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World Council of Churches - News Release
Contact: +41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org
For immediate release - 30/11/2005

CHRISTMAS MESSAGE 2005
FROM THE WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES GENERAL SECRETARY

Free photo available, see below

"This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of
cloth and lying in a manger."
Luke 2:12

It was in the midst of last year's Christmas season that the December 26th
tsunami killed thousands of people on the shores of the Indian Ocean. Who
can forget the images of the killer waves, the many victims and traumatized survivors on the shores of Indonesia, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, the
Maldives and even Somalia? All around the world, these images prompted an
unprecedented response to appeals for emergency relief, an extraordinary
expression of solidarity with the victims by people from all walks of
life.

The year that followed has renewed our awe of nature's power, with an
unusual frequency of violent storms, floods and hurricanes such as Katrina
in the Gulf of Mexico, and the terrible earthquake that devastated whole
villages and cities in Kashmir. In Brazil, where the World Council of
Churches will hold its 9th Assembly in February 2006, the national weather
service recently used the term "hurricane" for the first time following an
unprecedented storm in 2004. Vast areas of the country suffer from a
terrible drought, as if our physical environment will no longer tolerate
the careless and merciless attack on its integrity, demonstrating its
power to humanity and reminding us of our vulnerability. Repeatedly, it
has been the poor and marginalized who were most vulnerable and, thus, the
most severely hit. The gap between rich and poor, the traces of racism and
casteism, the ills dividing humanity were exposed in these situations of
crisis.

As we prepare ourselves again to celebrate Christmas, the story of the
birth of Christ speaks in new ways against the background of this
experience. We see before us the image of a child wrapped in bands of
cloth and lying in a manger that was, according to the tradition of the
early church, hewn into the rock of a cave in Bethlehem. Throughout
history, this image has comforted victims of oppression and violence in
many parts of the world. It has led humans to realize that Jesus was one
of us, indeed: someone down-to-earth. It has encouraged some to believe
that God's presence with us in Jesus is powerful enough to transform this
earth. It has motivated others to accept their own responsibility and to
stand in solidarity with all who work for change and alternatives to
existing conditions. Through Jesus Christ, the incarnation of the divine,
God has invested love in humanity. God became a human being, born of a
woman, who suffered as we suffer and died as we shall die.

"Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was
in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be
exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in
human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and
became obedient to the point of death - even death on a cross. Therefore
God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every
name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and
on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:5-11). Dare
we invest less in humanity than God has done? Dare we invest less in
ourselves than God has deemed appropriate?

When we pray in the words of the theme of the forthcoming WCC Assembly,
God, in your grace, transform the world, we confess our readiness to
proclaim the good news that the Triune God has acted to dignify humanity
through God's incarnation in Jesus Christ and to begin the transformation
of a world that knows little of grace and mercy. With the birth of the
child in Bethlehem, God is at work within creation to bring about needed
change through grace. Churches and their members world-wide stand on the
side of the poor; this is especially true of Christians in Brazil who
engage in struggles for the landless, the right to water for all, and the
care of creation. Brazilian churches are working together, in the power of
the Holy Spirit, with the hope of overcoming violence and helping to
establish justice and accountability in politics.

When we ask you this Christmas to draw nearer to the suffering and
marginalized in your thoughts, prayers and deeds, we ask you to pray
especially for the people and churches in Brazil. Called to be co-workers
with God, our participation in God's mission begins where we live, yet our
common responsibility leads us to ecumenical co-operation for the sake of
the whole world.

May the blessings of Christmas bring you peace and joy.

Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia
World Council of Churches general secretary
December 2005

[802 words]

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The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches, now 347, in
more than 120 countries in all continents from virtually all Christian
traditions. The Roman Catholic Church is not a member church but works
cooperatively with the WCC. The highest governing body is the assembly,
which meets approximately every seven years. The WCC was formally
inaugurated in 1948 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Its staff is headed by
general secretary Samuel Kobia from the Methodist church in Kenya.