Merry Christmas: Jesus\\\' birthday

December 25th is the day for celebration of the birth of Lord Jesus Christ. The world celebrates this day with great festivity every year. But what is Christmas all about? It is about Jesus, and that amazing day when God himself came among the humans as a flesh-&-blood baby boy. The miracle of Christmas is that the God of infinite glory and radiance should become human, should even want to bind himself by bodily limitations. And in this newborn, flesh-&-blood baby boy we view the miracle of miracles, God becoming flesh, as theologians would say, God becoming 'incarnate' -- literally, 'in flesh'.
Birth is primitive and human, the final product of the human reproductive system. The umbilical cord is cut, the baby's mouth cleared, and s/he lets out a cry -- sometimes a loud and very persistent squall that lets the world know s/he has arrived. And all around, even veteran obstetricians, experienced labour nurses and midwives smile and enjoy the moment. The child is no store-bought doll but flesh and blood, very much alive, and, at the most basic level, a new journeyer on earth.
Nearly 1000 years before Jesus' birth, God had promised to David through Prophet Samuel, "Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever" (2 Samuel 7:16). Micah had also prophesied 730 years before: "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me, one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from old, from ancient times." (Micah 5:2)
The New Testament account is very specific about the virginity of Mary, the infant's mother. Mary and her fiancé have not yet slept together as husband and wife. But an angel of the Lord, Gabriel, announced to Mary that she would be the mother of the Messiah, that her son would be called the Son of the Highest, and that this son would be conceived in her not by human means but by the Holy Spirit of God. From this it follows that Jesus is the Son of God.
 Joseph believed Mary. A man in love, finds it very hard to understand how his beloved can be pregnant without him. Joseph, too, was visited by an angel who tells him that the boy would be called Jesus, for he would save his people from their sins.
Mary and Joseph lived in Nazareth and God needed them in Bethlehem for this birth. It just so happened that the Romans ordered a tax census and Joseph was required to return to his ancestral town, Bethlehem, for enrollment. This meant hardship for the Holy Family. The most glorious event in history is about to unfold, but for Joseph and Mary it was drudgery and extreme hardship.
A pregnant teenage maiden was on an arduous journey in bitter winter towards Bethlehem to fulfill God's will. Who says that following God's plan is easy? This story did not take place in a decorated villa of Nazareth or a sanitised stable in Bethlehem. Just because we face hardships and obstacles is no indication that God is absent, that we've missed his will. Sure we face trouble. But then, we face even more trouble if we do not follow Jesus. Jesus faced obstacles, but told his disciples, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
Jesus is neither a myth nor a legend. Jesus is both historical and verifiable. He is mentioned not only in the New Testament, but also by contemporaries in early documents such as Josephus, Pliny, Tacitus, Suetonius, Bar-Serapion, Thallus, Lucian, and the Talmud.
Three wise men -- by the names Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar -- from the East saw the star and knew that it signified the birth of the King of the Jews. It was a miracle that these wise men and their servants travelled on camel-back nearly 1,000 miles to see the newborn Messiah. They brought gold and frankincense and myrrh. The star led them to the very house in which the Holy Family was living. These wealthy princes of the East prostrated themselves on the dirt floor before the Child.
Jesus is clearly a person in history. Here are those who were in power when Jesus was born. Herod the Great (Matthew 2:1) was called "king of the Jews, and who ruled Judea from 40 to 4 BC. His reputation for paranoia and ruthlessness was well deserved, having executed three of his own sons, and slaughtered all the baby boys in Bethlehem.
Early heresies such as Docetism and modern heresies such as Christian science strip Jesus of his place in history and turn him into some kind of metaphysical guru. But scripture persistently places him within history as a man who lived and died and rose again in real time, a man who permanently altered the history into which he was born. The Apostle Paul puts it this way: "[Christ Jesus], who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness." (Philippians 2:6-7).
So, when we view the newborn Christ seeking nourishment at his mother's breast, we are viewing God himself in human flesh. It is an awesome miracle, a miracle that brought amazement to Mary and Joseph. We even know the purpose of this miracle of incarnation. The angel has told Joseph: "You shall call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). It is only by becoming human that God can offer himself as a fitting atonement for sins committed by human sinners. This flesh-&-blood baby grows to be a flesh-&-blood man. And on the night before he is betrayed he takes bread and blesses it, and says it is his flesh. He takes wine and blesses it, and says it is his blood. And the next day his flesh is torn and his blood is shed to save us from our sins.
Christmas is not at its core about spiced cider, gaily-wrapped presents and shining ornaments. It is about the incarnation of the Son of God as a human being. It is a story of discipleship and risk. It is a hardship journey towards faith and hope. The true story of Christmas has the power to reignite living faith in our life and deepen the quality of our discipleship. The message for us is clear: Jesus' disciples are not to seek glory but servant-hood. Serving when it is convenient and when it is not. Serving when no one understands or appreciates what we do. Christmas, the birthday of Jesus Christ, teaches us servant-hood, humbleness, sincerity, affection and sharing love and joy with our fellow humans.
 The writer is a                                     development researcher. [email protected]