Celebrating Jesus’ birthday

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

At Christmas we celebrate God’s love for all humanity (John 3:16) as seen in the Incarnation—the Word of God become flesh (John 1:14), and in the birth of Immanuel (God with us)—the most significant birth of all times (Matthew 1:23). Even so, some well-meaning Christians insist that Jesus’ birthday should not be celebrated. I’ve not addressed their arguments for a few years, so I’ll do so here as I continue a series on the topic of Christmas.

Some Christians say we should not celebrate any birthdays because the Bible casts such celebrations in a negative light. As evidence, they typically cite Pharaoh’s birthday celebration (Genesis 40:20) and Herod’s (Matthew 14:6-11). Though murderous acts accompanied both, that does not “prove” that birthday celebrations, in themselves, are wrong. Had you been related to Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer (Genesis 40:21) you would have rejoiced! Some also claim that in Scripture, birthday celebrations are always associated with paganism. But that argument does not stand up when we note how the Bible exalts the birth of Jesus. Here is part of Luke’s account:

Anonymous_18th_century_Birth_of_Christ — *Birth of Christ* (anonymous, 18th century)
Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. (Luke 2:8-20 ESV)

In this grand celebration of Jesus’ birth we find worship, singing, prayer, praise and exuberant joy. I admit that it took me a few years to see Luke’s account of Jesus’ birth as essential to sorting out the “birthday debate,” and to conclude that the birth of Jesus was a time of great celebration, and still is. Previously I had evaluated Jesus’ birth on the basis of a few other births mentioned in the Bible. But what I came to see is that Jesus’ birth, which is fundamental to all reality, sheds light on and thus gives meaning to all human births and thus is truly worthy of being celebrated.

Adoration of the Magi by Antonio Vivarini (1418) (public domain via Wkimedia Commons) — *Adoration of the Magi* by Antonio Vivarini (1418)
Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

Another argument often given against celebrating the birth of Jesus is that Jesus told his followers to remember his death, not his birth. While it is true that Jesus told them to remember his death (Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24)—and we do each time we receive communion—this argument is based on faulty reasoning. Jesus was not saying that his death was more memorable than his birth, nor was he telling his followers to remember his death at the exclusion of remembering his birth. The simple truth is that we would not have Jesus’ death to remember had he not first been born. We should also note that early Christians viewed the Incarnation as a miraculous means by which the Atonement in the death of Jesus occurred. Also (and perhaps most significantly) they understood the Incarnation and Atonement as one redemptive work. Thomas F. Torrance comments:

In [Jesus] the Incarnation and Atonement are one and inseparable, for atoning reconciliation falls within the incarnate constitution of his Person as Mediator, and it is in that ground and from that source that atoning reconciliation embraces all mankind and is freely available to every person. (The Mediation of Christ, 1992, p. 63)

Jesus had to come in the flesh in order to be the Atonement, and so to argue that the Bible’s emphasis on Jesus’ death indicates that celebrating his birth is wrong is an example of jumping to a conclusion that does not follow. When Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:26 that in partaking of the Lord’s Supper, we “proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes,” he is commenting on the symbolism of communion, not setting a policy concerning what should not be celebrated. To use Paul’s statement as a rationale for not celebrating Christmas is a non sequitur—an inference or conclusion that does not follow logically from the evidence that preceded it. Such faulty reasoning is a gross misuse of Scripture.

Those who say we should not celebrate Christmas also often argue that we lack a biblical command for doing so. This line of reasoning is a form of hyper-literalism in which one reasons that if something is not specifically endorsed by the Bible it is therefore forbidden. While it’s good to look to the Bible as a trustworthy authority concerning all that it actually addresses, we must realize that the Bible does not address everything. What it does address are the fundamentals of life, with a focus on right relationships with God and with others.

Were it true that we must only do what the Bible specifically commands, that would mean that the Bible must speak to every detail of Christian life and worship. But the Bible does not do that—it doesn’t need to. For example, the Bible doesn’t give instruction concerning how to celebrate memorial occasions like birthdays, weddings, or anniversaries. Nor does it specify how to order our worship services. There are many practices that have been adopted by orthodox Christians that are not specifically commanded in the Bible, yet are fully consistent with the teachings of Scripture and the Spirit of Christ.

Arguing from the absence of an explicit command to a moral obligation involves defects in both logic and biblical interpretation. When we interpret Scripture in a hyper-literalistic, legalistic way, we miss the spirit and intent of the Bible. When we focus on what Scripture does not say, its actual instruction and lessons can be overlooked. The end result of such failed logic would be to conclude that just about everything done in Christian worship is wrong because it is not explicitly mentioned in the Bible.

The Bible’s purpose is not to give details on every possible subject, but to witness to Jesus. Note what Jesus said to a group of Jewish leaders: “You search the Scriptures diligently because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life” (John 5:39-40). So while I cannot point to an explicit command in Scripture to celebrate Christmas, I can point to Luke 2, which gives us scriptural precedent for celebrating Jesus’ birth with great joy. In the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ birth we see these things:

God sending angels to announce Jesus’ birth to the shepherds—a message that is “good news of great joy” and a “sign” of great consequence (Luke 2:10-12).
The shepherds excitedly rushing to verify what they had been told (Luke 2:15-20).
A group of wise men (Magi) coming “from the east,” following a guiding “star,” and bearing “gifts” to celebrate the birth of Jesus, “the king of the Jews” (Matthew 2:1-12).

These celebrations of Jesus’ birth were marked with majestic flourishes (Luke 2:13-14). Not only was God pleased with these celebrations, he initiated them! These biblical examples serve as invitations to us to join in the celebration of Jesus’ birth at Christmas. Just as we celebrate the Atonement (Jesus’ death for us), we also celebrate the Incarnation (Jesus’ becoming flesh for us and with us). Through both we celebrate our inclusion in Jesus’ life and love brought about through his incarnation, birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension. As Christians we remember and celebrate Jesus’ first coming, his second coming, and everything in between.

Tammy and I wish you and yours a joyous Christmas season and celebration,
Joseph Tkach

PS: To read the other letters in my five-part series on Christmas, click on a number: 1, 2, 3, 5.

Leadership transition in GCI-Canada

This announcement is from Gary Moore, national leader of GCI-Canada.

A couple of years ago, Joseph Tkach began encouraging GCI’s mission developers and national leaders to think about the future leadership of the church. He advised us that by our early 60s we should begin to put in place a leadership transition plan. He made it clear that he wasn’t implying anyone needed to retire at 65, but rather that there should be in place a plan for transition before attaining that age.

As I thought about my transition plan, I was reminded that the role of national leader (sometimes referred to as national director) calls for a certain mix of gifts. Though no one person has all the needed gifts (I serve as testimony to that!), certain key gifts and skills are needed. Beyond the foundational characteristics of faith in God, understanding of his word, moral integrity and loyalty, good pastoral skills, an ability to work as an administrator and make a budget work, and ability to communicate both verbally and in writing are all important, even essential. And so in putting together my transition plan I considered all these factors plus knowing that the individual who would eventually replace me would need to be some years younger than I in order to provide for at least a number of years of stable service in the role.

As I carefully went through all our staff and our fine group of elders in Canada, the one who seemed to most fit the requirements of the job was Bill Hall. Bill served in office and administrative roles for 17 years at the national office (1981-1998) and from then to the present (1998-2015) for over 17 years as a church pastor. So he has good experience in both the office and administrative environment as well as many years serving the membership in three Canadian congregations. Further, Bill has served as managing editor of GCI-Canada’s Northern Light and Northern Light Digest. He has excellent communication skills, both verbally and in written form.

I discussed the idea with Joseph Tkach and he was very supportive. The board of GCI-Canada also needed to be involved, as they are the legal employer. They expressed their full support. Bill Hall is willing to take on the challenge, which I greatly appreciate. The responsibility brings with it great days, and challenging ones, but I firmly believe that with God’s guidance and strength, and the support of us all, Bill will serve the church and ministry well.

The first phase of this transition is for Bill to assume the position of office/business manager for the church in Canada. He is scheduled to move to British Columbia on July 1 and begin to take on these duties. Once Bill adapts to this new role and is comfortable, perhaps toward the end of 2017, I’ll begin to introduce him to other aspects of the national ministry leader responsibilities. At this point, my plan is to retire at the end of August, 2018, following our Canadian national conference that summer.

Resources for children’s ministry

This update is from Ted Johnston, editor of Equipper and a regional pastor in GCI-USA.

I’m often asked to recommend resources for teaching the Bible to children in Sunday school or at home. For the last few years, my #1 recommendation has been The Jesus Storybook Bible. It’s available at a good price at Amazon.com, along with a related curriculum kit, and handout packs for the Old Testament and New Testament.

For recommendations related to ministry to children, teens, young adults, older adults, married couples and families, click here to go to the age-graded resource page on the GenMin website.

Bangladeshi Christians

In the November 25 issue, we requested prayer for Christians in Bangladesh including those associated with GCI. Here is additional information from John Biswas, GCI’s national ministry leader for Bangladesh.

Pastor Barnabas Hemorn of Bangladesh recently received a threatening letter that included this message: “You, the Christian leaders, will have to bid goodbye to this world very soon…. We are going to finish off all, one by one, who are spreading Christianity in Bangladesh.” Over 20 church leaders and Christian workers in Bangladesh have received death threats like this one in the past two months.

Understandably, the people who received this letter are afraid for their safety. One commented: “I am not going out of the church campus at all… I spoke to others who like me were targeted in that letter. They are all frightened.” Police have been posted at his church.

Rev. Martin Adhikari, principal of the College of Christian Theology in Dhaka, received a text message telling him to “Eat your most favorite foods now. Only five days of your life are left. Not more than that.” Another text sent to him the next day read, “One day has gone by. Let us know if we have to arrange your burial as well. Or…will your family take care of your body?” Those sending these threats claim to be part of Islamist groups Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and Islamic State. Their agenda is clear, as stated in the letter sent to Pastor Hemorn: “This country will be ruled only by the (Islamic) Sharia law.”

Although Bangladesh is a secular country and its legal system makes it one of the most tolerant Muslim-majority countries in the world, there are Islamist groups lobbying for the Islamization of the country. The situation has become increasingly volatile in recent months, and Bangladeshi Christians, who make up just 1% of a population that is 90% Muslim, are vulnerable targets.

On November 28 a Christian worker managed to escape unharmed after six masked men stormed a church in Manikganj district. Ten days earlier, an Italian Christian worker was shot in the town of Dinajpur, in northern Bangladesh. In the north-western Pabna district another Christian worker survived a knife attack in his home when three men pretending they wanted to learn about Christianity attempted to slit his throat.

Please pray for the safety of Bangladeshi Christians.

GCI school in Haiti

In a previous issue we asked for prayer for our school in Haiti. Here is an update from Joseph Franklin, leader of the school and GCI pastor.

Madam Micheline Darius, our school’s principal, was fighting Typhoid-Malaria. Thankfully, she now is back at work! Many of the children battling the disease also are back to school. Madam Marie Gerale Vainqueur, who teaches the sixth grade, is recovering nicely from her surgery to remove a non-cancerous lump in one of her ovaries. She is expected to return to work in January. We thank you for your prayers!