Jesus, Lord At Thy Birth
Why Christmas is more than just a feel good holiday. It's a revolution.
I’ve sung “Silent Night” my entire life, but I’ll never forget the time a dozen or so of us climbed down a narrow stone stairwell into a small grotto underneath the iconic Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. This church, commissioned by Emperor Constantine around 325 AD, is one of the oldest churches in the world. It’s located in Gaza, a disputed, often war-torn part of the world. The church is built on a location in Bethlehem where it is believed Jesus was born. Outside, still today, shepherds tend their flock, seemingly untouched by time.
We don’t know for sure that this location is the exact spot. We didn’t know if the grotto where we gathered was on the very spot Mary gave birth, but it was as close as you can get. And it was special. I’ll never forget singing the lyrics of that song in that place.
This Christmas hymn, perhaps the most iconic and memorable of all the Christmas hymns, is a contradiction of sorts. The words “Silent Night” refer to the way in which most of the world, most of Israel, even most of Bethlehem, had no idea that the Son of God entered his creation as a vulnerable, human baby. To any observers, Mary and Joseph would have just been an ordinary peasant couple travelling to their ancestral hometown for yet another annoying tax called by Caesar.
Yet the second part of this hymn’s title, “Holy Night” reminds us that this was no ordinary night. It was holy because God was visiting his people. Standing in that grotto, I tried to imagine that scene: the panicked intensity of Joseph trying to find a room, Mary’s labor contractions getting more rapid, a crowded inn, a barren cave, and animals looking on. The birth of a child in a clean and well-staffed hospital in a Western nation is momentous on its own. Imagine the birth of the Son of God in a cave in a backwater town in a forgotten place in the Roman empire.
Only a few knew this night was holy. The angels who had front-row seats to God’s redemptive plan knew this was a holy night. The shepherds, disrupted from their night watches by a light show from Heaven, knew this was a holy night. The wise men, alerted by a star and beginning their long journey, would know this is a holy night. Mary, though still enveloped in the mystery of the incarnation, certainly knew this was a holy night.
There is a lyric in the song that disrupts the silence of Christmas: “Jesus, Lord at thy birth.” I’ve thought about this line so much over the years, as I hold my candle and sing in Church on Christmas Eve, or as I hear artist after artist sing this line, some singing it unknowingly. This baby, vulnerable, born into poverty, with all of the weaknesses of a newborn, was also, is also, Lord of creation. Mary gave birth to the one who first breathed life into humans. Mary fed the one who hung the stars. Mary cradled the one who defeated sin, death, and the grave.
This is why Christmas is more than a holiday with feelings. It certainly is that. I love the festivity of Christmas: parties, cookies, lights, music. But we must not make the mistake that Christmas is just about the feels. It’s a revolution, the dawn of something new, the inauguration of God’s promised kingdom. Listen to Mary’s own words after hearing she would bear the Son of God.
My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
because he has looked with favor
on the humble condition of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations
will call me blessed,
because the Mighty One
has done great things for me,
and his name is holy.
His mercy is from generation to generation
on those who fear himHis mercy is from generation to generation
on those who fear him.
He has done a mighty deed with his arm;
he has scattered the proud
because of the thoughts of their hearts;
he has toppled the mighty from their thrones
and exalted the lowly.
He has satisfied the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering his mercy
to Abraham and his descendants[g] forever,
just as he spoke to our ancestors.
(Luke 2:46-56)
He has toppled the mighty from their thrones. He has exalted the lowly. Mary understands that Christmas is a revolution, a reordering, the beginning of God’s making the world right again. Mary is saying that Caesar on the throne in Rome and the Herod on the throne in Israel are not the real sources of power. Their time in office will expire. But this baby in her arms is the real power, the real king. In the Roman Empire, where Caesar was worshipped as a deity, these were dangerous words. And they are dangerous words today.
Christmas reminds us that God is on the move and earthly powers are temporary. Christmas reminds us that we don’t have to sweat tyrants and despots because they are less powerful than the child born in a cave in Bethlehem. Christmas reminds us that we are foolish to put our faith in flawed rulers.
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.
If you are interested in reading more about Christmas, you might check out my book, The Characters of Christmas.