On Celebrating Jesus' Birthday

(Picture of the hillsides around Bethlehem in March)

Holidays in our culture often seem to miss the point. Why do we celebrate our thanks by eating a lot of turkey and watching football? Why do we celebrate romantic love with chocolate? Why do we celebrate the joy of working by taking a day off? Most importantly in this current season why do we celebrate a homeless preacher's birthday who spent his life declaring "good news to the poor" by giving those close to us expensive gifts. If any holiday should not be materialistic Christmas should be that holiday. It seems as if the holiday has been captured by marketing experts.

Indeed, Jesus probably was not born in the month of December at all. To the frustration of my brother who was born on December 25th, I always remind him that my birthday April 2 was probably closer to Jesus' actual date of birth. This is based on what we find the shepherds doing in the account of the Nativity recorded in the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament. Early Christians preempted this date to help their recent converts not revert back to paganism in celebrating the holidays around the winter solstice. Indeed, a good work of missiology, but not terribly historically accurate.

Perhaps now that the marketing experts have taken the "holidays" back from us it would be a good time for us as followers of Jesus to pick a new date (sometime in late March or early April) to celebrate Jesus' birthday that would be closer to the historical reality, and further from the consumerist pollution of the date. Better yet, perhaps it would be important for us to find new more meaningful ways to celebrate Christmas and seize the holiday back from the marketing experts. Let me suggest this as one idea: Jesus, the "Bread of Life" was born in "the House of Bread" Bethlehem in a feeding trough. Perhaps we could celebrate his birthday best by giving a gift to him on his birthday (fancy that thought) and helping feed someone who is hungry. After all he says: (NIV Matthew 25:40) 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Here are some organizations you could donate towards or volunteer at to help those in need as a birthday gift for Jesus: Salvation Army, Chicagoland Community Church (my church), Feed the Children, World Hunger and Relief Funds, etc. Obviously, there are many other options. The important thing is to find an organization you trust and give generously towards those who are in need. Better yet, get to know someone in need yourself and find ways to directly bless them. Either way, make sure to add Jesus to your Christmas giving list, after all, it is his birthday.