Birthday

Mary gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in bands of cloth and laid him in a manger because there was no place for them at the inn (Luke 2:7)

            When I was a boy, my birthday was a big deal. I spent the weeks before it thinking about what my parents might buy me for my birthday present. In case they might not know what to get me, I made helpful suggestions. As I grew up, birthdays became important milestones in my life. At 16, I could get a driver’s license. After I turned 18, I could vote. Later, they were a reminder I was getting old, so I paid less attention to them. Now that both my parents have died, birthdays have become an occasion to reflect upon how the years pass quickly and ordinary events become more meaningful.

            In this text from Luke, Mary gives birth to Jesus and lays him in a manger because there was no place for them in the inn. By doing so, God enters human history in a very ordinary way.

            Within the Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament a child’s birth was believed to be a blessing from God. It fulfilled the divine command to be fruitful and multiply, extended God’s covenant with a specific family for another generation and gave the parents a source of support in their old age. Although stories were recorded about how the birth of important individuals within Israel’s history were foretold to their parents and God appeared to these leaders as children, the accounts contained few details about what occurred after they were born. After birth, the baby was usually washed, rubbed with salt and wrapped in bands of cloth to strengthen the spine. News about the infant’s birth was then sent to the father who frequently named him or her. If the child was a son, he succeeded to his father’s authority in the family and was circumcised after eight days.

            Luke’s story of Christ’s birth highlighted the ordinary way God entered human history. After the evangelist placed the event within its historical context by identifying the Emperor and Governor of Syria, he indicated why Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem when Jesus was born: registration for a future tax. Far from their relatives and in makeshift accommodations (probably the basement of the inn or a nearby cave where animals were kept) Mary gave birth to her child. The event was told simply. In the account, the only supernatural element was the appearance of angels to the shepherds who were the first learn about the birth. However, this ordinary event had an extraordinary meaning. Earlier, the angel told Mary her son would be great and called Son of the Most High. In the field, the angels revealed he would be a Saviour, Messiah and Lord. This birth was a turning point in human history and all generations would reflect upon its meaning.

            Christmas provides the faithful with a chance to contemplate how this event has impacted their life. During his time on earth, Jesus would have experienced many of the difficulties which are part of the human condition: hunger, thirst, exhaustion and pain. Christians can draw strength from the fact he knew personally many of the hardships they endure. While he never committed sin, Christ would have experienced many of its effects: oppression, injustice, betrayal and death. The faithful recognize he can empathize with their plight. They also understand that his birth was followed by his earthly mission, during which he made God’s presence real to people through his teachings and miracles, his Death, which redeemed humanity from its sins and his Resurrection which opened the way to Eternal Life. The birth of Jesus has impacted the lives of Christians in many ways.

            Yet, this season is also a time to consider how Christ embraced the ordinary limitations of the human condition. Until the moment he was conceived in Mary’s womb, the Son of God had infinite power and glory. At his birth, he became a helpless infant completely dependent on his parents. He was born when the Roman Empire was at the height of its power and his birthplace in Bethlehem made him one of its subjects. Jesus could have been born at another time or in a different place but did not. Why? Perhaps he wanted to show from the outset of his life that he welcomed the fullness of ordinary human life. He experienced the power of human love through his parents. Jesus would have slept, eaten food, drank water and earned money as a carpenter. By doing so, he indicated the ordinary events in life, which are often dismissed or taken for granted, have a deeper spiritual meaning: they connect us with him.

Birthdays, including that of Jesus, can be a time of reflection. They link us with the past and are a reminder that our future is fast approaching. However, they can also help us appreciate the present and that, as Christ showed through his birth, the ordinary events which comprise life have more value than we realize.

December 25, 2019