Honor Him

Much has been said over the years regarding the celebration of Christmas on December 25^th.  Detractors will assert that Christmas is not a legitimate celebration of Christ’s birth, because Jesus wasn’t actually born on that day and that it is actually a pagan holiday adopted by the early church. In fact, the church didn’t settle on December 25^th until the fourth century and it has been suggested that the main reason was to align with pagan festivals such as the Roman Saturnalia or other winter solstice traditions in an effort to encourage the spread of Christianity. Adding to the confusion, those who use the Gregorian calendar celebrate Christmas around January 6 or 7.

While the Bible never discloses the actual date of the birth of Jesus, early Christian theologians such as Origen and Tertullian employed complex calculations in determining possible dates for the nativity and their logic had nothing to do with pagan festivals. We must consider that when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, it was the sixth month (Luke 1:26) and he informed her that her cousin Elizabeth was already six months pregnant (with John the Baptist).

The first month of the Hebrew year was the month of Nisan which roughly corresponds with March-April and marks the Passover festival, commemorating the exodus of Israel from Egypt. The sixth month therefore would be equivalent to August-September, meaning that Mary’s pregnancy began approximately in the fall season, placing the birth of Jesus nine months later in the early summer (May-June). Hebrew months are based upon the lunar cycle rather than a solar year.

It has been speculated that the star of Bethlehem was actually Venus and Jupiter coming together to shine brightly which occurred in June of 2 B.C. Even the calculation of anno Domini (A.D.) for Year of Our Lord is estimated to be out by as much as seven years, placing the birth of Christ anywhere from 7 B.C. to 2 B.C. This aligns with the presumed death of King Herod in about 4 B.C. according to Jewish historian Flavius Josephus.

No One Knows The Day Or The Hour

For centuries after the crucifixion, early Christians did not focus much on the birth of Jesus, presumably because of persecution, and rather emphasized his death and resurrection.  With all this uncertainty, Christians today must concede that we celebrate an event and not a specific day.  If the date was important, it would be included in scripture. No one knows the day or the hour of Christ’s birth and similarly no one knows the time of His return. Timing is crucial however the time is not.

This is especially significant in light of the teachings of the apostle Paul, who reasoned that believers should not be judged by such trivial things as foods or festivals in Colossians 2:16. “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.”

This logic aligns with the words of Jesus Himself in Matthew 15:11. Christians are called to worship in spirit and in truth, as Jesus testified to the Samaritan woman in John 4:23, “Yet a time is coming and has now come when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks.” Celebrating the birth of Jesus glorifies our Lord regardless of which day we choose to pay Him homage when we do so in the spirit of reverence through worship.

There are those who suggest that the birth of Jesus is completely irrelevant and do not celebrate Christmas at all.  The Puritans banned the celebration of Christmas in the seventeenth century, not over the dispute of Christ’s birth but over the revelry that accompanied celebrating. They argued that celebrating Christmas was unbiblical and that nowhere in the Bible is a season or a special day attributed to the birth of Jesus.

Scripture Is Not Silent

Contrarily, the Bible is not silent regarding the birth of Jesus and God Himself dispatched the heavenly host of angels to proclaim Jesus’s birth to the shepherds watching over their flocks by night. Luke 2:8-14 records what transpired that eventful night, “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel of the Lord said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.’” Our heavenly Father certainly did not withhold fanfare when He announced the birth of His Son, therefore, Christians should not feel guilty for celebrating the event as well!

The humble circumstances surrounding the birth of Christ are as important as the event itself. By having Jesus be born in a stable and announcing His birth to the shepherds first, followed by the grassroots ministry and humility of Jesus, it foreshadowed an inverse kingdom where the first would be the last and the last would be the first. A kingdom where the faith of a child would be stronger than armies and a rich man, no matter how wealthy could not buy his way in.

A Kingdom Like No Other

A kingdom like a mustard seed. Where the meek would inherit the earth, power is made perfect in weakness and whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Christ’s sake will find it (Matthew 16:25). Where whoever wants to be great must become like a servant and whoever wants to be first must be like a slave (Matthew 20:26-27). Above corruption and below the radar of the evil that endeavors to usurp God’s plan of salvation.

The King of Kings and Lord of Lords, “Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking on the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of the Father.” (Philippians 2:6-11).

The shear complexity, mystery and majesty of God’s rescue plan for humanity is mind boggling to say the least and its perfection and all encompassing interconnectedness between the physical and spiritual realms is utterly amazing! Would you expect the Ruler of the universe to crawl in the gutter beside you and offer to take your place so that you could live? That’s precisely what He did!

This Christmas as you celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, contemplate the mystery of God’s divine redemption plan that was hidden in plain sight two thousand years ago.  How the Creator of the universe entered His creation as a fragile baby and experienced humanity as we do. He walked the walk so He could talk the talk. He paid a debt He did not owe because we owed a debt we could not pay. He did this for each and every one of us because He loves us.

God is love. When the Almighty goes to the extreme measures revealed to us in the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, He does so out of love.  Meditate upon that thought. As you celebrate Christmas this year, think about how your personal well being was on His mind as He humbled Himself. As He carried that cross up the incline to Calvary. As each blow of the hammer drove the nails through His hands.

He who determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name (Psalm 147:4) and yet is intimately interested in your name did all this for you. This Christmas, amidst the joy and good cheer and the commercialized hoopla, focus on His love.  Ignore the cynical voices of those who would diminish the birth of Jesus by suggesting December 25^th isn’t His real birthday. The event outshines the date, the timing of the event overshadows the time of the event.

Christ died for you and He couldn’t have done that if He hadn’t been born for you.  Contemplate that. The mystery which has been made known to us – that was hidden for generations – so that God’s eternal purpose for those who call upon Him, could be called His children. A mystery that exuded forth out of that tiny manger and forever changed the course of history. That divided time and conquered death. Celebrate the event and give no heed to the date. Rejoice in the mystery. Commemorate the birth. Honor the baby. Amen!