Yesterday was my birthday. We didn’t do anything exciting. In fact, I did nothing. There is this problem with chronic back pain. There is always this low, dull, pain, but sometimes it flares up into the white hot miserable pain that makes you appreciate the low, dull, pain. But still, it was my birthday.

          And since I was doing nothing, I had time to think. Not about getting older. That is inevitable. Instead, I thought a lot about birthdays in the Bible. This, because I am wired weird, led to me thinking about funerals in the Bible.

          I cannot think of a single birthday celebration in the Bible. I may be wrong, but there is nothing that I can recall. There are births, of course. Lots and lots of births. But did anyone celebrate their own birth later? For that matter, are we given exact dates for any births? We have some general times. We know that Jesus was born during a registration for taxation. These were not done often, but when they were done it was always done in the late Spring/early Summer time of the year so people wouldn’t have to travel during the rainy season. We also know that this was the taxation when Cyrenius was the governor of Syria. This establishes the time of year that Jesus was born (sorry, it wasn’t Winter so it wasn’t December 25) and it gives us the year He was born, but not an exact date. In fact, the word ‘birthday’ is only mentioned three times in the Bible. First in Genesis 40:20, where it is referring to the Pharaoh’s birthday, then in Matthew 14:6 and Mark 6:21, where it is referring to the same event and specifies Herod’s birthday. Even in these events which are about non-Jewish rulers, there are no dates set.

          Then, there are funerals. Mostly, when someone died the Bible says that they died. In the Old Testament it might say they were buried with their fathers or family in a certain place, but that was mostly it. In Genesis 38:12 we find that Judah is comforted when his wife dies, but in the same verse it says he then went to shear his sheep. Doesn’t sound like much of a funeral. In Luke 7 Jesus interrupts a funeral procession that is carrying a man out to be buried. Touching the platform that the man is on, the bier, Jesus raised the young man back to life. A very different ending to a funeral. But in neither of these cases do we have details of the funerals.

          Did the Jews not celebrate birthdays or have some sort of ceremony for death?

          Actually, we know a lot about Jewish life during the Biblical era from non-Biblical sources. All sorts of histories were kept among the Jews, just like any other civilization. In the histories of other nations we have information of the Hebrews whenever the two societies interacted. The Bible is the only source that is inspired by God Himself, but we do have knowledge of their daily life from other sources. Birthdays were recognized, just not to the extent that we do so. Funeral practices tended to vary based on the individual’s financial status, but they did have funerals.

          So then, why doesn’t the Bible record these things?

          The Bible is inspired by God through the Holy Spirit. It is God’s Word. I believe that God doesn’t want us to focus on the beginning of life or the ending of life, except to have us know that life is sacred. I believe the Lord wants us to focus on the living of life. Living a life that is pleasing to the Lord. Living a life that is beneficial to others in a Spiritual sense. Living an honorable life. We are not told to ignore the births and the deaths of people, but we need to zero in on the life we live.

          Most of you know that there is a big portion of my life that has been spent in funeral ministry. I have heard many sermons preached by other ministers, as well as having done hundreds myself. In listening to others, I have heard many poems read, some to the point of not wanting to hear that particular poem again. But there is one that really got to me the first time I heard it and I will close with it now.

​The Dash
by Linda Ellis

​I read of a man who stood to speak
at the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on the tombstone
from the beginning…to the end.

He noted that first came the date of birth
and spoke the following date with tears,
but he said what mattered most of all
was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time
that they spent alive on earth.
And now only those who loved them
know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own,
the cars…the house…the cash.
What matters is how we live and love
and how we spend our dash.

So, think about this long and hard.
Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left
that can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
to consider what’s true and real
and always try to understand
​the way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger
and show appreciation more
and love the people in our lives
like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect
and more often wear a smile,
remembering that this special dash
might only last a little while.

​So, when your eulogy is being read,
with your life’s actions to rehash…
would you be proud of the things they say
about how you spent YOUR dash?