Christmas in July

Christmas in July?

Why do we celebrate Christmas in the middle of July? That doesn't fit at all! Sure, it really doesn't fit. We usually celebrate Christmas at Christmas - on December 24th to be precise, every year. Except this year. This time, Christmas falls on July 6 as an exception. Why is that? We can't only remember the birth of Jesus on December 24th and, to be honest, it was completely different in that year: Jesus came as a complete surprise and at an inappropriate time.

Jesus comes as a surprise

The Bible is full of surprises. Many of them can also be found in the Christmas story.

Mary will give birth to a son

Mary experiences her first surprise. She is in her house. We don't know whether she was sitting in the living room knitting or whether she was in the kitchen baking bread. But what we do know is that she did not exactly live in luxurious circumstances. Rather, she lived modestly or even in poor circumstances. It was enough to live on, but she was not rich. Suddenly an angel comes into the house. Not one of those little angels with a big belly and wings that are far too small, as they are often depicted. No, it is an archangel. One of the most powerful angels who stands directly before God, as he said to Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist. His name is Gabriel. He is one of two angels mentioned by name in the Bible. One was Michael, the other Gabriel.

This angel came to visit unexpectedly. Mary was startled when he entered the room. She really hadn't expected one of the most powerful angels to appear before her. But the angel said to her:

Joseph dreams

Joseph experienced his first surprise. He would never have thought it possible. His fiancée became pregnant and they hadn't even married or slept together yet. This was simply not proper and was a disgrace in Jewish culture. Joseph wanted to leave his fiancée and wanted to do it without causing a big stir because he didn't want to expose her publicly. What a man. He was bitterly disappointed and yet he loved Mary so much that he wanted to spare her this disgrace.

Then comes the second surprise. Joseph is asleep and an angel of the Lord appears to him and tells him that he should not be afraid to take Mary as his wife, because the child she will have is not somehow from another man, but from God himself - she has been made pregnant by the Holy Spirit.

The angels in the field

It must also have been a great surprise for the shepherds when the angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to them. At least they were not prepared for it. They were startled. But one angel was not enough. Suddenly there was a whole host of angels praising God. And the shepherds went and found everything just as the angel had announced.

Herod and the whole of Jerusalem

Then astrologers came to Jeruaslem and asked where the newborn king was to be born, saying that they had seen his star rise. Again, no one was prepared. Herod was startled and so was the whole of Jerusalem. Excuse me? A new king? Only the scribes shed some light on the matter. "In Bethlehem," they answered. For this is what the Scriptures say (Micah 5:1): 'You Bethlehem are by no means least among the cities of Judah, for out of you will come forth the prince who will feed my people Israel as a shepherd feeds his flock.

Jesus comes at an inopportune time

But Jesus not only comes as a surprise, he also comes at an inappropriate time.

Herod

This newborn king was very inconvenient for King Herod. A king? That would mean a loss of power. There was no way. This king had to disappear. Under the pretext of paying homage to the child, he asked the astrologers to come to him. They were to come back and inform him as soon as they had found him. In reality, however, he wanted to have Jesus killed.

The leading priests and scribes

What is perhaps even more astonishing is that Jesus was also inconvenient for the leading priests and scribes. They were all brilliant theologians who knew their way around the scriptures. They were able to give the astrologers the right information about where the Messiah was to be born, in Bethlehem of course. But we do not read a word about the fact that they also went to visit this child, the Messiah. It is perhaps 10 kilometers from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. A stone's throw compared to the journey that the Magi took. They were indeed good theologians, but somehow a personal relationship seems to be missing. The people have been waiting for centuries for this one king and none of those who knew best burst into enthusiasm? That is quite shameful.

And when Jesus returns?

And what will it be like when Jesus returns? Well, Jesus tells a parable about this:

"When the Son of Man comes, the kingdom of heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their torches and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their torches with them, but no supply of oil. The wise, on the other hand, had with them not only their torches but also vessels of oil. When the arrival of the bridegroom was delayed, they all became tired and fell asleep. Suddenly, in the middle of the night, the cry rang out: 'The bridegroom is coming! Go and meet him! ' The bridesmaids all woke up and set about putting their torches in order. The foolish ones said to the wise ones: 'Give us some of your oil; our torches are running out.'But the wise ones replied: 'We can't, otherwise there won't be enough for us or for you. Why don't you go to a merchant and get6 yourselves what you need?'While the foolish ones were away buying oil, the bridegroom arrived. The five who were ready went with him into the wedding hall. Later, the other bridesmaids also came and called out: 'Lord, Lord, open the door for us! But the bridegroom replied: 'I can only tell you one thing: I don't know you! "Watch therefore," Jesus concluded, "for you know neither the day nor the hour beforehand." (Matthew 25:1-13)

Even then, when Jesus - the bridegroom - returns, he comes unexpectedly and, at least for five of these bridesmaids, at an inappropriate time. The arrival was delayed and then when the time came, five of them were not prepared for it and stood in front of closed doors a little later. So Jesus advises us to be vigilant, because we know neither the day nor the hour in advance.

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