WHOSE BIRTHDAY IS IT , ANYWAY ?

By : Pastor Mike Stahl

December - 2008

" For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. "
( Luke 2:11 )

Brothers and Sisters - imagine for a moment , if you will - that it’s YOUR Birthday , BUT . . .  Instead of your friends and family wishing you a "Happy Birthday" , and bringing you gifts and singing songs to "honor " YOU on your "special day " - they ALL ignore you and buy gifts for EACH OTHER ! As a matter of fact , they get "offended" when YOUR NAME is even mentioned ! , and threaten to sue ANYONE who DOES say "Happy Birthday " to you ! Oh , there are BIG ‘celebrations’ everywhere - BUT . . . NOT FOR YOU !! How would YOU feel ?

Well , if your like me , first and foremost you’d probably feel VERY sad and feel like crying - and probably WOULD !
You’d probably wonder why NO ONE was acknowledging YOUR birthday - or even YOU , for that matter .

Well , my friends , how do you think it makes Jesus feel ? Contrary to what the atheists , communists , other pagan and cult religions and non-believers say - JESUS IS A REAL PERSON !! WITH REAL FEELINGS , just like you and I - BUT . . . With ONE difference - He suffered , was mocked , spit upon , humiliated , was beaten , tortured , crucified and stabbed in His side died and shed His precious blood to wash us of our sins - He paid a ‘debt’ He did not owe - and one that we COULDN’T pay - and He did it for US ALL !! And we don’t even have the decency to tell Him "Thank-You" , even on His BIRTHDAY ! I mean , we honor celebrities and politicians birthdays more than our Saviors .

Yet , in spite of our greed , sins , and thinking only of ourselves during the Holy Season - He STILL LOVES US and wants us to come to Him !

Now , don’t get me wrong -I’m NOT saying that we should NOT exchange gifts , be kind and help one another , celebrate together and be happy - BUT . . We should do so ALL IN HONOR OF OUR SAVIOUR - JESUS CHRIST !

It’s also sad for me to see that many people - INCLUDING CHRISTIANS - have completely ‘lost’ or have no real idea of the history of Our Saviors birth . So , allow me to refresh everyone’s memory .

It started with young Mary of Nazareth , who had the privilege of being mother to the very Son of God . Yet the pains and pleasures of her motherhood can be understood by mothers everywhere . Mary was the ONLY human present at Jesus’ birth , who also witnessed His death . She saw Him arrive as her baby son , and she watched Him die as her Savior .

Until Gabriel’s unexpected visit , Mary’s life was quite satisfactory . She had recently become engaged to a carpenter , Joseph , and was anticipating married life . But her life was about to change forever .

Angels don’t usually make appointments before visiting . Mary found the angel’s greeting puzzling and his presence frightening . What she heard next was the news almost every woman in Israel hoped to hear - that her child would be the Messiah ! , God’s promised Savior . Mary did not doubt the message but rather asked how pregnancy would be possible . Gabriel told her that the baby would be God’s Son . Her answer was the one God waits in vain to hear from so many other people . " Behold the handmaid of the Lord ; be it unto me according to thy word " ( Luke 1:38 ) . Later , her song of joy to Elisabeth shows us how well she knew God , for her thoughts were filled with His Words from the Old Testament .

Within a few weeks of His birth , Jesus was taken to the Temple to be dedicated to God . There Joseph and Mary were met by two devout people , Simeon and Anna , who recognized the child as the Messiah and praised God . Simeon directed some words to Mary that must have come to her mind many times in the years that followed : " A sword shall pierce through thy own soul " ( Luke 2:35 ) . A big part of her painful privilege of motherhood would be to see her son rejected and crucified by the people He came to save !

Luke 2: 9-10 tells us , " And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. "

Now the greatest event in history had just happened ! The Messiah was born ! For ages the Jews waited for this , and when it finally occurred , the announcement came to humble shepherds . The good news about Jesus is that He comes to all , including the plain and ordinary . He comes to anyone with a heart humble enough to accept Him . Whoever you are, whatever you do , you can have Jesus in your life . Don’t think you need extraordinary qualifications - He accepts you as you are .

Now Jesus sure wasn’t born with the proverbial silver spoon in His mouth . If we look at Luke 2:7 , it tells us ; " And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. "

Now swaddling clothes were strips of cloth used to keep a baby warm and give it a sense of security . They were believed to protect its internal organs . The mention of the manger is the basis for the traditional belief that Jesus was born in a stable . Stables were often caves with feeding troughs (mangers ) carved into the rock walls . Despite popular Christmas card pictures , the surroundings were dark and dirty ! This was NOT the atmosphere the Jews expected as the birthplace of the Messiah - King .  They though their promised Messiah would be born in royal surroundings . We should not limit God by our expectations . He is at work wherever He is needed in our sin-darkened and dirty world .

Although our first picture of Jesus is as a baby in a manger , it must NOT be our last . The Christ child in the manger makes a beautiful Christmas scene , but we must not leave Him there . This tiny , helpless baby lived an amazing life , died for us , ascended to heaven , and WILL return to earth as KING OF KINGS !! Christ WILL rule the world and judge ALL PEOPLE according to their decisions about Him ! Do you still picture Jesus as a baby in a manger - or is He your Lord ? Make sure you don’t underestimate Jesus ! Let Him grow up in your life  .

GIFTS FOR JESUS - NOT FOR THEMSELVES !!

" And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh. " ( Matt. 2:11 )

The wise men gave these expensive gifts as worthy acknowledgement for a future king . Bible students have seen in the gifts symbols of Christ’s identity and what He would accomplish . Gold was a gift for royalty ; frankincense was a gift for deity ; and myrrh was a spice used to anoint a body for burial . These gifts may have provided the financial resources for the trip to Egypt and back .

These wise men brought the gifts and worshipped Jesus for who He was . This is the essence of true worship - honoring Christ for who He is and being willing to give Him what is valuable to you . Worship God because He is PERFECT ! , just , and almighty Creator of the universe , worthy of the BEST you have to give .

Another example of giving to God and not JUST to each other on the Birthday of Our Savior , is noted in John 6:8,9  ; " One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? "

Now , the disciples are contrasted with the youngster who brought what he had . They certainly had more resources than he did , but they knew they didn’t have enough , so they didn’t give ANYTHING AT ALL !! The boy gave what LITTLE he had , and it made ALL the difference ! If we offer NOTHING to God , He will have nothing to use . But . . He CAN TAKE what little we have and turn it into something great !

In performing His miracles , Jesus usually preferred to work THROUGH people ! Here He took what a young child offered and used it to accomplish one of the most spectacular miracles recorded in the Gospels . Age is no barrier to Christ . NEVER feel you are too young or too old to be of service to Him .

As in Jesus’ day , people were "money minded" - and unfortunately , in our society today - and , ESPECIALLY during Christmas - even more ! Every one trying to outspend the other - and flippantly wishing each other " Merry Christmas" , when in fact - many DO NOT - have the Birthday of Our Lord and Savior in their hearts .

Now , allow me to say again - there is NOTHING WRONG with us giving gifts to one another during Christmas , BUT . .  We should give them in the name of Jesus - after all , whatever we have came from HIM to begin with !! As we open our gifts on Christmas , is it so difficult for us to say - AS A FAMILY - "HAPPY BIRTHDAY , JESUS " ?  Or are we afraid to be embarrassed in front of some non-believing family members ? Or do we not have the BOLDNESS to speak His Word - afraid we may be mocked or laughed at by family ? Know what I say ? TOO BAD , BRO . . Acts 4: 29 - 31 tells us ; " And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. "

Now , let me clarify here , "boldness" is NOT reckless impulsiveness . Boldness requires courage to press on through our fears and do what we know is right . How can we be more bold ? Like the disciples , we need to pray with others . To gain boldness we can (1) pray for the power of The Holy Spirit to give us courage , (2) look for opportunities in our family and neighborhood to talk about Christ , (3) realize that rejection , social discomfort , and embarrassment are not necessarily persecution , and (4) start where we are by being bolder in small ways .

So , in conclusion , as we open our gifts this year , let’s just say "Happy Birthday , Jesus " -OK ? And then throughout the rest of the year - let’s just try and say - AT LEAST JUST ONCE A DAY , "Thank-You , Jesus ."

And for Jesus’ Birthday this year , how about giving Him a gift of Love and Praise ? Allow me to quote from an unknown author the following from a song ;

" I BRING AN OFFERING OF WORSHIP TO MY KING ; NO ONE ON EARTH DESERVES THE PRAISES THAT I SING ; JESUS MAY YOU RECEIVE THE HONOR THAT YOUR DUE -OH LORD I BRING AN OFFERING TO YOU . "

HAPPY BIRTHDAY , JESUS -

I'd also like to take this opportunity to wish ALL A BLESSED CHRISTMAS - and a HAPPY HANUKKAH to ALL our Jewish Brothers and Sisters . In spite of our doctrinal differences between Judaism and Biblical Christianity , we BOTH share a common allegiance to the ONE TRUE GOD of Abraham , Isaac , and Jacob .
May The Lord Continue to Bless and Keep you ALL throughout the coming year -

Your Brother in Christ ;
Pastor Mike and Family