Observe the month of Aviv and celebrate the Passover of the LORD your God, because in the month of Aviv he brought you out of Egypt by night. – Deuteronomy 16:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 9, 2018): Deuteronomy 16

Christmas is now just over two weeks away. The decorations are already out. Snow filled nativity scenes are everywhere. In fact, it is hard to separate the season from the snow. Our favorite songs of the season include references to the white stuff, from “I’m dreaming of a White Christmas” to “Let it Snow” and, of course, our winter favorite, “Jingle Bells.”  But the reality is that the date for our Christmas celebration is completely arbitrary. The choice of December 25 as the celebration of the birth of Jesus was influenced more by our desire to have a holiday that would compete with the pagan celebration of the Winter Solstice, celebrated on or around December 21 north of the equator honoring the shortest day of the year, then it was influenced by any religious significance. We don’t know exactly when Jesus was born, partially because the idea of “birthdays” as having importance is a relatively recent historical development. December 25 isn’t even among the most likely days for the holy birth. And while Bethlehem does get snow in December, on the average Bethlehem receives one snowy day every December, it is not likely that the baby Jesus had to deal with the white stuff when he was born in …  April, or June, or September?

Christmas is not a historical holiday, like Veteran’s or Remembrance Day, which marks the end of the First World War and is celebrated on November 11 every year. Christmas is a day of spiritual significance. It is the day on which we remember the miracles that surrounded the birth of Jesus. The fact that Christmas is not historical in no way lessens the importance of the celebration, as some seem to want to argue. Christmas is important. But it is not historical.

In contrast to our celebration of Christmas, the Passover is a historical, as well as a spiritual, celebration. Moses tells the people of Israel to celebrate Passover during the month of Aviv (note that since the Babylonian Captivity, Aviv is known as the month of Nisan) every year because that is when he brought you out of Egypt at night. There is a historical significance to the celebration. When your children ask you if the Passover really happened, you can point to the Passover celebration, and the month of Aviv or Nisan, and say with confidence that we know because we celebrate it at the time of the year when it Israel’s escape from Egypt actually took place. While Christmas could probably be celebrated at any time of the year (Christmas in July anyone), Passover is tied to the historical event that happened at a particular moment in history.

In Christianity, the date of Passover is important because we tie Easter to that particular moment and celebration. Easter is also celebrated during the month of Aviv or Nisan because historically Jesus crucifixion took place during the celebration of Passover. Easter, like Passover, is both historically and spiritually significant. Unlike the birth of Jesus which is surrounded by a historical mystery, his death is a historical reality. And of this, we can be confident.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 17