Christmas in July?

[RickardoHolmes]

I was relaxing in front of the TV and noticed that there seems to be an ongoing lineup of Christmas shows on at least two cable channels (You know the one especially that has 40 different titles, 5 actors, 2 writers and one plot line)

Got me thinking about my younger years, when my Methodist church would designate a Sunday in July as "Christmas in July " Sunday Complete with Christmas hymns and message....

Of course this somewhat conflicts with our current ecclesiastical year that I now foolw based on Catholic/Anglican order of seasons

BUT it got me thinking....Am I not the one on here who encourages people to live with Christmas values all year around?
To practice charity and giving on a daily basis? To practice acceptance, tolerance and Love not just in December but all the year through?

DO I not endeavor to live the principals best expressed in DIckens A Christmas Carol" by the character of Fred who states
“Christmas among the rest. But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round—apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that—as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!”

SO as much as I scoff at the Hallmark channel (of which I am not a fan) I think it is time to stop and remember the daily message of God's Gift to the world, and to meditate for a moment on the true meaning of Christmas and endeavor to live it year round

 

[AlexB23]

I was relaxing in front of the TV and noticed that there seems to be an ongoing lineup of Christmas shows on at least two cable channels (You know the one especially that has 40 different titles, 5 actors, 2 writers and one plot line)

Got me thinking about my younger years, when my Methodist church would designate a Sunday in July as "Christmas in July " Sunday Complete with Christmas hymns and message....

Of course this somewhat conflicts with our current ecclesiastical year that I now foolw based on Catholic/Anglican order of seasons

BUT it got me thinking....Am I not the one on here who encourages people to live with Christmas values all year around?
To practice charity and giving on a daily basis? To practice acceptance, tolerance and Love not just in December but all the year through?

DO I not endeavor to live the principals best expressed in DIckens A Christmas Carol" by the character of Fred who states
“Christmas among the rest. But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round—apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that—as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!”

SO as much as I scoff at the Hallmark channel (of which I am not a fan) I think it is time to stop and remember the daily message of God's Gift to the world, and to meditate for a moment on the true meaning of Christmas and endeavor to live it year round

Christmas should be everyday and year-round, or at least every time one goes to church, to celebrate Jesus for being born by the Virgin Mary, and then dying for our sins and rising from the dead (Easter).

Merry Christmas, brother.

 

[AlexB23]

You, my bros and sisters, if you want Christmas all year round, there is an online radio station that plays Christmas music (including Christian Christmas songs, as it should be).

Evergreen Radio

Christmas Music Radio Station 24/7/365 - Stream Evergreen Radio Now

Evergreen Christmas music radio station streams your Christmas faves 24/7/365. Download the app or launch the web player to listen now!

myevergreenradio.com

Screenshot

 

[Apple Sky]

I was relaxing in front of the TV and noticed that there seems to be an ongoing lineup of Christmas shows on at least two cable channels (You know the one especially that has 40 different titles, 5 actors, 2 writers and one plot line)

Got me thinking about my younger years, when my Methodist church would designate a Sunday in July as "Christmas in July " Sunday Complete with Christmas hymns and message....

Of course this somewhat conflicts with our current ecclesiastical year that I now foolw based on Catholic/Anglican order of seasons

BUT it got me thinking....Am I not the one on here who encourages people to live with Christmas values all year around?
To practice charity and giving on a daily basis? To practice acceptance, tolerance and Love not just in December but all the year through?

DO I not endeavor to live the principals best expressed in DIckens A Christmas Carol" by the character of Fred who states
“Christmas among the rest. But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round—apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that—as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!”

SO as much as I scoff at the Hallmark channel (of which I am not a fan) I think it is time to stop and remember the daily message of God's Gift to the world, and to meditate for a moment on the true meaning of Christmas and endeavor to live it year round

I agree, Jesus is for ever not just for Christmas.

 

[David Lamb]

I was relaxing in front of the TV and noticed that there seems to be an ongoing lineup of Christmas shows on at least two cable channels (You know the one especially that has 40 different titles, 5 actors, 2 writers and one plot line)

Got me thinking about my younger years, when my Methodist church would designate a Sunday in July as "Christmas in July " Sunday Complete with Christmas hymns and message....

Of course this somewhat conflicts with our current ecclesiastical year that I now foolw based on Catholic/Anglican order of seasons

BUT it got me thinking....Am I not the one on here who encourages people to live with Christmas values all year around?
To practice charity and giving on a daily basis? To practice acceptance, tolerance and Love not just in December but all the year through?

DO I not endeavor to live the principals best expressed in DIckens A Christmas Carol" by the character of Fred who states
“Christmas among the rest. But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round—apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that—as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!”

SO as much as I scoff at the Hallmark channel (of which I am not a fan) I think it is time to stop and remember the daily message of God's Gift to the world, and to meditate for a moment on the true meaning of Christmas and endeavor to live it year round

Certainly the bible doesn't teach Christians only to think about and praise God for, the birth of the Saviour only in December!

 

[Lily_o_valley]

Interesting, my brain automatically goes to the commandments surrounding not making our own holidays! (But I'm a recovering fundamentalist! )

 

[RickardoHolmes]

Interesting, my brain automatically goes to the commandments surrounding not making our own holidays! (But I'm a recovering fundamentalist! )

You have to reprogram your brain to get away from that nonsense and start living in the True Spirit of God, the source of all Love and Life. God gives life, humans try to make rules to understand something they cannot. Fundamentalists never solved anyone;s problems, never presented any answers to life, but they have hurt and harmed countless people throughout history and turned many more away from God.


And yes, the Lessons of Christmas are Something we should practice and remember daily. We must remember to love our neighbor as ourselves, to practice charity, forbearance, love and strive daily to live as examples, not with our words but through our actions.

 

[AlexB23]

Interesting, my brain automatically goes to the commandments surrounding not making our own holidays! (But I'm a recovering fundamentalist! )

@RickardoHolmes is speaking the truth. I am glad that you are getting away from the fundamentalist movement. Fundamentalism can harm a lot of people, and is probably the reason why so many people turn away from Christianity.

 

[Stone-n-Steel]

Christmas should be everyday and year-round, or at least every time one goes to church, to celebrate Jesus for being born by the Virgin Mary, and then dying for our sins and rising from the dead (Easter).

Merry Christmas, brother.

I'll see your Christ(mas) and raise you a Resurrection Day!

I Thank He died for me is far more important than he was born in the flesh (Matt 10:6, 15:24).

 

[AlexB23]

I'll see your Christ(mas) and raise you a Resurrection Day!

I Thank He died for me is far more important than he was born in the flesh (Matt 10:6, 15:24).

Amen to that. Yes, Resurrection day is the best holiday.

 

[RickardoHolmes]

Amen to that. Yes, Resurrection day is the best holiday.

BOTH are important.

I am more of an ADVENT Christian than a Lent/Easter Christian.

In fact, I went to Easter service for the first time in decades in 2023, and again this year, and already decided to sit the next few out unless the old lady wants to go

Advent, though, that is a big holiday here

And the point is, it is great to remember the ideas of love and charity which are so practiced at Christmastime but neglected the rest of the year.

 

[AlexB23]

BOTH are important.

I am more of an ADVENT Christian than a Lent/Easter Christian.

In fact, I went to Easter service for the first time in decades in 2023, and again this year, and already decided to sit the next few out unless the old lady wants to go

Advent, though, that is a big holiday here

And the point is, it is great to remember the ideas of love and charity which are so practiced at Christmastime but neglected the rest of the year.

Yeah, both are equally important, cos without Christmas, we would have no Christ. Congrats for going to the Easter service. You might want to try to go to church every Sunday or Saturday, whichever works best. Maybe try once a month, then once every two weeks, and finally, once every week. It is a habit to get back into church.

 

[David Lamb]

Yeah, both are equally important, cos without Christmas, we would have no Christ. Congrats for going to the Easter service. You might want to try to go to church every Sunday or Saturday, whichever works best. Maybe try once a month, then once every two weeks, and finally, once every week. It is a habit to get back into church.

This post reminded me of one of my "Thoughts for the Week" (biblical messages written for our local secular newspaper) one Easter time. It emphasizes the fact that Christians celebrate the Resurrection every Sunday. Here it is:

Hello! It’s almost Easter, that time of year when people tend to think particularly about Jesus rising from the dead. Having said that, really every Sunday should remind us of the resurrection. The first Christians started meeting for worship on the first day of the week, the day on which Jesus rose. (Yes, I know that most secular calendars now have Monday as the first day of the week, but that was not always so).

The resurrection of Jesus is right at the heart of Christianity. What use would a dead Saviour be? Yes, Christians serve a Saviour Who lives! Paul puts the matter like this:

If Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.” (1Corinthians chapter 15, verses 17 & 19)

Do you believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead? An investigative journalist didn’t believe in the resurrection, and he set out to write a book debunking it, and indeed Christian belief generally. The book he actually wrote didn’t match his first intentions at all, because the more he tried to debunk, the more convinced he became of the absolute truth of the resurrection. He calls the first chapter, “The Book that Refused to be Written”; the book is called “Who Moved the Stone?” by Frank Morrison.

If Jesus hadn’t risen, the Jewish authorities could easily have put a stop to the rumours by producing the corpse. Instead, they bribed the Roman soldiers who’d been guarding the tomb, telling them to say they’d fallen asleep. The bribe must have been large, because sleeping on duty incurred the death penalty for a Roman soldier!

The gospel, or good news, of Jesus Christ is that all who believe on the risen Saviour have complete forgiveness, and eternal life. No dead Saviour could give that!

May God bless you this Easter!

 

[AlexB23]

This post reminded me of one of my "Thoughts for the Week" (biblical messages written for our local secular newspaper) one Easter time. It emphasizes the fact that Christians celebrate the Resurrection every Sunday. Here it is:

Hello! It’s almost Easter, that time of year when people tend to think particularly about Jesus rising from the dead. Having said that, really every Sunday should remind us of the resurrection. The first Christians started meeting for worship on the first day of the week, the day on which Jesus rose. (Yes, I know that most secular calendars now have Monday as the first day of the week, but that was not always so).

The resurrection of Jesus is right at the heart of Christianity. What use would a dead Saviour be? Yes, Christians serve a Saviour Who lives! Paul puts the matter like this:

If Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.” (1Corinthians chapter 15, verses 17 & 19)

Do you believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead? An investigative journalist didn’t believe in the resurrection, and he set out to write a book debunking it, and indeed Christian belief generally. The book he actually wrote didn’t match his first intentions at all, because the more he tried to debunk, the more convinced he became of the absolute truth of the resurrection. He calls the first chapter, “The Book that Refused to be Written”; the book is called “Who Moved the Stone?” by Frank Morrison.

If Jesus hadn’t risen, the Jewish authorities could easily have put a stop to the rumours by producing the corpse. Instead, they bribed the Roman soldiers who’d been guarding the tomb, telling them to say they’d fallen asleep. The bribe must have been large, because sleeping on duty incurred the death penalty for a Roman soldier!

The gospel, or good news, of Jesus Christ is that all who believe on the risen Saviour have complete forgiveness, and eternal life. No dead Saviour could give that!

May God bless you this Easter!

Us Catholic Christians celebrate Resurrection Sunday also. It is cool how a journalist ended up proving the Resurrection of Christ. Happy early Easter, brother. Every Sunday is an Easter.