Christmas is an opportunity for hope and joy to triumph over the anxiety caused by recent global atrocities, Australia's church leaders say.
Religious leaders in their 2015 Christmas messages have also prayed for refugees and those suffering in war-torn corners of the world.
Uniting Church president Stuart McMillan said showing support for people in need could be one of the greatest Christmas gifts.
Spare a thought for those facing pain and uncertainty, he urged.
"Across the world people are fleeing persecution in record numbers, in Syria and Iraq, in the South Sudan and across Europe where more than three quarters of a million people are seeking refuge as winter sets in," Mr McMillan's message said.
"This Christmas and into the New Year I ask people of all faiths, and none, to be signs of hope in the world.
"Let us be present for one another in such a way that there are no strangers, that all people will experience welcome and know that they are valued and loved."
Recent horrors in Paris, Syria and throughout the Middle East show that the world has changed, Roman Catholic Archbishop Denis Hart said.
"The dark, foreboding thrall of possible violence, the struggles of nations and the never ending lines of refugees underline the suffering which is so present in our human condition," he said.
But light will never be overpowered by darkness.
"Christmas is a time of joy because we know there is something more, that God will never desert us," he said.
Christmas will be celebrated in the shadow of violence and fear, from terrorism to domestic violence, Anglican Primate of Australia, Philip Freier, said.
It is also a timely reminder that being human is full of possibility to be good.
"Every person who follows Jesus, and looks to his way of life of peace, tilts the balance away from hatred," he said.
Some other 2015 church messages:
AUSTRALIAN CHRISTIAN CHURCHES - national president Wayne Alcorn
"The Christmas message is not exclusive, but inclusive. Jesus has broken down every wall and there are no barriers - it is a message for everyone."
INDIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH - Dr Yuhanon Mar Diascoros
"The world desperately needs hope in these hard times. Christmas infuses hope, peace and trustful joy into mankind, torn by the anxiety of deep, bitter sorrow."
AUSTRALIAN BAPTIST CHURCHES - Rev Keith Jobberns
"Deep in our hearts is the longing for the Divine, for the wonder of the mystery that is God, for the hope that there is a divine plan that will finally override the chaos of our anxiety plagued world."
CHINESE METHODIST CHURCH IN AUSTRALIA - Bishop James Kwang
"We cannot gain lasting peace simply by winning wars."
CHURCHES OF CHRIST IN AUSTRALIA - Rev Janet Woodlock
"Receiving and relaying love changes the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that can bring true peace on earth."
COPTIC ORTHODOX CHURCH - Bishop Daniel
"We pray for all people around the globe inflamed with war, violence and terrorism, particularly the people of Syria, Iraq, Nigeria and France."
CONGREGATIONAL FEDERATION OF AUSTRALIA AND NZ - Dr Joe Goodall
"May we all be able to stop and think of the good things we have, no matter how many gloomy shadows surround us."
ANGLICAN ARCHBISHOP OF SYDNEY - Dr Glenn Davies
"We long for light to dispel the darkness. Yet that is exactly the message of Christmas, when God's light shone into the world and the darkness did not overcome it."
