What Can We Learn From Scripture About The Celebration Of Our Own Birth In The Birth Of Christ?
Good Morning Friends,
Aside from Jeremiah’s depressing and dark, terrible, no good, very bad thoughts about life, scripture is not so negative about birthdays, even though the celebration of them might have been a bit awkward given the infant mortality rate of the day.
Though some still think it wrong, almost everybody, today, celebrates birthdays. Around the world, friends and relatives hold birthday parties, give gifts to the one being honored, and wish a “Happy birthday!” to the one whose anniversary of arrival is being celebrated. Although there is no record of Jesus celebrating his birthday, that is not to say the disciples never got together and had a little party, but it was never a substitution for God’s appointed days. Interestingly, the ancient Greeks used to celebrate the births of their false gods. In the temple of Diana in places like Ephesus, and of Artemis in Greece, the priests would bake cakes, put lit candles on those cakes and sing songs. The candles were lit to make them glow like the moon. But hopefully that has little to do with us for I trust that none reading here are celebrating the birthdays of pagan gods or going into debt to celebrate their own. It concerns me that our celebration of birthdays can be caught up in a behavior that appears a bit like worship. Today’s tradition of making wishes before blowing out birthday candles for example is a bit like the thought that smoke carries prayers to the heavens. And so here at the cultural and celestial crossroads we ask a cautionary question. What Can We Learn From Scripture About The Celebration Of Our Own Birth In The Birth Of Christ?
Scripture: One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.
Romans 14:5-6 (ESV)
And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
Matthew 2:11 (ESV)
His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.
Job 1:4 (ESV)
On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he made a feast for all his servants and lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand. But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them.
Genesis 40:20-22 (ESV)
But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and pleased Herod, so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.” And the king was sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given. He sent and had John beheaded in the prison,
Matthew 14:6-12 (ESV)
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
Luke 2:1-7 (NRSV)
Cursed be the day on which I was born! The day when my mother bore me, let it not be blessed! Cursed be the man who brought the news to my father, saying, “A child is born to you, a son,” making him very glad. Let that man be like the cities that the Lord overthrew without pity; let him hear a cry in the morning and an alarm at noon, because he did not kill me in the womb; so my mother would have been my grave, and her womb forever great. Why did I come forth from the womb to see toil and sorrow, and spend my days in shame?
Jeremiah 20: 14-18 (NRSV)
You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.
1 Peter 1:23 (NRSV)
Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.
John 3:3,6 (NRSV)
Message: Well today we stray from the lectionary to explore a topic that seems relevant but can be more cultural than Christlike. It depends how one reads the question. So here as we come to the shortest day of the year, in anticipation of the birth of Christ, my musings lead me to contemplate how different cultures celebrate the arrival of young royalty into the civilizations they are destined to rule and how Christ rules in our hearts when we are born again. And it dawns on me that were it not for the development of a calendar that an organized reckoning of birth dates and an annual celebration of them would never have been possible. This spiritual and celestial time, this Kairos and Chronos moment possibly prompted those who calculated time by the Sun, moon and stars, to meticulously examined for omens related to those in power and specifically the prospects that royalty would affect on the society. We see a bit of this in the story of the Egyptian Pharaoh’s celebration in Genesis and of evil King Herod’s celebration in Matthew. But we also see it in the story of the wise men bringing gifts to Jesus. Interestingly all have both birth but also death as part of the story focus…beginnings and endings. Regardless, unless one knows the date of one’s birth, it is difficult to have a celebration. And calculating the timing of Jesus’ birth is a little more involved than the calculating of our own.
Although it’s not impossible, it seems unlikely that Jesus was born on December the 25th. It is more likely that this is the insertion by the Romans of a good holiday Christmas, for the pagan one, the Winter Solstice. Interestingly it is eight days later we have a New Year party that is in a way a celebration of Jesus’ circumcision. The Bible does not specify a day or month for Jesus’ birth. One problem with December is that it would be unusual for shepherds to be abiding in the field at this time of year when fields were unproductive. The normal practice was to keep the flocks in the fields from Spring to Autumn. Many believe that a more probable time would be late September, the time of the annual Feast of Tabernacles. It is now commonly believed that Jesus’ birth was around the last of September. The conception of Christ, however, may have taken place in late December of the previous year. Our Christmas celebration may well be recognized as an honored observation of the incarnation of the Word made flesh. And that is a party of conception worth celebrating. So, I imagine that people kept count of the years but did not do a lot of celebration given the uncertainty of life. Regardless, the Bible is filled with examples of counting and copies of Bibles are filled with dates of births and weddings and baptisms that should instruct us. Undoubtedly the Hebrew writers counted most everything. People made a point of remembering exact dates of a child’s birth. This is how we know how old Noah, Moses, Methusaleh, Isaac and others were. Unsurprisingly, we have a book in the Bible named Numbers. So, with that calculating thought and the sobering words of Jeremiah we might just want to consider what we are doing in the lighting and blowing out candles in the celebration of our own birthdays. Friends, nowhere in the Bible is it forbidden to celebrate joyous occasions in our lives provided we do not idolize the situation. The key is to honor Christ…. the Christ born in us, so we might be redeemed in second birth of the Spirit.
Pray that we honor the incarnation of the King of kings…the bringer of light and life into the world. Pray we recognize the importance of sincere sorrow as a preparation for the supernatural coming of Jesus into our lives. Pray we celebrate the day Christ came into our lives. Pray we realize that every day is Christmas and every new day is a birthday. Pray we understand the incarnational citizenship of Christ and our membership in Christ’s Kingdom. Pray we realize that we are never truly alive until we have been born again in the Spirit.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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