Is Christmas a birthday or memorial celebration?

Homily for the Nativity of the Lord Year B 2014-2015

Introduction

Recently while visiting my god-son’s family, I overheard this conversation between him and his sister.

She said: “Christmas is the birthday of Jesus.”  To which my god-son, who is quite smart, responded: “No.  If Christmas is the birthday of Jesus, why don’t mum and dad give gifts to Jesus, but they give them to us?”

Of course I did not intervene in their little debate, but I was very proud of these kids, who in their simple way are already trying to understand what Christmas really is.  Well beyond his years, my god-son recognizes the complexity of Christmas, something that Christians throughout history have grappled with.

Scripture and Theology

Take the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John); for example; they all tell the story of the birth of Jesus very differently.

·        Mark says nothing about the birth of Jesus but rather begins his gospel with the public ministry of Jesus.  It is as if he is skipping over the minor details and going straight to the teaching of Jesus, to his suffering, death and resurrection – the heart of the Christian message.  We could compare Mark’s gospel to a biography of Abraham Lincoln that focuses just on his political life and says nothing about his birth and childhood.

·        John for his part begins his gospel with a dense theological essay, which we read during the Mass on Christmas Day.  Rather than give us the beautiful stories about the angels, the shepherds, baby Jesus, John tells us the meaning of the whole thing.  He says that God, in his Son, has come into the world and by becoming a human being, has united heaven and earth.  Jesus does this by his word and example, but especially by giving his life on the cross.  We can compare John’s coverage of the birth of Jesus, not to the front page news story, but to the editorial on page 8, that gives a commentary on what Jesus’ birth means.

·        Matthew tells us the story of Jesus’ birth in quite some detail, but he does so with some sadness and foreboding.  For him the birth of Jesus is an introduction to the main story, which is, his death and resurrection.  Matthew hints at this theme when in the Christmas story he writes about the hostility of Herod, the indifference of the Jews, the slaughter of the Holy Innocents and the flight of the holy family into Egypt.  We can compare Matthew to a novelist who hints at his main theme at the beginning of the book and then develops that theme throughout the novel.

·        It is Luke’s gospel that highlights the joyful aspects of the Lord’s birth.  We read him at the midnight Mass and the Mass at dawn.  Luke tells us about “the sky being lit up, an angel of God appearing to the shepherds to announce the birth of Jesus and a multitude of heavenly hosts singing God’s praise” like we do in the Gloria.  Luke “speaks of tidings of great joy, nothing to fear, peace on earth, and most especially the good news that a Savior has been born, a Savior who is both Messiah and Lord.”  We can compare Luke’s gospel to the feel-good feature story of the newspaper.

And so, given the way different ways the Christmas story is told, is Christmas a birthday celebration for Jesus?  On the one hand especially Luke’s gospel gives the birth of Jesus all the markings of a great birthday celebration: joyful news, beautiful singing and a great party.  On the other hand the other gospels either don’t tell the story at all or tone down its more joyful aspects and therefore suggest that birthday image does not fully tell us what Christmas is.  As my god-son pointed out, at Christmas, Jesus receives no gifts – we receive gifts.  We receive the gift of God coming into our world to die for us and to restore our friendship with God.  And that is what we celebrate at the Christmas Masses.

Christian Life

Does this mean that we therefore should throw out all our festive Christmas traditions?  No, rather, we should look for the meaning of Christmas behind these signs and symbols.  Let us see in the ever green Christmas trees a symbol of the everlasting life that Jesus is born to bring us; let us see in the Christmas lights the light that Christ’s birth brings into this dark world; and let us see in the Christmas decorations the everlasting banquet that awaits us in heaven.

Even the practice of giving Christmas cards and Christmas gifts can remind us of why Jesus was born into this world.  Yes, writing Christmas cards can be tedious and we would rather use Twitter, messaging and email.  Yes, shopping for Christmas gifts can be a nightmare, especially deciding whether to give him the sweater or the socks.  But giving and receiving Christmas cards and gifts reminds us of self-giving love of God, who sends his Son to the world to become one like us.  While we cannot do as Jesus did, that is, give our lives for another, we can give something that is dear to those we love, without expectation of reward.  I know some families that occasionally decide to not to give Christmas gifts to each other, but instead pool the money together and give it to some worthy cause such as the needy or the missions.

So when you go back home and open those presents under the tree, can you see beyond that pair of socks and that gift-card to Walmart, and appreciate the Christian love that they represent.  And on your part, perhaps you might look back with satisfaction on realizing that your efforts in giving gifts to family members and friends was your way of sharing God’s love for the world.

God’s love contained in Christmas is perhaps best symbolized by all the ways in which Christmas is a time of peace, reconciliation and communion.

·        Many families and friends come together for dinner and conversation, perhaps one of only a few times they do so.  In my home country of Uganda, the whole village celebrates Christmas, Catholics, Protestants and Muslims alike.  Even Muslims who don’t believe that Jesus is God are happy to rejoice with us, because they know that the birth of the Lord means something special for us Christians.  They don’t greet us with the generic “Happy Holidays,” but wish us “Merry Christmas,” because we celebrate the birth of the Lord for us.  Of course we also reciprocate and send them the appropriate greetings on their Muslim and Hindu feast days.

·        You may have heard of the famous Christmas truce during the First World War that happened exactly 100 years ago today.  According to the account of the soldiers who were there, on Christmas Day in 1914, German and English soldiers stopped fighting for a while and crossed into no-man’s land, to wish each other Merry Christmas, sing Christmas carols and exchange cigarettes.  They took photographs with each, played soccer and used the occasion to bury their dead in joint funeral services.  For a little while, these men realized the true meaning of Christmas – that Jesus was born into this world, to bring peace on earth among men.

Conclusion

As someone said, as soon as we are born, we begin to die.  This is far truer in the case of Jesus, whose only reason for being born, for coming into this world, was so that he might die for our sins and restore us to God’s friendship.

Let us celebrate Christmas, therefore, not as a birthday celebration, but more like a memorial celebration, when we remember the birth and life of someone who did so much for us, and who has had a lasting influence on our own lives.