Gift Giving, God and Christmas
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Gift Giving
Gift giving during December actually wasn’t unique to the St. Nicholas tradition. Indeed, when Nicholas was alive in the 4th century AD, the Romans celebrated the winter solstice at the end of December. For hundreds of years, they held a festival at this time to worship the sun god. During the festival they sent cards and gifts to one another. And December 25 had special significance as according to the Ancient Julian calendar, it was the “birthday of the unconquered sun”.
For early Christians this was a difficult time of the year. They didn’t want to join in to the pagan celebrations of the Roman world. So some Christians started to celebrate the birth of Jesus at year’s end, probably to offset the pagan festivals. The day of these celebrations would eventually settle on December 25.
Indeed by 336 AD, when Christianity had become an acceptable religion under Constantine, we have the earliest mention of Jesus Christ’s birthday. Furius Dionsus – Philocalus devised the Roman calendar at that time. In the civil portion of the calendar, the 25th of December is the solar birthday. But the writer also labels the 25th of December as the day Christ is Born in Bethlehem of Judea. The 25th had become the accepted day when Christians celebrated the birth of their saviour.
And by 350 AD – Pope Julius declared the 25th of December as the official date of Jesus Christ’s birthday.
But even though we in the western world celebrate Jesus’ birthday on the 25th of December, not every Christian church has settled on that date. The Armenian church celebrates his birthday on the 6th of January and the Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate it on the 7th of January. The truth about Jesus’ birth date is that no one actually knows. Many people presume, because of popular tradition, that he was born on the 25th December of 01 AD.
When was the Acutal Birth of Jesus?
No one really knows the actual day. But there are a few clues.
It is probably more likely that Jesus was born around 7 BC. According to astronomical calculations, Jupiter and Saturn would have appeared close together on three occasions in 7 BC. This would have appeared like a bright star. Matthew’s Gospel account tells us that wise men or astrologers saw this star and believed that it was a sign that a King had been born. So they travelled to Jerusalem and asked King Herod: “Where is the one born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” King Herod send them to Bethlehem. There, we are told by Matthew, they found the child.
What is interesting about Matthew’s account of events is that the astrologers went to speak with King Herod. Historians believe that King Herod died in 4 BC. Matthew tells us it was Herod who ordered his army to kill all the baby boys in Bethlehem and the surrounding towns because he believed this child who was to be “King of the Jews” posed a threat to his authority.
While no one is sure what month Jesus was born, Gospel writer Luke tells us that shepherds were out in the nearby fields at night. They were watching over the sheep when an angel appeared to them and said, “Today in the town of …” and an angelic choir sang, “Glory to God in the highest …” (Luke 2)
The interesting point to be deduced from this fact is that it would have been too cold in winter for the shepherds to be out in the fields tending their sheep at night. It is believed they only did this between March and October, when it was warmer.
Why the 25th December was Chosen
Many early Christians saw the end-year pagan celebrations on the 25th of December as an opportunity to celebrate the nativity story – the birth of Jesus.
However, some Christians objected to a specific date, being assigned to Jesus’ birthday.
Clement from Alexandria (150-215 AD) criticised his Christian colleagues in his writings for attempting to assign a specific date to Jesus Christ’s birth. In the gospel stories which outline the major events of Jesus’ life here on earth, there is no mention of a particular date, nor any mention that Christians should stop to remember his birth – unlike at Easter, with his death and resurrection.
Other early Christians objected to Jesus’ birthday being celebrated at all. Oregin of Alexandria (185 to 254) cited Biblical implications that only sinners celebrated birthdays: He pointed to Genesis 40:20 – where Pharaoh killed his chief baker during his birthday celebrations and Mark 6:21 – where Herod Antipas executed John the Baptist for his birthday.
God
The oldest of the three Fathers of Christmas is God. God might seem a strange candidate for the title of “Father Christmas”. But when you consider the gospel of John chapter 3 where he writes:
God so loved the world that he gave
his one and only son
that whosoever believes in him shall not perish
but have eternal life.
God’s gift to us his his son, Jesus. He sent his son to a virgin named Mary, who at the time was engaged to a man named Joseph. When Joseph heard that Mary was pregnant he decided to call the wedding off, fearing that she had been unfaithful. That was until God spoke to him (Matthew Chapter 1), informing him that Mary’s preganacy was a gift from God and that this child would save God’s people from their sin.
God’s gift to you and me wasn’t just the sending his son into the world, but also that his son died on a cross for the sins of the whole world. In some respects, God’s gift comes into parts – Jesus arrival or birth and then his death and resurrection which we remember at Easter.
For Christians, Jesus is at the centre of Christmas, not because this is his actual birthday, nor because he is just a central character to our understanding an apprectaion of Christmas, but rather he is central to our understanding of what life is all about. The Bible promises that all who confess with their lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in their heart that God raised him from the dead, will be saved (Romans chapter 10, verse 9). Now that you have been set free from sin … the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. (Romans chapter 6, verse 22).
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