Thread by @SandmanGrant

Each day this week in the lead to Christmas, I'm going to tweet my favourite quotes from Her Late Majesty's annual Christmas broadcasts, starting today with her Millennium message. It's often seen as the time from when her long-term Christian faith became even more open...

"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... 2000/1

"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... 2000/2

"But... 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... 2000/3

"Even in our very material age the impact of Christ's life is all around us... 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... 2000/4

"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... 2000/5

"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." 2000/END

Today's favourite Christmas Message from Queen Elizabeth is from 2011, the year of her last visit to Australia.

(Image courtesy State of NSW, nsw.gov.au/copyright)

"Finding hope in adversity is one of the themes of Christmas. Jesus was born into a world full of fear. The angels came to frightened shepherds with hope in their voices: 'Fear not', they urged, 'we bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people... 2011/1

"For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour who is Christ the Lord.'

Although we are capable of great acts of kindness, history teaches us that we sometimes need saving from ourselves - from our recklessness or our greed... 2011/2

"God sent into the world a unique person - neither a philosopher nor a general, important though they are, but a Saviour, with the power to forgive... 2011/3

"Forgiveness lies at the heart of the Christian faith. It can heal broken families, it can restore friendships and it can reconcile divided communities. It is in forgiveness that we feel the power of God's love... 2011/4

"In the last verse of this beautiful carol, O Little Town of Bethlehem, there's a prayer:
O Holy Child of Bethlehem,
Descend to us we pray.
Cast out our sin
And enter in.
Be born in us today... 2011/5

"It is my prayer that on this Christmas day we might all find room in our lives for the message of the angels and for the love of God through Christ our Lord." 2011/ENDS

Well said, Queen Elizabeth!

Today's classic Christmas message quote from Her Late Majestyy's Diamond Jubilee year, 2012.

(This is the official Diamond Jubilee portrait of Elizabeth II in her Australian orders as Queen of Australia.)

Queen Elizabeth said: "This is the time of year when we remember that God sent his only son 'to serve, not to be served'. He restored love and service to the centre of our lives in the person of Jesus Christ... 2012/1

"It is my prayer this Christmas Day that his example and teaching will continue to bring people together to give the best of themselves in the service of others... 2012/2

"The carol, In The Bleak Midwinter, ends by asking a question of all of us who know the Christmas story, of how God gave himself to us in humble service: 2012/3

"'What can I give him, poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb; if I were a wise man, I would do my part'.
The carol gives the answer 'Yet what I can I give him - give my heart'."
2012/ENDS

The 2014 Christmas Broadcast included what was possibly Queen Elizabeth's strongest personal testimony to Christ:

"For me, the life of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, whose birth we celebrate today, is an inspiration and an anchor in my life...

"...A role model of reconciliation and forgiveness, he stretched out his hands in love, acceptance and healing. Christ's example has taught me to seek to respect and value all people, of whatever faith or none." 2014/ENDS

In her 2016 Christmas broadcast, Queen Elizabeth said:
"At Christmas our attention is drawn to the birth of a baby some two thousand years ago. It was the humblest of beginnings, and his parents, Joseph and Mary, did not think they were important."

(Image Aust Post 2016 stamps)

"Jesus Christ lived obscurely for most of his life, and never travelled far. He was maligned and rejected by many, though he had done no wrong. And yet, billions of people now follow his teaching and find in him the guiding light for their lives... (2016/2)

Her Majesty concluded, "I am one of them because Christ’s example helps me see the value of doing small things with great love, whoever does them and whatever they themselves believe." (2016/ENDS)

In 2018, Queen Elizabeth suggested:
"The Christmas story retains its appeal since it doesn't provide theoretical explanations for the puzzles of life. Instead, it's about the birth of a child, and the hope that birth 2,000 years ago brought to the world...

"Only a few people acknowledged Jesus when he was born; now billions follow him. I believe his message of peace on earth and goodwill to all is never out of date. It can be heeded by everyone. It's needed as much as ever." 2018/ENDS

My week-long countdown of favourite Christmas broadcasts ends today... with 2021, and the Queen's only Christmas as a widow.

Here were Elizabeth and Philip posing for their engagement photo, 18 September 1947.

"And for me and my family, even with one familiar laugh missing this year, there will be joy in Christmas, as we have the chance to reminisce, and see anew the wonder of the festive season through the eyes of our young children… 2021/1

"They teach us all a lesson - just as the Christmas story does - that in the birth of a child, there is a new dawn with endless potential... 2021/2

"It is this simplicity of the Christmas story that makes it so universally appealing: simple happenings that formed the starting point of the life of Jesus — a man whose teachings have been handed down from generation to generation, and have been the bedrock of my faith... 2021/3

"His birth marked a new beginning. As the carol says, 'The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight'." 2021/ENDS

@threadreaderapp please unroll.