Christmas in July

Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (ESV)

Depending on where you live, what I’m about to ask you may sound just a tad crazy. Have you ever celebrated Christmas in July? No, seriously … have you ever celebrated Christmas in July?

With Christmas falling in December, down here in the Southern Hemisphere that of course means that it comes in the height of our summer.

So what some restaurants do in July (which is the dead of winter for us) is put on a “Christmas in July” dinner with all the traditional foods and trimmings so we can experience that meal amidst the colder weather. Strange, but true.

And that gets me to thinking. Why is it that we consign our celebration of the coming of God’s Son, Jesus to this earth, to a few days late in December? Well-known pastor and Bible teacher John MacArthur puts it like this:

“Many people gladly celebrate the birth of Christ at Christmas, only to ignore, shun, and reject Him the rest of the year.”

Ain’t that the truth? How many people go to church once a year, on Christmas day? Is that really what it’s all about? Speaking prophetically of Jesus centuries before His birth, the Prophet Isaiah writes:

Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (ESV)

Hmm. It seems to me that the coming of Jesus – Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace – is worth celebrating all year round. So let me ask you, have you ever celebrated Christmas in July?

That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.