islamic Republic of Pakistan
A speech by The Queen at the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge
The Canadian Corps transformed Vimy Ridge from a symbol of despair into a source of inspiration.
A speech by The Queen at the Ghana State Banquet, 2007
Ghana today is a progressive, open society. The economy is buoyant, and growth and prosperity are being fostered by a pluralistic and lively political debate and by your...
Christmas Broadcast 2006
The birth of a baby brings great happiness - but then the business of growing up begins.
A speech by The Queen at Mansion House for Her Majesty's 80th Birthday
As Groucho Marx once said "Anyone can get old - all you have to do is to live long enough". And there are in my view many other anniversaries this year which are more...
State Banquet in Singapore, 17 March 2006
The links between Britain and Singapore are as strong as ever, and our future relationship is bright indeed.
Australian Prime Minister's Commonwealth Games luncheon, 15 March 2006
Australia has an enviable record at the Commonwealth Games.
A speech by The Queen at the XVIII Commonwealth Games, Australia, 2006
Tonight we celebrate the value of sport as a means of bringing together people from seventy-one nations and territories.
Christmas Broadcast 2005
These natural and human tragedies provided the headline news; they also provoked a quite remarkable humanitarian response.
The Queen's speech at the opening of the 2005 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
We in the Commonwealth are our own 'world wide web'.
State banquet in Malta, 23 November 2005
We both retain a deep affection for your country and the outgoing, generous Maltese people who have always offered us the hand of friendship.
Norway State Banquet, 25 October 2005
I remember the bonfires along the coastline as we arrived and the enthusiastic welcome we received as guests of your grandfather, King Haakon.
World War II commemorative event, Horse Guards Parade, 10 July 2005
An act of remembrance is an act of honour.
Centenary of Alberta joining Confederation, Alberta Legislature, Canada, 24 May 2005
While all Albertans — and all Canadians — value this history as a colourful account of the past, we also view it as a foundation for our present and future.
Farewell dinner in Alberta, Canada, 24 May 2005
I have so many vivid memories and a tremendous sense of pride in being part of the Canadian family.
Federal lunch in Regina, Saskatchewan, 20 May 2005
I retain a deep affection for this great country and for the people who take such pride in saying "I am Canadian".
Saskatchewan Legislature, Canada, 18 May 2005
My mother once said that this country felt like a "home away from home" for the Queen of Canada. Ladies and gentlemen, six decades later it still does...
Christmas Broadcast 2004
Everyone is our neighbour, no matter what race, creed or colour.
Statement by The Queen following death of HRH Princess Alice
Arrangements for The Queen's Christmas Broadcast to the Commonwealth
Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting reception, Nigeria, 3 December 2003
Nigeria has much to be proud of.
Opening of the new Australian War Memorial, London, 11 November 2003
Twice within the span of a single generation, Australia and Britain stood side by side in two of the bloodiest wars in human history.
Opening of the exhibition 'Women and War', Imperial War Museum, 14 October 2003
Over the two World Wars and in the many conflicts since then, women in Britain and throughout the Commonwealth have faced and overcome all manner of challenges.
Ottawa, Canada, 13 October 2002
Wherever the future may take us, my admiration and affection for Canada and Canadians everywhere is - and will always remain - clear, strong and sure.
Ceremony for the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada, 10 October 2002
I am happy to be in Hamilton today in order to present new Colours and to visit my Canadian Argylls.
Fairmont Hotel in Vancouver, Canada, 7 October 2002
Je chéris ma place dans la vie du Canada et mon lien avec tous les Canadiens et Canadiennes.
Legislative Assembly in Nunavut, Canada, 4 October 2002
I am proud to be the first member of the Canadian Royal Family to be greeted in Canada's newest territory.
Opening ceremony of the 17th Commonwealth Games, Manchester, 25 July 2002
It is my pleasure in this my Golden Jubilee Year to declare the 17th Commonwealth Games open.
Golden Jubilee visit to Liverpool, 25 July 2002
I am glad to be in Merseyside, which must be one of the most distinctive and energetic parts of the United Kingdom.
A speech by The Queen on her Golden Jubilee
I hope that these celebrations will remind us of our shared heritage and what it means to be a united people, enjoying the support of families, friends and neighbours around...
The death of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, 8 April 2002
I thank you for the support you are giving me and my family as we come to terms with her death and the void she has left in our midst.
Opening of the Commonwealth Heads of Government, Australia, 2 March 2002
It is our very diversity which makes the Commonwealth strong.
Roma Street Parkland, Brisbane, Australia, 3 March 2002
We have both been struck by both the diversity as well as the dynamism of Australia, and the vigour and humour of Australians everywhere.