Ah Christmas! While we don’t know for sure the day Jesus was born, we do know for a fact that He was born, taught and healed, died, and rose again! The promises of peace and hope are founded on actual events in history that if these things didn’t happen then our hope is worthless. 

While the earliest Christians didn’t celebrate Jesus’ birth like we do now, they did teach it as we hear Luke and Matthew describe it. Eventually Christians decided to celebrate Christ’s birth on the 25th of December because they believed He was conceived on the same day He died for us – March 25. Nine months after March 25 is…? Interestingly there is no evidence that there was some sort of major celebration in the Roman world at this time. In others words, there is no evidence that Christians decided to replace some pagan holiday with a Christian one. Not that it would matter if they did. Isn’t that was God does in our life? He transforms it and reorients around Himself and His promises to us. 

Today we celebrate the Almighty God literally entering our world. He lives by taking on our flesh and becoming part of our family! As a member of the human family, He obeyed God, loved His neighbor, and was tempted in every way we are (he can relate to EVERY temptation). He died our death but did not remain dead! He intertwined Himself into our identity and destiny and fixed it. 

While His Christmas was December 25th, your Christmas is the day you were born again in Jesus! At a specific place and time God brought you into His story and His destiny. That’s really what we are celebrating today. Your birthday!