Today is the birthday of someone very special to me. I suspect we’ll celebrate with a few thoughtful gifts, create a favorite dinner menu, and blow out a few candles. After all, that’s what we do when it’s the birthday of someone who means a lot to us. This special boy happens to be my husband, Bruce, so if you see him today, send him a little birthday love.
We often create delightful moments to celebrate birthdays. It makes us happy to honor those we love. In a few days, just three to be exact, many of us will celebrate a special boy who was born over 2000 years ago. We’ll gather with friends and family, decorate our homes to make the atmosphere more festive, and reflect a little on what that special boy did to change the world. It will be a celebration of honor and humble respect. We’ll go to church and sing of angels and shepherds. It will make our spirits merry and bright.
Others will celebrate that same day but without a hint of the boy off in the distance. They may not know what He did so long ago, or what He still does for each person who invites Him in. They will share the gifts of the season and the joy that fills the air, but it won’t really be about a birthday boy. It will be another date on a calendar, another meaningless holiday. Their souls will sit quietly waiting for the light to dawn.
It’s the job of the storytellers to keep the Boy’s story alive, to keep it fresh and new. They are the ones who remind listeners of the amazing experience of a young girl named Mary who agreed to the plan revealed to her by an angel. Mary did not know exactly what the angel’s plan would mean for her life, but she pondered it at great length, trusting in how important it all was to the people she loved. Astrologers of the day were studying the stars waiting for the advent of God’s special one, believing that they might even witness it in their own lifetimes. The shepherds who knew little about the things of God, were startled by a heavenly choir proclaiming the good news that a boby boy had been born; a boy that was born to save them from their sins. All of them, found a way to get to the manger to see this little child who would be God’s gift, His answer for every person ever born.
Life is all about stories and on every birthday, we celebrate the story of people we love. At Christmas we tell the story of a miraculous event that happened in Bethlehem, where a bright light filled the night sky and let everyone know where to find the birthday boy. Perhaps those candles we put on a cake each year, are just little stars lighting up the life of the one we celebrate, helping us to see them a bit more clearly.
Yes, it’s time to tell the story once again, and celebrate the Light of the world, God’s baby boy. Happy Birthday, Jesus!
And my beloved Bruce, Happy Birthday to you!
Have a blessed Christmas!
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