I dig the Christmas season as much as the next Dad, you know, but does it not dawn on any of these very hold-up-the-Bible crucifix-in-their-twitter-bio people that the gospels don't make mention of a birthdate even once?
I mean this is pedantry, obviously, and pointless -- where's the gotcha here? we celebrate the birthdays of the people we love, this is an occasion to honor the birthday of a Person who gives His life for us and for our salvation, I get it
and it doesn't matter when the actual birth date was, either, this too is pedantry, the point is that we gather to honor a special moment, we can just set a date for it & that's cool
except
as Christians, we know intuitively that the idea is to make ourselves more Christlike. that's an unchanging facet of the faith afaik. WWJD, right? those bracelets were super popular
and were even superseded, in the loathsome modern-day manner of everybody always having to one-up everybody else, by "Do What Jesus Did," right? if you attend any pentecostal or evangelical services you have absolutely heard this theme a time or two
well, what does Mark say Jesus did to celebrate His birthday? Matthew? Luke? John? I'll wait.
Nothing, we all know the answer is "nothing." The Magi show up for his actual born-day, but do they come back a year later for cake? Not according to scripture. They don't care about the date, just the event when it happens.
The disciples show no interest in His birthday. Not on their radar. Feel like that's a data point, too --
but again, who cares? I want to set aside a day to remember His birth, I worship Him because I believe He's God and means to show us a better way to live, what difference does it make if I remember His birthday with songs and feasting? Well, exactly:
I'm free to do that. And I think it's great to do that, I enjoy it, it's a fun time for my family, it's a season of giving. It is beautiful to communally reflect. Fantastic! But I'm not for one half second of my life going to pretend that Jesus cares about Christmas, because
~He doesn't~.
It is obvious from scripture that He doesn't. Glaringly obvious. He doesn't care if America has enough Christmas spirit, He doesn't care if you get extra pious on His birthday, none of that is interesting to Him.
Isaiah opens his whole book prophetically decrying the piety of observed holidays when there's no real change in the heart of the observer.
Jesus's ministry is largely about changing your priorities. The mood in which the "pry Christmas from my cold, dead hands" people observe the season -- that's a backwards priority, just looking to the Bible for priorities.
The main priority Jesus came to set right was "Who's first in your life?" and the most important answer, the clear one we're supposed to learn to give automatically, is "not me"
not my comfort, not my pleasure, not my traditions, not my times of feasting. not me.
So when some of these guys get very AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE WE SHALL CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS
you know, do you! but that's a perversion of Joshua 24:15,
not a paraphrase
which is a distinction worth remembering. Merry Christmas! /thread
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