Happy Birthday Jesus
The first time I heard the song Happy Birthday Jesus by Carol Cymbala, we were at church for a Christmas program. The children were walking up the aisle followed by a giant cake as they sang the song Happy Birthday Jesus. My eyes filled with tears as I heard the words written below. It has become one of my favorite Christmas songs.
Happy birthday, Jesus
I’m so glad it’s Christmas
All the tinsel and lights
And the presents are nice
But the real gift is You
Happy birthday, Jesus
I’m so glad it’s Christmas
All the carols and bells
Make the holiday swell
And it’s all about You
Sometimes in the “craziness” of Christmas we forget that we already have the greatest gift, and it is Jesus. I remember a Christmas when our children were younger, and they were less than grateful about how many gifts they had received. I asked them whose birthday is it? The gifts we get are extra. It is Jesus’s birthday, and yet, we get the gifts. Complaining stopped.
It is truly amazing to me that God sent us His only Son to die for us. The King of all kings stepped down from His throne and came to us as a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes in a manger in a stable in Bethlehem. This was hardly the welcome a king should receive. Yet He did it anyway and gave us the greatest gift of all. Salvation, and the opportunity to live with Him forever.
As we look at our trees brimming with gifts, let’s stop and remember that it is not our birthday, but Jesus’s. He is our gift. Let’s all sing Happy Birthday Jesus.
