Bondi Beach attack: 'A wake-up call' for the church

As Christians in England were singing Christmas carols – some underneath wintry skies in the open air – Jews on the other side of the world were being gunned down while lighting the candle marking the start of their Hanukkah festival.

The Sydney gathering beside the famed Bondi Beach turned into a shocking massacre, leaving 15 dead and 30 wounded, and a nation wondering how it could all have happened.

There’s an obvious connection between the two feasts as there are between the two peoples. The carols proclaim the glorious message of the gospel – that light has come into a dark world through the Jewish Messiah – while Hanukkah (or Chanukah) marks the miraculous burning of the menorah at the re-dedication of the Temple following its desecration.