As Christmas draws near and I see the decorations, watch people frantically buying gifts, and hear the special music that is played only at this time of year, I realize once again that Christmas is really just a big birthday party. It is a celebration of the birth of Jesus where everyone gets gifts.
It reminds me of the passage in the book and movie Having Our Say: The Delaney Sister's First 100 Years. There is a part in this true story where the sisters, who are over 100 years old, invite family and friends over every year and have a birthday party for their papa even though he passed away decades ago. They make his favorite dishes and sit around the table reminiscing about their papa and how much he meant to them. It is a way of keeping papa alive in their hearts and minds, and it is also a way to pass down their papa's teaching and life lessons to future generations of Delaneys.
In a way, Christmas is like the Delaney's Birthday Party. We come together to celebrate the birth of Jesus and hopefully take some time during Christmas Eve or Christmas Day to reflect on what he means to us and how his teachings and life lessons impact our lives. It is also a day to eat, dance, sing, and just have a great big party.
If you read the New Testament, you will definitely see that Jesus loved to socialize, and he appreciated a good party. All those somber drawings of Jesus don't really tell the whole story of his life. Let's see the drawings of him dancing during the wedding feast at Cana or enjoying a good dinner at the home of Peter's mom. I want to see the drawings of Jesus being athletic and having boat races with his apostles on the lake. I want to see drawings that not only show Jesus' godliness, but also his humanity.
Ok, that is enough religious stuff for now. Hey, it is Christmas, and I'm allowed to go into religion a little bit on this day. Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday!
