Christian leaders across Wales have come together to issue a joint Christmas message to the people of Wales.
The Most Revd Mark O’Toole, the Catholic Archbishop of Cardiff-Menevia, The Most Revd Cherry Vann, Archbishop of Wales (Church in Wales), and Rev Dyfrig Rees, President of the Free Church Council of Wales, reflect on the profound truth of Emmanuel – God with us.
Drawing on the witness of theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the leaders explore how Christ helps us through “his weakness and suffering” rather than omnipotence. The message challenges modern culture’s rejection of vulnerability and points to the infant Jesus as revealing complete and true humanity.
The full Christmas message follows below.
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
Mae’r diwinydd a merthyr yr Ail Ryfel Byd, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a fu byw ac a dystiodd mewn dyddiau mor heriol â’n rhai ni, yn mynnu bod y Beibl “yn ei gwneud hi’n gwbl glir nad yw Crist yn ein helpu ni trwy rinwedd ei hollalluogrwydd ond yn hytrach trwy rinwedd ei wendid a’i ddioddefaint.” Nid yw’r datganiad hwn yn ddim syndod pan ystyriwn fod bywyd Iesu yn ymestyn rhwng preseb benthyg a chroes greulon. Yn Iesu, nid y gwrthwyneb i gryfder yw gwendid ond yn hytrach y ddaear lle y tŷf cryfder.
Mae cyfarfod Iesu ym mreichiau ei fam yn ein hamddiffyn rhag y demtasiwn a’r camgymeriad o fethu â nodi ei ddynoliaeth lawn a gwir. Y perygl wedyn yw ei droi’n rhyw fath o uwchddyn o’r ganrif gyntaf, ffigur na fyddai o unrhyw berthnasedd i ni. Yn wyneb hyn, mae’n llawenydd troi eto at stroïau geni Iesu a welir yn yr Ysgrythurau sy’n ein hatgoffa o gariad anhygoel Duw tuag at y byd. Mae Iesu yn datgelu ac yn datguddio i ni yr hyn y gellir ei weld o Dduw mewn bywyd dynol.
Mae hyn yn herio unrhyw farn bod Duw ymhell; yn hytrach, Immanuel ydyw – Duw gyda ni. Gwirionedd rhyfeddol y Nadolig yw bod Duw, yn ei holl allu a’i ogoniant, wedi dewis datguddio ei hun yn y baban ym Methlehem. Mae’n baradocs aruthrol bod yr hyn a ddywedir am Dduw i’w weld mewn gwendid, breuder a chyfyngiadau dynol. Daw Ef, yr Hollalluog a’r grymus Un, atom yn Iesu; bellach yn wan, yn anghenus ac yn gwbl ddibynnol ar eraill.
Mae yna rai sy’n osgoi’r gwan a’r diymadferth, sy’n ffieiddio unrhyw ymdeimlad o fethiant. Mae stori’r Nadolig yn herio hyn ac unrhyw ymdeimlad o hunan-ddigonolrwydd, o chwennych pŵer ac awdurdod dros eraill, â hynny ar draul y teulu dynol a’r greadigaeth gyfan. Gwelwn yn y baban o’r enw Iesu, ddynoliaeth gyflawn a gwir. Ymunwn ag eraill ar lwybr Bethlehem, yn llwyr ymwybodol y gall bywyd fel y’i profir gennym, yn bersonol ac ar y cyd, fod yn aml yn brin o gyfanrwydd, pwrpas a llawnder cariad. Wedi ei fendithio gan Dduw, ei garu a’i anwylo gan Ei rieni, gwnawn ein ffordd at y Brenin bychan gan ymddiried a gweddïo gyda’r pererinion eraill sy’n dod i addoli yn y stabl.
Fel Arweinwyr Cristnogol yng Nghymru, gweddïwn y bydd Iesu yn cael ei dderbyn a’i anrhydeddu’n llawnach yn ein gwlad. Bydded i bob un ohonom gael cipolwg ar y ddynoliaeth lawnach a all fod yn eiddo i ni yn Iesu. Os gadawn iddo, gall fod yn bresenoldeb byw ynom ni. Mae’n hiraethu i’n grymuso yn ein gwendid a’n bregusrwydd, i ymddiried yn Nuw, i ymrwymo ein hunain i’w Deyrnas, i garu a chael ein caru, i wasanaethu a chael ein gwasanaethu, gan wybod bod ein bywydau a’n gwaith yng Nghrist yn gyfrwng i gariad a thrugaredd adfywiol Duw.
Bydded i chi gael Nadolig Llawen a Bendithiol.
Y Parchedicaf Cherry Vann, Archesgob Cymru
Y Parchedicaf Mark O’Toole, Archesgob Caerdydd-Mynyw
Parch Dyfrig Rees, Llywydd Cyngor Eglwysi Rhyddion Cymru
