Happy Birthday Jesus

by Rev. Dr. Reginald F. Davis, Pastor First Baptist

Birthday celebrations go back for many centuries. It can be traced back before the rise of Christianity. Birthday celebrations were thought to bring good wishes and ward off evil spirits for the birthday person. Early records of birthday celebrations show that these events were only for kings, high-ranking nobility and those who held high positions in society. Common people during this time were not able to celebrate birthdays. “Scholars believe that this difference existed because only the nobility was wealthy enough to throw birthday parties and was considered important enough to write about.” The greatest celebrated birthday in human history is not the Pharaohs of Egypt, not the Caesars of Rome, and not the rulers of monarchs. The greatest celebrated birthday is Jesus Christ, and he has extended an invitation to all human beings to come unto him and receive life and forgiveness through the only begotten Son of God.

This holiday season is a time to not only come to Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sin and become a new creature; but it is a time to say, “Happy Birthday” to the greatest human being who ever graced this planet. “All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned put together have not affected the life of [people] on this earth as much as [this] one solitary life.” Every Christmas we say, “Happy Birthday Jesus.” We know it was a great sacrifice to leave your royalty, your glory, your majesty and your power in heaven and come to this dark and evil world to save us. We don’t know how old you were before you come to us, but we are glad that you came to grant us the right to the tree of life. For this we say, “Happy Birthday Jesus!” We may not understand biologically and scientifically the Immaculate Conception, but “Happy Birthday Jesus!” Your coming into the world caused sorrow to flood the streets of Bethlehem Rachel weeping for her children because King Herod had many children killed two years old and under to destroy you, but “Happy Birthday Jesus!” The star guided the wise men from the east so they could find you to say, “Happy Birthday Jesus!” They gave you gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to say, “Happy Birthday Jesus!” These gifts were fine but the real gift was you. “Happy Birthday Jesus!”

We know there were no kings, no queens and no government officials to welcome you, but “Happy Birthday Jesus!” The poor shepherds abiding in the field keeping watch over their flock by night came to see you and returned glorifying and praising God for you. “Happy Birthday Jesus!” Although there was no golden carriage to receive you, no trumpet to announce your birth and no crystal palace to celebrate your presence, nevertheless, we say, “Happy Birthday Jesus!” There was no room in the inn for you, but “Happy Birthday Jesus!” There was no warm bed to be born in, but “Happy Birthday Jesus!” All you had was a makeshift-feeding trough called a manger, which you were laid in, but “Happy Birthday Jesus!” The swaddling clothes you were wrapped in were not fine linen, but “Happy Birthday Jesus!” There was no baby shower for you, but “Happy Birthday Jesus!”

You came to us knowing that you would be born in oppression, nurtured in social discrimination, raised economically poor, and politically disenfranchised, but you came anyhow because you love us so. For this we say, “Happy Birthday Jesus!” You became poor that we might be rich. You became our sacrifice so we might live. “Happy Birthday Jesus!” You knew the world would despise and reject you, and you would be a man of sorrow and acquainted with grief, but “Happy birthday Jesus!” You knew we would hide our faces from you and not esteem you, but “Happy birthday Jesus!” You came to bare our grief and carry our sorrow, and we joyfully say, “Happy Birthday Jesus!”

We celebrate your coming into the world not because we desired light, justice and righteousness —for men love darkness rather than light. We celebrate your coming into the world not because we kept your commands so well. We know all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We celebrate your coming into the world because in the midst of our evilness, in the midst of our ungodliness, in the midst of our hopelessness, in the midst of lovelessness, and lifelessness, and in the midst of man’s inhumanity to man, you came to do something for us that we could not do for ourselves. “You were wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, and the chastisement of our peace was upon you, and because of your stripes we are healed.” For this we say, “Happy Birthday Jesus!”

Because you came to us 2000 years ago and set us free from the bondage of sin and evil, we say to you durng this season, “Happy Birthday Jesus!” Because of you, we can face tomorrow. Because of you:

Our mess has been turned into a message;

Our troubles have turned into testimonies;

Our burdens have become blessings;

Our obstacles have become opportunities;

Our mountains have become miracles;

Because of you:

Our pain has become poetry;

Our shame has been transformed into songs;

Our crosses have been turned into crowns;

Our dark yesterdays have become bright tomorrows.

Happy Birthday Jesus! We celebrate you because in spite of ourselves you looked beyond our faults and saw our need.

Thank you for the gift of life!

Thank you for your grace and mercy!

Thank you for your inexhaustible love!

Thank you for being the reason for the season!

Happy Birthday Jesus!

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Rev. Dr. Reginald F. Davis pastors Historic First Baptist Church of Williamsburg on Scotland St. He has authored two books: Frederick Douglass A Precursor of Liberation Theology; and The Black Church Relevant or Irrelevant in the 21^st Century. Links to where you can purchase his books are Mercer University Press www.MUPress.org and Smyth & Helwys Publishing, Inc. www.Smyth&helwys.com, and Amazon.com. The author can be contacted at mdavis118@cox.net or Drdavis04@aol.com