Christmas messages from our bishops

In her provincial Christmas message, The Archbishop of Wales, The Most Revd Cherry Vann said:

In the gospel according to St John, we read of Jesus being described as the light. Jesus claims the title for himself when he says, ‘I am the light of the world.’

But right from the earliest verses of that gospel, in that wonderful reading that is the climax of our Carol Services, John talks about the birth of Jesus as being ‘the true light which was…coming into the world.’

This light is the light of God’s love which came to us most fully in the person of Jesus; in the baby whose birth we celebrate at Christmas. We’re told that this light ‘shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.’

The darkness did not overcome it. That is our hope, our joy and our peace. That is the message of Christmas. Because however dark the world around us seems, however hopeless we might think some situations are, that light still shines in the darkness. And even when it flickers and threatens to go out, the darkness will not overcome it.

At Christmas we celebrate Jesus coming as a baby to bring light and life even to the darkest and most desperate situations that we human being find ourselves in. He comes today and every day, to bring glimmers of hope even when all seems hope-less.

And we can join in with the sharing of that light. A smile to a stranger, a kind word in the queue or at the till, a ‘thank you’ to someone who has helped us, all these little things make a difference. They bring light into our world and could be the only glimmer of light and hope that someone might experience that day.

The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it. May you know that light in your life this Christmas and may you be that light for others.

Happy Christmas!

The theologian and World War II martyr, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who lived and witnessed in days as challenging as ours, maintains that the Bible “makes it quite clear that Christ helps us not by virtue of his omnipotence but rather by virtue of his weakness and suffering.” This statement bears no real surprise when we consider that Jesus’ life stretches between a borrowed manger and a cruel cross. In Jesus, weakness is not seen as the opposite of strength but as the ground where strength grows.

Encountering Jesus in his mother’s arms safeguards us from the temptation and error of missing to mark his full and true humanity. That temptation runs the risk of turning him into some sort of first century superman, a figure that would be of no relevance to us. In the face of this, it is a joy to turn again to the narratives of Jesus’ birth that we discover in the Scriptures. In doing so we become delighted by God’s amazing love for the world. Jesus reveals and discloses to us what can be seen of God in human life.

This challenges any view that God is distant; rather, He is Emmanuel - God with us. The amazing truth of Christmas is that God in all his power, might and splendour chose to reveal himself in the Bethlehem babe. It is an immense paradox, that what is said of God is now manifest in human weakness, vulnerability and limitation. He, the Almighty and all powerful, comes to us in Jesus; now weak, needy and totally dependent on others.

There are those who shun the weak and helpless, who abhor any sense of failure. The Christmas story challenges this and any sense of self-sufficiency, of craving power and authority over others, at the expense of the human family and the whole of creation. We see in the baby named Jesus, a complete and true humanity. We join others on the Bethlehem route, being aware that life as we experience it, personally and collectively, can often lack wholeness, purpose and the fullness of love. Blessed of God, beloved by His parents, we make our way to the infant King trusting and praying with the other pilgrims who come to adore at the stable.

As Christian Leaders in Wales we pray that Jesus may be more fully received and honoured in our land. May each of us be offered an insight into the fuller humanity that can be ours in Jesus. He can be a living presence within us, if we let Him. He longs to empower us in our weakness and vulnerability to trust God, to commit ourselves to His Kingdom, to love and be loved, to serve and be served, knowing that in Christ our lives and work are a conduit to God’s life-giving love and compassion.

May you have a Happy and Blessed Christmas. Nadolig Llawen

The Most Revd Cherry Vann, Archbishop of Wales

The Most Revd Mark O'Toole, Archbishop of Cardiff-Menevia

Rev Dyfrig Rees, President of the Free Church Council of Wales