HARI SREENIVASAN:

But first: As churchgoers in Sweden celebrate this Christmas season, they are also preparing for a major change in the way they worship.

The Church of Sweden recently decided its clergy should stop describing God in masculine terms, such as he, and instead use more gender-neutral language.

This change has divided the country.

And as special correspondent Malcolm Brabant reports, it's an issue that will resonate beyond Scandinavia.