Scripture tells us that when the angels came to announce Jesus' birth the shepherds were "living out in the fields" (Luke 2:8) This is one of the indications that Jesus birth did not in fact take place on December 25, 0. It would have been a little bit cold outside at that time for the lonely shepherds. Jesus' birth most likely occurred sometime in the spring.
Does this matter? Does this ruin the celebration was have every winter? I don't think so. In fact, I think the true story of why we started to celebrate Christmas on December 25 challenges us to be creative in our worship.
The week before Christmas was originally a pagan holiday called Saturnalia. That time of year commemorated the rebirth of the sun, since days begin to get longer after winter solstice. It was a holiday of the "Unconquered Sun". Around the time Christianity was sweeping across the Roman empire, Emperor Constantine decided to re-baptize the pagan holiday as a Christian one. People already had time off work, they decorated their homes with holly, and they were throwing parties. Constantine decided that this celebration would be much better if it was focussed on the greatest gift the world ever received, the baby Jesus Christ.
The challenge for us, I think, is how can we make something about Jesus that isn't already about Jesus? Constantine changed the meaning of a holiday to be a celebration of Christ. What in our lives are we keeping separated from him? What isn't about him that we could "re-baptize" to be about him?
Grace and Peace
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