A birthday is a wonderful and joyous occasion – is it not? Have you celebrated yours recently? What was it like? How did you feel? Did you not feel special when everyone acknowledged and remembered you with the call-in greetings on the radio, telephone, the bbs and text messages, the many cards, flowers, hugs, kisses, and even the ‘surprised’ birthday party? Well, don’t you think Jesus deserves to be treated that way too? After all, it is His birthday!
-Year after year, as time goes by, the significance of this joyous celebration to mark Jesus’ birth has rapidly deteriorated and lost its significance. Nowadays, for many people, Christmas means other things: the time of giving and exchanging gifts or cards, the time for someone feeling lonely to have company, the time for loving and being loved, the time to fete and party, the time for cruises and other leisure, and time to engage in the holiday frenzy rather than on the celebration of God’s gift to mankind.
Imagine for a moment that it is your birthday, and no one took time out for you. All the attention is focused on friends, loved ones and others. How would that make you feel? Imagine, therefore, how Jesus must feel year after year when most of the people ignore him and instead pay attention to their friends and loved ones, dressing up their homes, preparation of food and fun and frolic at the various festivities, and not even remembering Him on his Birthday.
A birthday is a special time. It is a day for us to pay tribute to and honour the person dear to us, even for the little things that he or she has done to make our lives special. There is no better time than now for us to really demonstrate our love and appreciation to God for the priceless gift He has given to us in the person of his son Jesus and all that He has done for us.
The birth of Jesus was not just an ordinary eventto be taken lightly. The wise men recognized the significance of the birth. In Matthew 2:2, they came to Bethlehem to see Jesus for they knew that the King of Jews was born. They came to worship Him. In verse 11, they saw the Child with his mother Mary. They worshipped the Child and gave Him gold, myrrh and frankincense. They knew that the Child was someone who must not be taken forgranted but was of great importance.
You may be wondering: Why was He born? Why did He come? Why is this birthday significant? You see, we would be nothing without Him! Jesus came to be our substitute. He came to be our salvation captain. He came to be our sanctifier. He came to be our Satan conqueror. He came to be our sympathetic high priest, and He could be none of these at all if He did not die. And thus was He born to die. He came with a purpose. His mission was accomplished. He has gone to prepare a place for us and He is coming back again. What a beautiful treasure! What an amazing gift to the world!
You see, early Christians used to regard the birth of Jesus with heartfelt appreciation for God’s great goodness toward them, and we too must do the same. It is our duty as followers of Christ to encourage all to place proper emphasis on the reason for the season and upon the true cause for which Jesus came into the world. He came into the world to bear witness to the truth of the “good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.”
Let us resolve then, from this day forward, that during this season we will not allow the frenzy of the world and the traditions of men to darken the great light that our God has so graciously given. Let us all join and shout aloud – HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS – and pay homage for His birth as we recite the words of this song: ‘Twas the birthday of a King.
In the little village of Bethlehem
There lay a child one day
And the sky was bright
With a holy light
O’er the place where Jesus lay.
Refrain
Alleluia; O how the angels sang!
Alleluia; How it rang!
And the sky was bright
With a holy light
‘Twas the birthday of a King.
’Twas a humble birthplace, but O how much
God gave to us that day,
From the manger bed what a path has led,
What a perfect, holy way.
Remember: God’s gift of Himself to us is a present we will always be unwrapping.
About the Author: Mrs. Marilyn Hodge owns and operates the Wellness Centre in the Farrington, Anguilla. The Centre offers Counselling Services by Appointment Only. Contact information: 476-3517 or email: marilynb@anguillanet.com. Referrals can also be made directly through the Atlantic Star Center of Medical Excellence, South Hill, Anguilla. By Appointment Only: Tel 497-0765.
