I Wish All My Birthdays Were on Sunday

Today is my birthday, and there was nothing I enjoyed more than going to church this morning.

Today - Sunday, December 8, 2024 - is my 40th birthday. I wish all of my birthdays could fall on Sundays. We started our day by going to church to celebrate the birth of a Savior who has been unspeakably and endlessly faithful to me.

The sanctuary was decorated with lights, trees, and wreaths for Christmas. We sang Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. We reflected on the fact that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Lord and Creator of the universe, was born into poverty in a little town in Israel to redeem his people from sin and death.

I remember my dad’s 40th birthday party. At that time, we lived in Memphis, Tennessee, and it was shortly before Thanksgiving. My mom made him an “over the hill” birthday cake with a white-haired Ken doll stuck in the top.

I remember thinking that he seemed unhappy, and my mom telling me that it was because some people don’t like being reminded that they’re getting older. I remember thinking that was strange, because he didn’t seem old to me.

Now that I’m 40 myself, I don’t feel old. I still feel like I’m in my 20s, just a lot wiser, more experienced, and less inclined to tolerate drama and sin. I wish I could go back in time and ask my dad why he was unhappy; what “over the hill” meant to him and why.

But as someone who considers God to be my real Dad, and Jesus to be the Victor over death and Hell, I have nothing to fear or feel sad about. Quite the contrary.

I am one year closer to eternal life.

One breath closer to my last as a fallen sinner.

One day closer to seeing Jesus face to face.

Nothing could be better than drawing closer to him.

As we sat in church today, roughly halfway through my life on this earth, we focused on something high above us. Something greater, better, and holier than anything we can imagine in our mortal state.

Someday, we will walk on streets of gold.

Someday, we find shelter beneath the boughs of the Tree of Life.

Someday, we will bow before the throne of the God who knit us together in our mother’s womb; who spread space like a canopy and hung every star in its orbit; who set boundaries for the seas and established mountains and rivers.

Every heartbeat, every breath, every thought, every prayer is drawing us, carrying us, rushing us forward toward our final destination in forever.

May the Peace of Christ be with you.