Happy Birthday, Jesus

I don’t know how much of a celebration You’ll have this year. Seems that a lot of people would prefer to erase You from the holiday completely. Do You get the newspapers, up there? Well, I suppose You don’t really need them, You no doubt have Your Finger pretty much on the pulse of events down here without having to read the Times or watch CNN. Is not having to watch CNN one of the blessings Christians can look forward to?

Christmas trees aren’t Christmas trees any more. Some places want to call them holiday trees, but there has been a backlash as a result, people wanting to continue with tradition. It’s refreshing, knowing that voices are still out there wanting to keep the name that goes with the season. I wonder though, do the voices understand just what Christmas is?

I keep thinking of Your earthly mother. She was pretty young. No older than a lot of the girls going out for abortions, these days. Heaven must seem to have revolving doors, for a lot of those little souls. Their mother gets pregnant, and in a few weeks the child known to Your Father in the womb is scraped out like so much inconvenient garbage and tossed in the trash, while the soul goes back to Heaven. Well, things have improved I guess, if You can call it improvement. You get born in a smelly barn full of animals and stuck in a feeding trough, and they get murdered in a clean, well-lighted, antiseptic setting.

Speaking of mangers, they’re a part of the holiday imagery. Or at least they used to be. A manger, with You as a baby in it, Your Mom, Your Step dad, shepherds, animals, even three Wise Men. We have to be careful where we put a manger scene, these days. Some people down here invented something called “separation of church and state”, and now we can’t just put a manger scene any where we want to, any more. Town squares are out, in a lot of places. Some homeowners associations don’t even like them on a front yard of a residence.

Seems like the only people that are allowed to be offended these days are Christians. I guess it’s that “turn the other cheek” thing. We seem to be the ones that no one worries about offending, on this Your birthday season. Public schools don’t refer to Your birthday as Christmas anymore, either. Might offend a Muslim, or an atheist, or a Druid.

I get the feeling that somehow, some people believe that if they try hard enough they can erase You from memory and history. I guess they don’t really understand You. Or could it be that they are afraid of what awaits them? Maybe the attitude is, “I can’t get punished, if I can just make the Judge go away.”

I read the other day that the Salvation Army has to pay bell-ringers in some places. The spirit of giving, that led to bell-ringers in front of stores and on street corners, is coming to an end. Not just the giving to those less fortunate, but the giving of something far more precious. Time. Time to volunteer for the Salvation Army, or to help the Christmas party at school, or the Christmas plays and pageants at the churches. When I was young, people would go from house to house singing. “Joy to the World”, “Oh! Little Town of Bethlehem”, “We Three Kings”….., but not any more. Someone might be offended at the performance of a religious song in a public place. I guess “Jingle Bells” is still all right.

Time now means the time the sale starts, the time the Mall opens, the time you get off for the holiday. (Holy Day) Funny. People will complain about Christmas, but they’ll take a paid day off, or a Christmas bonus.

I say “Merry Christmas” a lot. You should see the looks I get. (Well, I’m sure You do!) Some people look angry at hearing those words, a few look puzzled, and some look grateful, and say “Merry Christmas” in reply. But what gets me is that some of them look afraid. You can see the thought process. “If I say ‘Merry Christmas’ back, will someone hear it? Will I get in trouble? Will I be reported to someone?” It’s as though they thought that, merely by saying the words, someone might think they were a Christian or
something.

We’re becoming about as popular in the United States as we were back in the days when the Romans used to use Christians as lion bait. Of course, they don’t do that here, although being a Christian in some countries can still get you arrested, imprisoned, or fined. Things haven’t changed that much, since the days when Saul was persecuting Christians, back before You met him on the road and gave him an attitude adjustment and the name “Paul”.

Of course, in the United States, we’re very progressive and humane. Professing Christians, this time of year, are no longer tortured. They get sued, laughed out, humiliated, ignored, or insulted, but not physically tortured. The words don’t seem to mean as much as they used to. You know, the story has been told quite beautifully in several formats, in several ways. Songs, books, movies, TV specials (back when people didn’t get offended at the mere mention of Your Name in a public setting), radio.

I think the way that Luke told the story, in the King James Version of the Bible, will always be the way that most strongly reaches me.

Luke 2

1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went
out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world
should be taxed.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was
governor of Syria.)
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own
city.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the
city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David,
which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the
house and lineage of David:)
5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great
with child.
6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days
were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped
him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger;
because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding
in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and
the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they
were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for,
behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which
shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David
a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find
the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a
manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude
of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace,
good will toward men.

So let me just say, Happy Birthday, Jesus. And Thank You. It was Your birthday, but we got by far the greatest gift.

NOTE: Copyright 12/01/05 by Dave Hoffman

Use granted to all who identify author.

Beneficium accipere libertatem est vendere.