I’m not a fan of cheesy. So the “Happy Birthday, Jesus!” stuff made me cringe. A kitchy party for the king of the universe? Party hats, cake, even the song? So casual, even sacrilegious? How dare we treat Jesus as if He were… a human.

A human, experiencing human events.

Sure, funfetti cake mix and party blowers didn’t exist in first century Israel, but who am I to presume Jesus is somehow too cool for a birthday party? Take God out of the box, Diana.

In truth, a birthday party is the ultimate expression of what we actually celebrate on Christmas. The eternal God, who does not exist in time, became man whose years were markable by days, weeks, and years. Birthdays. The eternal became human. The unfathomable became measurable.

The One to whom a thousand years is as a day (2 Peter 3:8) had birthdays.

This is something to celebrate.

At the dinner table we were discussing the significance of God becoming man. Other than the obvious salvation thing. Because He was man, He experienced what we do. I asked Hannah, “Do you think Jesus had friend drama?”

She was shocked. “Jesus? No!”

Wrong. Jesus had tons of friend drama.

“Let me be your bestie!”

“I want to sit next to you.”

“Jesus, that’s kind of a crappy idea.”

“But I’m His bestie.”

“Jesus? I don’t know the guy.”

He knows. He’s been there.

God is not a distant force who pulls some strings for good people who pray hard enough. In the the human form of Jesus, He was sinless in His entire human experience and was thus the perfect sacrifice for our many failings. Our redemption and hope.

Emmanuel.

God with us.