And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. Luke 2:8 

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.  2 Corinthians 5:21

I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.  John 12:46

Happy  Birthday, Lord Jesus. 

Happy birthday son of David
Born this day to save the world.
By changing hearts and renewing minds,
In You, God’s plan will be unfurled.

Happy birthday Emmanel
The messiah the world was waiting for.
Blessed are we who ask you in
As you stand knocking at our door.

Happy birthday Prince of Peace
Sent to be a beacon on the hill.
To shine the light of love and mercy
On those whose hearts and souls are ill. 

Happy birthday King of Kings
We bow and worship you in awe,
With our eyes on the Kingdom
We give allegiance to our God

Happy birthday Lord Jesus.
To whom every knee will bend
The cross couldn’t silence you
You were resurrected at the end

Happy birthday Beloved Son
Fully God and fully man.
You said yes to death upon the cross
To complete the Father’s plan. 

We celebrate your birth in glory
Anticipating this world’s end.
When we will abide with you, eternally 
As willing servants, you call friends. 
©Linda Troxell 12/24/2019

It’s that time of the year again. The time when we see bright lights on every house, decorated pine trees in every window, and signs announcing “Big sale” in every shop. If you believe the Christmas songs and Christmas movies, everyone is happy and everyone is neighborly and generous at Christmas time. 

I’ll leave it to you to decide if that’s your experience of Christmas. Either way, if you are a Christian, it’s likely that we have a shared experience at this time of year. Wherever we go, many people, some of them complete strangers will wish us merry Christmas or happy holidays. And quite a few of those holiday greeters will feel it necessary to inform us that Jesus wasn’t actually born on December 25th.

The exact date of Jesus’ birth has been the topic of discussion and deliberation for generations. And sometimes someone is mightily compelled to convince others to see it their way. Those discussions can turn into contentious arguments.  

I’m sure we have all heard some version of the discussion, if not a version of the argument. As a Christian, I hear it so regularly each December it almost feels like it is part of the Christmas story. But it isn’t, it’s more part of the anti-Christmas story.

I have learned not to discuss the topic very deeply, especially with those who claim to have proof that December 25th cannot be Jesus’ birthday. That’s because I want to guard myself against being drawn into an argument, about something that in the long run is unimportant. 

Over the years the “proof” offered has always been the same, nothing new or imaginative. Most popular and always first is evidence claimed to be straight from the Bible. In the book of Luke, the Bible tells us that on the night that Jesus was born, in the same area, shepherds were tending their sheep. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. Luke 2:8 

While the Bible says nothing about the weather conditions on that night, those who dispute the date of Jesus’ birth offer as proof, that the weather in December would have been cold and wet. Too cold, they say, for sheep to be out at night. Thus Jesus could not have been born in December. 

I hate to admit it, but I have always just accepted that statement. That is until I researched it a bit. In fact, the temperature around Jerusalem and Bethlehem is fairly temperate in the winter with only a small amount of rainfall. 

The late Dr. Willian Arndt, a former seminary professor and an authority on the Bible, wrote this in his book, “The Nile to the Waters of Damascus”:

“Scholars have pointed out that the considerably lower altitude of the field may not be without significance, but may explain why even in winter shepherds would not find these fields too cold for their flocks.” (pg 52)

So, why do the self-appointed experts assume the weather was wet and cold that night? On what do they base that assumption? 

If their weather argument doesn’t convince us, and sometimes even if it does, they go on to the second old stand-by, that Christmas began as a pagan holiday. Most often they have little information about the pagan holiday from which they claim Christmas began. They know only that it was in December and the church co-opted it as Christ’s birthday so the pagans would accept Christianity. 

Once in a while, someone will know that Saturnalia is the holiday to which they are referring. Saturnalia was a pagan feast to honor Saturn, observed by the Romans every year. it began December 17 and for seven days the Romans celebrated the solstice as a send-off to winter. 

Being the day of the year in which there are more hours of darkness than any other day, the solstice marks the point where each day going forward has more daylight than the last. Essentially, this was a holiday to celebrate the end of Winter and to anticipate the return of the sun. 

After all, who could miss the irony of the birth of God’s SON who is the light of the world, sent to overcome the darkness coinciding with a pagan feast celebrating the return of SUN light to overcome the  darkness of the Winter?  I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.  John 12:46 It seems perfectly ironic.

Knowing that a seven-day festival beginning December 17 does not include December 25th seems to mean nothing to those who contend that Christmas has pagan roots. For them, this is a minor discrepancy when compared with the fact that during the December pagan holiday, the Romans engaged in candle lighting, decorating their homes, singing, and exchanging gifts. 

Thus they conclude that to make the people more open to Christianity, the church adopted this pagan festival and rebranded it as a celebration of the birth of our Savior on December 25. They are sure that Christmas was adopted from Saturnalia to woo the pagans to Christianity. 

While imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I can think of another possibility that would explain the close proximity of the two holidays, one pagan and one Christian. A possibility that does not involve imitation co-opting, adopting, or copying. One that does not depend on dishonesty or subterfuge.  

When choosing the day His Son, the Savior of the world should be born, I’m sure God didn’t simply throw a dart at the calendar. It makes more sense that God would make this important day, itself a statement. Perhaps He did, indeed, choose the day of His son’s birth as a statement, even a rebuke?

Instead of co-opting or adopting a holiday and Christianizing it to make it more palatable to pagans, maybe God actually made a statement by creating a replacement for the self-indulgent, hedonistic spectacle of sin with a distinctly Christian celebration of the birth of the one who had no sin. I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.  John 12:46

When I planned this article, I thought I would end it with a few paragraphs of historical facts that point toward December 25th as the birthday of Jesus. Some solid evidence with which we could all show the doubters they were wrong; I found plenty. But now that I am at the end, I’ve changed my mind. 

I’ve changed my mind partly because I don’t think facts would persuade them. If we’ve learned anything from this long difficult year, we’ve learned that to some, facts mean nothing. But more importantly, I’ve changed my mind because I remembered that early on in this article I said I didn’t want to argue over something that is unimportant in the long run. 

Although after my research I am convinced that Christ was indeed was born on December 25th, in the scope of our faith, the date of Jesus’ birth is unimportant. As is how we came to accept December 25th as the day to celebrate His birth. 

What is important is that He was born to save the world! It’s important that there is a day in the year when celebrating the birth of Jesus has much of the world focused on Him which is to be focused on love. A day when even for unbelievers the thought of him dominates the day.

It is a day, a season really, in which many will be exposed to Jesus as Savior, for the first time. And for the first time, many will hear the gospels. And because they do, many will be saved. It doesn’t matter on what day of the year it happens, or whether or not Jesus was actually born on that day. In fact, if we are doing what He commissioned us to do, it should be happening every day. 

All that matters is that He was born and that He died to save the world. What matters is that there is one day and one season leading to it, in which millions of people know Jesus and are touched by His love.

Some come to know Him for the first time, and some for the first are led to the gospels. Some are saved and some aren’t saved yet. But in that season the glory of the savior, the savior of us all, is on display for everyone and He calls all of us to love and truth.

Glory be to God the Father and to God the Son! 

Let’s Pray:

Father, we are in the season of Advent, the time when the world prepares for the birth of your Son. We know that this is the actual season of His birth. We know which is the actual day of His birth. That’s why it doesn’t matter what the enemy contrives to make us doubt our faith. We will not fall for it. But Lord, we know that it doesn’t matter on which date Jesus was born. We are simply grateful that you sent Him into the world to save us all from our deserved penalty for our sins. So as we prepare to celebrate the birth of our savior,  we thank you, God. that you love us too much to abandon us to sin and death. And we vow to you that we will not become trapped in the enemy’s distraction by engaging in arguments, or even discussions about whether or not Jesus was born on a particular day. For, Lord, we know that it does not matter what day it was, only that it was the day that began the enemy’s defeat. So, instead of concentrating on what day Jesus came to earth, we will concentrate on allowing many to know He did. And we will concentrate on allowing those who know of Him to also hear the good news of the gospels so they might have the opportunity to accept Jesus as Lord and live with you for eternity. Holy Spirit move in your church, give us the supernatural power to spread to all the earth the good news that Jesus has come to save us all. We pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus, Amen

Points for Pondering and for Prayer
OR
Perhaps for Putting Pen to Paper

Have you had the experience that I described, in which someone wishing you a Merry Christmas followed by telling you that Christ wasn’t really born on December 25?

If you have, how did you responded? Think about it and whether your response would be more likely to draw the person to Christ or push them away? Write a few lines about that explaining your thoughts. Would change your response if you could. Why, or why not?

I realize my conclusion, that it doesn’t matter when Jesus was born or how we came to celebrate on December 25 might be controversial. What are your thoughts about that? Write a paragraph about what you think and why.

This may be my last post before Christmas

and in case it is I want to wish

A Merry Christmas to you all

Thank you all for joining me this year and for reading my posts! 

I hope you will join me for what’s coming in the new year