Tuesday, December 23, 2025

It is the 23rd of December 2025. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

Some of my favorite questions come from some of my youngest listeners- I held two back (or, two and a half) not only to highlight the curiosity and good questions of some of the youngsters, but also because they are evergreen (no pun intended) questions that could seem “simple” but can provide a good teaching point for getting into our faith.

So, today’s question comes from Emma in Menomonie, Wisconsin. Is it a county? Town? Falls? I’m not sure- but I bet it’s cold.

Emma’s Dad told me that her question has to do with when Jesus was born- she asked if Jesus was born on December 25th in the year 0 BC Jason, her dad, told her “probably not,” and they decided that I might be able to help. OK, Jason and Emma- let’s break this down- the day and the year.

First- the day. Was Jesus born on December 25th? We don’t know. In Luke, we read “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.”

Luke wants us to know that this took place in history, and so we can’t make the birth of Jesus a myth or legend. God entering into time and space- born as a real baby on a real day is crucial to the whole Gospel! But we don’t have a specific date. It is helpful to pick certain times to remember certain things- the Jewish people did it, and Christians do, too. So, the church wanted to make sure we all took time every year to remember the birth of Jesus, his death, and resurrection. We know his death and resurrection took place around the passover- so we can date that approximately- and the early church decided it would be on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox (when the day is longer than the night).

With that set, attention went to the celebration of the birth of Christ. Yes, there were a lot of pagan winter celebrations- Roman and Celtic and Norse… when it gets dark, people like to gather in the warmth- bright colors and warm drinks… so, did Christmas try to co-opt, or “erase” those pagan celebrations with our own? That’s certainly part of the story. And the 25th is around some of those pagan celebrations- but it’s not a precise match. The 25th is most likely stuck (although many celebrate on January 6th) because of some math and medieval lore. The idea was that prophets are conceived and die on the same date. So- if the crucifixion took place on March 25th- that would be the same day as the Annunciation, when Mary learns she is pregnant (this is celebrated on March 25th). So, 9 months from there… December 25th.

As to the year, In Jesus’ day, there were many calendars being used- the Roman, the Seleucid, the Jewish… it may have been around 3750 on the Jewish calendar or around 749 on the Roman Calendar. The dating we use, BC and AD, comes from the 6th century (AD) when Dionysius Exiguus helped develop and popularize this new calendar with the birth of Jesus at its center. Unfortunately, in the 500s, they didn’t have the precise tools available, and so he was a little off. That’s fine- we’re not going to change it- but we know that Herod died by what we call 4 BC- and that Jesus was born in the time of Herod- so- because we take that as Scripture- Jesus was probably born between 6 and 4 BC- and it could have been in the spring or fall. Often people point out that shepherds wouldn’t be out in December- maybe not where you live, but the Mediterranean is more like southern California than Menomonie, Wisconsin, and I was on my patio last night in a light sweater…

The important point is, of course, that Jesus was born in real time and space- as a human who could reveal the Father, fulfill the law, and effect our adoption as sons and daughters through his death and resurrection. Give me those truths, and people can fiddle and argue over dates all they want. Thanks, Emma and Dad, for the question. 

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and Galatians 3, filling out some more of the good news for us:

10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” 11 Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.” 12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.”13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 23rd of December 2025, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man with many, many children who knows it closer to 10 months- but January 25th would make Christmas too close to the Super Bowl… Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by who is supposed to be at Knotts Merry Farm today- let’s see what our fickle Socal weather does… It’s supposed to be like 62 degrees… I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.