Happy Birthday to Jesus

Christmas is a magical time of the year for most people, especially children. For our children, we decided to start a new tradition to drive home the real meaning of Christmas. So, to help Hunter and Skye understand that the holiday is more than how many cool presents they will receive and is really about renewed hope and love, we decided to have a birthday party for Jesus on Christmas.

Skye is particularly excited about this and is convinced that Jesus must also be five years old. For simplicity's sake, I'm not going to explain that He's part of a Trinity that has been here forever. So, I'll let her imagine that Jesus is turning five.

As a Christian, and now as a parent, I wonder what Jesus' childhood was like. We don't know a lot, except for the Gospel telling us of His birth and about His teaching the Rabbis in the temple when He was twelve years old. The next time we meet Him, He's thirty years old and starting His ministry, which lasted a brief three years until His crucifixion. 

I wonder what kind of child He was. What did Mary and Joseph witness as he grew up with his brothers in Jerusalem? Did He squabble with them as children are prone to do? Was He introspective, or outgoing? Was he athletic or artistic? As a young man learning his earthly father's carpentry skills, he was an artisan. When I think about it now, I don't doubt that He was any less precious than our own children are. As a matter of fact, I think part of the appeal of Jesus' life being so mysterious is that it allows us to relate more to Him, because who's to say He didn't feel the same things we do? I'm convinced He did.

For years as I was growing up, I thought that my sexual orientation negated having a relationship with Jesus. That became my cross to bear and for years it ate at me like a cancer. We learn as Christians that all of us are born sinners. It never made sense to me that a child could have sinned. As I grew more aware of my orientation, I began to believe that my sin was my sexual orientation.

I think that's why O Holy Night is my favorite Christmas song. I've always found great inspiration in these profound lyrics, "Long lay the world, in sin and error pining, 'til He appeared and the soul felt its worth.  A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn."

Through the grace of God, I know that my divinity is as priceless as any other person's. I believe that divinity is inherent in being human. All of us are divine creatures, regardless of our chosen faith. So, as my family celebrates Christmas, and we blow out the candles on Jesus' cake, we will say a prayer that the hope and faith we carry with us as we move through the world makes a positive difference in other people's lives.