So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. (Luke 2:16-20)
Every year, there are a few people who think they
have to get on their soapboxes to remind us that Jesus wasn’t born in December.
December 25, they say, is associated with various other gods and the early
church (it would have been the medieval church, but let’s not quibble) usurped
that time in order to let pagan converts to Christianity carry their winter solstice
celebrations into their new faith. There is a lot about these claims that we
could quibble about, but the reality is: “so what?” Jesus probably wasn’t born
in December. He was probably born in spring when the paschal lambs were being
watched and protected in preparation for the Passover.
Of course, if we celebrated both Christmas and
Easter in the spring, those people would still have a fit – they’d just change
the name of the god for whom they are offended. The reality is, of course, that
all those pagan gods are petty (petite) gods, reduced, segmented, small
versions of God made over in the image of man, woman, or beast. All the days
belong to God.
The point isn’t so much when He was born,
but that He was born. And that He lived in a historical context, and
that He died and rose from the dead. That’s the reason we sing. Enjoy this Christmas concert.
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