There are just certain seasons during the year that the creative Spirit of God stirs my imaginings. In Hebrew the Holy Spirit is Ruach Hokedesh. Some days I sense Him blowing through my thoughts creating in me myriads of questions.
Like: Was Jesus really born on December 25th? How crowded was Bethlehem at the time of the census? What was it like to travel from Nazereth to Behlehem all the while about to give birth to the Son of God?
I know too many rabbit holes to go down. The gift God gave us by sending His Son into the world to walk dusty roads is just mind blowing, one cannot even comprehend it. Every aspect, every nuance, every detail was planned by the One who created the world. Every story dating back to before the beginning was written by the Author of our lives, and I gotta say it is too awe inspiring to even lift my head. I am humbled by God’s creativity. God is in the details even when we can’t fathom it.
Let’s begin with a question that has been swirling in my thoughts since the first day of Advent 2025. Is December 25th really Jesus’ birthday. According to Christian author Dave Adamson, he doesn’t think so. The ruler Constatine ruled the Roman world during AD 300’s. He was the first Roman ruler to legalize Christianity. He was also the ruler who set the date of Christmas or Christ birth on December 25th. This date was chosen to off set the Pagen celebration of Winter Soltace. Dave Adamson presents the argument: What if that really wasn’t Jesus’ birthday.
In a few days Jewish community across the world will begin their celebration of Hanukkah, The Festival of Lights, also known as The Feast of Dedication. What if this was the season that according to Luke 1:
“And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.”
Luke 1:28-35 NKJV
What if the Light of the World was conceived during the season of Lights? That would put Jesus’ birth during the Jewish autumn celebrations, quite possibly during the Feast of Tabernacles. During this feast the children of Israel celebrated “God with us.”
Maybe just maybe because God is the Author of Christmas – the Light of the World was conceived during the Festival of Lights and our Immanuel (God with us) was birthed during the Festival of Tabernacles where they celebrated “God with us!”
Maybe?