Whose Birthday is it Anyway?

 

The card shop in Town was extremely busy when I was there, trying to find gift ideas and get some cards myself, and the flustered Mum next to me was having great difficulty choosing her Christmas cards with a disgruntled toddler in tow.  “Be quiet!” she urged menacingly, as he protested at being prevented from moving on,  “I need to choose my cards!”.

The little boy looked confused and called out in a loud voice “whose birthday is it anyway?”. 

“It’s nobody’s birthday”, came the weary reply, “it’s Christmas!”.

At least that tired Mum was a tiny bit closer to the truth than another child who was interviewed on TV in the UK not long ago.  “Whose birthday do we celebrate at Christmas?” was the question being posed. “Father Christmas!” declared the delighted little girl, her eyes shining with excitement and glee.  

Who can blame her, though?  Despite the cost-of-living crisis it seems that very little of the frantic rush to spend lavishly on celebrating Christmas has diminished. The magic of the season must seem far more connected to gifts and glitter than to God, both for adults and children. As I perused the Christmas cards it was hard to find any with Christian themes. That may be sad, but does it really matter?

We used to live and work in Zimbabwe.  There, in Shona culture, birthdays are unusual.  Birth certificates are rare, and few celebrate the date of their birth annually in the way that we do.  They are, however, very much alive!  Life itself is celebrated, and frequently enjoyed in a much fuller sense than it is here where far greater material riches exist.  In that setting, the question “whose birthday is it?” is irrelevant.  The living presence of the person concerned is sufficient reason to rejoice.  Perhaps for Christians, that outlook is nearer what should be our concept of Christmas.  We may be feeling a little concerned as we approach the date itself, especially since it is being increasingly hijacked by commercial interests, but a personal relationship with the living, resurrected Jesus, - now that’s something worth celebrating, - and not just once a year!