Celebrating Birthdays

December 12, 2022

This is a special week with a special day in it. We are celebrating our youngest son’s birthday.

Birthdays are pretty good for the birthday person. The way we do it at the Mason house is that the person who is celebrated calls all the shots.

The birthday boy chooses the meal. Whatever our son wants for dinner, he’s getting it. It’s the birthday person’s total choosing. Birthday cake? He gets to select it. In fact, he may not decide to have a cake. He can have whatever dessert he wants. A regular chocolate cake with lots of frosting and candles. Ice cream sundaes. Strawberry shortcake. Carrot cake. Any kind of pie. Donuts. Whatever that person wants.

The birthday person’s food is served on a special plate. It is red and highlighted with the words, “You are special.”

Some of us Masons can sing pretty well, and others (no names mentioned) are not going to win any contests. But we always sing to the birthday person. We express our love and gratitude to and for their presence in our lives.

Oh, yeah. The birthday person gets gifts of love too.

That person is the focus.

We are coming up on Someone’s birthday—the One most of us would say we love and honor more than anyone else. But do our birthday celebrations remind you of a typical birthday party? As I look at it, I am struck by the differences. I want to encourage us to get it right this year.

Doesn’t it seem odd to celebrate someone’s birthday by giving gifts to everyone except the one whose birthday it is? That’s what we easily do every Christmas. What would it look like to bring it back to the main focus.

What would honor Jesus? What would He want? What would He deserve?

You could give gifts of time to people in His name. You could fund something that would grow His kingdom here or around the world. You could meet needs for people He loves. Maybe the most significant thing you will ever do is the most basic and foundational gift—you can give Him your life.

This year, celebrate right. Celebrate the Gift and the Giver. Focus on the One whose birthday it is.