It's Christmas again, and tis' the season for Christians to remind the world that Jesus is the reason for said season. And though it might be politically incorrect, I really do think we need the reminder as we are all forced to wade through the candy cane bog of consumerism, greed and religious pluralism run-amuck.
However, amidst the flurry of sappy reminders on Facebook and Twitter, most of which are harmless, there are a few that, for whatever reason, have rubbed me the wrong way this year – particularly those that involve baking cakes and singing "Happy Birthday" to the second Person of the Trinity.
Now, before you label me a Scrooge (or worse), let me say that I realize that those who engage in this kind of celebration have the best intentions possible at heart. We share the common concern about the slide toward the genericisms of Happy Holidays, Season's Greetings Merry "X-mas" and all other neutered seasonal greetings. I too am grieved by the way that Santa Claus, reindeer, and snowmen (sorry… snow-persons) have replaced the Nativity scene as the iconic representation of this holy season. But I think what bothers me about baking Jesus a birthday cake and serenading Him with the same song we sing to 7 year old girls is something very similar to what bothers me about the slide toward secularism.
Christmas was never just about a birthday. How could it? No one even knows if Jesus was actually born on December 25th. Now, granted, the birth of our long-awaited Savior is included in the celebration of Christmas, but it is so much MORE than this! Christmas, at its heart, is about the Incarnation, the God Man, the Word becoming flesh – the most supremely beautiful mystery the world has has known! A completely unfathomable gift with the most far-reaching implications imaginable. Joy to the WORLD, indeed!
So why would I have a problem with celebrating such an amazing gift? Ah, but I would agree that we should celebrate! However, I would echo C.S. Lewis, who said, "Our Lord finds our desires not too strong but too weak." Baking a cake and singing Happy Birthday to Jesus is hard to reconcile with singing the words of my favorite Christmas hymn, "Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices! O night divine!" It's like wearing a tuxedo T-shirt to a presidential ball or buying a Chili's gift card for the hero that risked life and limb to pull you out of a burning building. If Christians are not careful, our most sacred HOLI-days will go the way of "Christian" bumper stickers and t-shirts. At the end of the day, do we really think a birthday cake is befitting worship worthy of the King of kings and Lord of lords?
So, I guess I'm not saying it's a sin to bake Jesus a cake – more that it's tacky, inappropriate, and cheap. Given the eternal gravity of what Christmas entails for each and everyone of us, such a remembrance (though sincere), seems incomplete and inadequate. It reduces the Christmas miracle down to something common, VERY common in fact – an event that every single person on the planet experiences once a year, every year for their entire life. There are six billion birthdays every year, but there has only been ONE Incarnation… and that is truly something to celebrate!
Instead of relying on icing and candles, keep the true meaning of Christmas alive by reading the Christmas story to your kids. By living your life in a way that pays homage to the God who loved us so much that He sent His Son from the glory of heaven in humility to earth – making a way for us to be with Him forever. By steering clear of the rampant greed and gift-giving hysteria of our selfish society. Beware of the good distractions too. While it's great to give charitably and volunteer instead of gorging ourselves at gift orgies, Christmas is not about "giving" – not in a generic sense, anyway. It's about giving in a Divine sense, which should make us all want to give and serve our fellow man. Christmas is not "about the children," but the Incarnation should cause us all to wonder and awe like children at the grace of God. See W. David O. Taylor's collection of Advent devotionals (toward the end of his blog entry) as a great resource on how to keep Christ at the center of Christmas without resorting to tacky birthday celebrations. http://
Merry Christmas, everyone!
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- Fall on your knees! O hear the angels' voices!
- O night divine, O night when Christ was born;
- O night divine, O night, O night Divine.
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The point of the article is very good, but why attack a harmless tradition that some families have adopted. Keep in mind that nothing we ever do will live up to what God has done through the Incarnation. I absolutely agree that rampant materialism and greed dishonors God, but it does not follow that because one bakes a cake with their children that they are dishonoring God. To a child their birthday cake is one of the shining moments of their year. So why not show a little grace and allow parents to create an environment wihin their home that allows the child to approach the throne of God in way that they identify with. However, we must ensure as parents that we lead them to the beauty and truth of the Incarnation.
ReplyDeleteHi J! Thanks for reading and for commenting. I am not so worried about this practice as it relates to children as a teaching tool that leads to a much grander appreciation of the true meaning of Christmas. And you're absolutely right, how could we ever offer an "adequate" offering of worship for the Incarnation? But I think you could make the same argument about all forms of worship though, right? No matter how great or beautiful or accurate or heartfelt the worship is, it will always fall short of what God deserves in His infinite glory. However, this doesn't mean that all forms of worship are equal. Some forms of worship or remembrance really ARE tacky or in bad taste. (See Amos 5:21-23) Some forms of worship, though offered with pure intentions, are misguided and should be corrected with grace, humility and patience. Perhaps I should have specified this more clearly in my blog, but my real problem with baking cakes and wishing Jesus "Happy Birthday" is that it doesn't seem like it's just a teaching tool for kids anymore. Many well-meaning, sincere Christian adults are using these birthday expressions in ways that don't have anything to do with making the Christmas story and the gospel more easily understood to children. It's their OWN understanding of Christmas – as a birthday. These are adults speaking to adults. And like I said in the blog, there IS a birthday element to Christmas, but it's SO much more that it becomes inaccurate to call it Jesus' birthday. It's like referring to a Michelangelo sculpture as a piece of marble. The statement is true, but incomplete and ultimately misleading. Though I wouldn't necessarily say birthday celebrations are "dishonoring" to God, I just think it paints a far too casual picture of our relationship to the eternal, transcendent, triune God of the universe. It's far to "buddy-buddy" for my taste. Jesus truly IS our friend but He's NOT our homeboy, as the popular t-shirt suggests. We fall on our knees in His presence, as opposed to giving Him a high five. He is our Savior, but He is also a consuming fire. Likewise, I think we should sing "Amazing Grace" and even "Jesus Loves Me This I Know"... but I'm not sure that this means we should feel comfortable with singing "Happy Birthday to You." We SHOULD give Him our time, talent and treasure as offerings of thanks... but I'm not sure this means it's appropriate to offer Him cake and punch. Just because we can come boldly before the throne of grace, this doesn't give us a license to come before Him lightly. Perhaps my irritation here is similar to what Paul dealt with when he reprimanded the Corinthians about still needing milk instead of solid food (1Cor 3; see also Heb. 5:12,13). Hope this helps you see where I'm coming from on this. Grace and peace.
ReplyDeleteMark your point is well taken and I do see where you are coming from. I completely agree with your comments and concerns. It is unfortunate that some within the Christian tradition have cheapened the gospel message by not giving our Lord and King the honor that is due to Him. Thanks for the clarification. Blessings to you.
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