Christmas in Heaven

All my life, I have heard debates about whether it is appropriate to celebrate Christmas at this time of year. Some argue that Jesus was actually born in August or September, based on calculations involving the birth of His relative, John the Baptist. Others reject December 25 entirely, saying it has pagan roots from ancient festivals unrelated to Jesus.

Personally, I believe the exact date is not the most important thing. What matters is the truthful and practical meaning of what we celebrate. If the true reason for Christmas is Jesus, then let us begin where the story begins, with the beautiful account from Luke 2:

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Luke 2:1–20 (NIV)

A Celebration in Heaven

The Word of God tells us that when Jesus was born, there was a great celebration of praise and worship. Heavenly hosts appeared to shepherds tending their flocks and guided them to the newborn King. The shepherds hurried and found Jesus wrapped in cloths, a scene we all would have loved to witness ourselves.

But there is something we do not often consider about that place: it was a manger.

Mangers were where animals were fed. In that region, stables were often set up in grottoes or small caves in the rocks, making them damp, cold, and dark. Think for a moment about the smell. That manger did not smell like cedar. It was almost certainly foul and dirty.

Why spoil the classic Christmas postcard? Bear with me a little further in the book of Luke, and I will explain:

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”

Luke 15:1–7 (NIV)

This passage tells us how heaven celebrates. The greatest heavenly celebration happens when Jesus Christ comes to be born in the life of a repentant sinner. The date and time do not matter. Every time the dark, dirty, foul-smelling manger of the human heart receives the infinite, perfect, all-powerful God, there is a true celebration in heaven.

Many Jews believed their Messiah would be born in a golden cradle, because He was a descendant of Judah and of kings. But He was born in the place that was left when there was no room anywhere else. The birth of Jesus reveals one of the greatest mysteries and miracles of the universe: God wants to come and dwell in the manger of our hearts.

There is something many Christians still do not understand, just as the Pharisees did not understand it. How could Jesus, so holy, be interested in “dirty sinners”? If they had truly understood Bethlehem, they would have known. He did not come for the healthy, but for the sick. His comfort mattered little compared with the mission He carried. Sinners—including us—were the reason He did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

How can we say we are Christians and forget those who still do not know Him? How can we claim to have the mind of Christ if we do not think and act according to what moved Him? If God Himself came to earth to serve and give His life as a ransom for many, who are we to live for ourselves, marginalizing people who differ from us only because they do not yet know what we have been given abundantly?

This coming year will be different for me because I want to celebrate many Christmases. I want to witness and participate in many births of Jesus in the hearts of men and women whose souls would die eternally if we do not act. I want a year of many celebrations in heaven, every week in our small groups and in every opportunity we have to be light in the darkness. I want a year of glorifying the Father with fruit.

Jesus Did Not Stay Lying in the Manger

Another thought has stirred in me about Jesus being born in human mangers: traditional Christmas can expose us to a dangerous misunderstanding. Have you ever been to a family gathering where a beautiful nativity scene is set up with angels, animals, the Holy Family, and everything else, while people smoke, drink too much, speak with cruelty, and indulge in things that do not please God?

I have always thought that the traditional concept of the “Divine Child” can become harmful when it leaves Jesus small enough to ignore. What adult refrains from sinning out of respect for a baby? Many people imagine Jesus as a helpless child who only cries and wants to be with His mother. They ignore Him during Christmas much like someone might ignore a newborn who cannot confront them.

What a grave deception to make people believe that this is the whole Jesus of Christmas.

For those who had not realized it, Jesus is no longer a child. He grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. He studied the Scriptures throughout His youth and likely worked alongside Joseph in the tasks of an adult man. One day, He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, and there He began His mission: healing the sick, raising the dead, embracing lepers, enlightening the ignorant, rebuking hypocrites, and leaving His unsurpassed and eternally relevant teachings imprinted on history.

He showed the true essence of passion by fulfilling His calling regardless of the fatal consequences, allowing Himself to be killed by an enraged crowd whom He died forgiving. He rose on the third day to distinguish our faith forever from any superficial religion based only on philosophies, and He gave us the Holy Spirit to govern and guide our personal and communal lives.

How important it is to let Jesus grow in our hearts. We must stop underestimating what He did by coming into this world and allow Him to mature in our lives. It is time for us to decrease so that He may increase. It is time to move beyond the idea of the “Child God” and realize that no one is greater, more powerful, or more awe-inspiring than He is.

He is seated on His throne, surrounded by light, with the entire universe revolving around Him, at the right hand of the Father, preparing a place for us, advocating for our innocence, readying His sword, saddling His warhorse, preparing to open seals, destroy armies, and claim His kingdom and His creation.

The Spanish singer-songwriter Marcos Vidal captured this contrast masterfully in his song “El Niño de Belén” (“The Child of Bethlehem”). He reflects on how Jesus was born as a simple baby, unnoticed by many, yet destined to grow up and fulfill a mission that would change the world. The child would die on the cross, bring a new dawn of light, and open the way to the Father again. Vidal also warns that a world that forgets Jesus and replaces His victory with earthly pleasures will one day see Him return in glory.

The Star of Bethlehem

I hope this reflection inspires greater gratitude as we celebrate Christmas. More than a memory from two thousand years ago, the birth of Jesus points to that unforgettable day when we opened our hearts and allowed Him to enter.

But even more, it is a time to renew our commitment to make many more Christmases a reality, provoking all the celebrations in heaven that the Father still gives us time to organize. It is time to be like the star that illuminated the way to the Son of God, allowing Him to use us to reach the world He so loved.