Comments on: Christmas is not Jesus’ Birthday

By: MJG

MJG — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 21:13:46 +0000

Ben,

Interesting and good point, probably not splitting hairs. I was of course writing against the sentimentality associated with Happy Birthday and am willing to grant that the Latin root that yields Nativity, etc. is of course about birth. But I would still suggest that in the sentimental US environment especially, where key doctrines seldom get stressed or preached—and where March 25 means nothing in most Protestant circles—focusing on incarnation at Christmas is needed.

By: Ben Marston

Ben Marston — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 05:24:36 +0000

this may be splitting hairs, but isn’t Annunciation , March 25th, the Celebration of the Incarnation, when the Theotokos responded to the Word of God with her ’so be it unto me according to Thy Word.”?
Christmas is known in other lands as Nativity, Natal, which is the Birthday celebration.
What I understand is that was an ancient Jewish belief that prophets died on the day of their conception. Christ died by the calculations of the early Church on March 25, so his birth must have been nine months later, December 25th.

Whether Happy Birthday is the appropriate song I question inasmuch as Lex Orandi Lex Credendi ought to be the guideline in any thing offered in the context of the Gathering of the Church, and Happy Birthday lacks theological content , to say the least. But then so do many of the contemporary songs that are offered in worship. Lord have mercy.

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By: Big Family Christmas » Blog Archive » Cross Talk » Blog Archive » Christmas is not Jesus’ Birthday

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 10:00:42 +0000

[...] admin wrote an interesting post today onCross Talk Â» Blog Archive Â» Christmas is not Jesusâ?? BirthdayHere’s a quick excerptThey do this by singing Happy Birthday to Jesus (even in worship services) and having birthday parties for Jesus. Trouble is, Christmas is not Jesus’ birthday. It is the celebration of the incarnation of the Second Person of the Trinity … [...]