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Dear Friends, Have you ever told a waiter in a restaurant that it was someone’s birthday who was at your table even if you didn’t know when their birthday was? I have friends who will do that in places they know the staff will join in singing "Happy Birthday". They do it to embarrass the person, to hear the staff sing, to get the free desert or just to have a reason to celebrate. It can be fun. Is harmless and will often raise the spirits of the people in the dinner group.
Christmas, the day we celebrate Jesus birth may well have come about in that way, sort of. The church didn’t celebrate his birth until long after his death and resurrection. The church didn’t exist until long after his resurrection. After the Scriptures were known to many with Matthew and Luke’s accounts of the birth, a day was picked to mark the birth of our Savior.
We don’t know that Jesus was born on December 25. But there is some evidence in ancient writings that places the birth of Jesus around that day. December 25 was also a secular holiday that the church "took over" for the celebration of Jesus’ birth. Those secular observances had to do with the passing of the winter solstice and the "unconquered sun" Jesus is the "unconquered Son" of God. The important point isn’t the accuracy of the date. The important point is that he was born. He came to earth to be our savior.
Today we hear a lot of talk about keeping Christ in Christmas, protecting the Birthday of Jesus from the rest of society. Some people become concerned because the days preceding December 25th become busy with shopping, writing letters, planning and parties. The truth is that nothing can take Christ out of Christmas. He truly is the unconquered Son of God. Celebrate his birth not because you know that was the day he was born. Celebrate it because he was born, lived, died and rose for you and all people. Celebrate Christmas because it reminds us that God loves us. Celebrate Christmas because it gives you the opportunity to let others know you love them and that God loves them. Celebrate Christmas because it’s fun and that is the way God intended life to be.
Merry Christmas, Tom
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