Christmas "Take Out"

Reporting on the number of megachurches who are "skipping Christmas services" the Orange County Register mentioned that a number of the churches who closed for Christmas day cite a desire to be consistent with their "innovative" and "family friendly" approach to Christianity. 

Rock Harbor church in Costa Mesa is giving Christmas gift bags with a CD "old time radio drama" about the message of Christmas that they can play at home while sipping hot cocoa and sucking on a candy cane, all provided.  6000 bags were prepared by the congregation volunteers, so the staff has decided to give them the day off from worship. A church spokesperson explained,""Hopefully, it will bring them to reflect on God and Christmas and Christ...Christmas is a time to be with family and friends."

At Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Ill., (called by the OC Register, "a pacesetter among megachurches") they are handing out a DVD it produced for this occasion, featuring a contemporary Christmas tale.

"What we're encouraging people to do is take that DVD and in the comfort of their living room, with friends and family, pop it into the player and hopefully hear a different and more personal and maybe more intimate Christmas message, that God is with us wherever we are," said the communications director at Willow Creek.

Now, in one sense, I love their innovative and creative approaches to ministry.  It's their theology, ecclesiology,and witness that disturbs me. Yes, God is with us wherever we are, but still we are called by that God to worship together as a people and that includes more than just MY family and MY friends.   

(By the way, OC megachurch Saddleback Community Church IS having worship on Christmas morning.  Like our church they will only have one service, but the fact of having worship, not the numbers of services is the point.)

As Ben Witherington, professor of New Testament interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Ky.has written, "I see this in many ways as a capitulation to narcissism - the self-centered, me-first, I'm going to put me and my immediate family first agenda of the larger culture. If Christianity is an evangelistic religion, then what kind of message is this sending to the larger culture - that worship is an optional extra?"

John D. Witvliet, director of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich., points out another pastoral angle that is all too often overlooked: "What about the people in society without strong family connections - the elderly, single people a long distance from family, or people who are simply lonely and for whom church and prayers would be a significant part of their day?" he asked.

But perhaps the best comment comes from another blogger, Mark Daniels, who reminds us, "the weekly little Easter is far more important to remember than even the birth of Jesus."  Leave it to a Lutheran to remind us all that as good as Christmas is, the cross and resurrection reneactment of Easter is the real reason why we worship on Sundays.

The Cross and Resurrection. NOT being "creative" and "relevant". And if we only get one Christmas every decade or so to combine both cross and creche in one stunning feast, why on earth would we skip it for take out?

Comments

[Rich Kirkpatrick]

My concern is that there is a legalism about having church on Sunday. We have Saturday services on a regular basis. So, we are not forsaking our normal gathering by moving all the services to Saturday for this season. I just do not see a biblical reason for insisting that church equals Sunday and every Sunday, tradition aside.

[Tod]

Rich,
A good point, well worth clarifying. The issue isn't so much a day of the week (we have had Saturday evening services also) as WHAT is being celebrated. Sunday worship (even if done on Saturday) is about gathering as a people to celebrate the Resurrection, Christmas eve services, (at least traditionally) are about celebrating the incarnation. I believe that churches should bring that together on Christmas Morning this year and not skip the resurrection story for the incarnation alone. What these series of conversations point to, I believe, is the amount of widespread misunderstanding there is about worship...especially corporate worship.

Thanks for chiming in.

[Susan]

The fact that we have a unique opportunity this year to specially celebrate both the birth and resurrection of Jesus on the same day is, I think, a reason to go "all-out" this Christmas day !

[Rich Kirkpatrick]

Thanks Tod, for clarifying the Sunday issue. That one is what many are heated about. What you are saying about the resurrection is well taken. We do an entire presentation of the gospel--from birth to the cross--each Christmas Eve. The incarnation is part of who Jesus is (human as well as divine), and, this helps people see the power of grace and the cross. We would do the identical service on Sunday, if we saw fit to have a Sunday service that day. I am assuming many that I know that are cancelling Sunday feel as I do. The risen Christ is very much in the theology of our worship--the three gifts to Jesus from the wiseman for instance. Embalming spices for a baby? Why?

[David Mackey]

I actually like the idea of canceling church on Christmas. We have made such a big deal out of preparing all sorts of things for it (decorations, singing, sermons, plays, etc.) that it saps from people, rather than feeding and edifying them. We've killed Christmas, and perhaps have little home Christmas' for a while is a way to free people from the bondage of a fake Christmas which represents the opposite of the freedom Christ brought us.
I can understand the point about those people who don't have strong family connections, but could we urge those families where church is canceled on Christmas to invite one or two of those people into their smaller gathering rather than saying we have to have a massive church gathering?

[James Petticrew]

The pastor of our local mega church Southland Christian church in Lexington launched a quite astonishing counter attack during his Sunday sermon. After blasting other Christians for not supporting his decision not to worship on Christmas Day he then said he was unwilling to sacrifice his family on the altar of ministry.
Now I could live his decision as its his decision for his church but I real object to the insinuation that those of us who feel its important to worship on Christmas day are sacrificing our families on the altar of ministry! I believe this whole debate boils down to what we allow to define the content and meaning of Christmas. It seems to me that these churches have just surrendered to the cultural Christmas of our wider society. If Christmas is about family then it makes perfect sense to spend it with family. Yet I want to scream its not about family, any more than its about Santa Claus and reindeers and presents.
I want Scripture to define Christmas and the Gospels say its about a God of love and his mission, God's mission of love to a lost humanity, to my lost heart. Now if Christmas is about God and his love for us and the amazing length Phil 2 tells us that he went to carry out that mission through the incarnation I want to respond in worship. Its the primary way I need to respond. Its the only appopriate way to respond. To worship on Christmas day is not legalism or traditionalism its a counter cultrual act of defiance! It says Christmas is not about family, that's the sentimental nonsense of the Hollywood Holiday films, its about God.
To add another point on that first Christmas God deliberately went out of his way to include those marginalised and despised in Jewish society, Galileans, shepherds and gentiles. Shouldn't our Christmas celebrations also seek to include the least, the lonely and the left out of our society rather selfishly seeking to be with "our family'?

[Glenn]

Tod,
Thanks for this post. Well and wisely said.

David Mackey, you write:
We have made such a big deal out of preparing all sorts of things for it (decorations, singing, sermons, plays, etc.) that it saps from people, rather than feeding and edifying them. We've killed Christmas, and perhaps have little home Christmas' for a while is a way to free people from the bondage of a fake Christmas which represents the opposite of the freedom Christ brought us.

1. Worship services are both what we owe the Lord and our joy to give. I am unfamiliar with worship that "killed" Christmas.

2. I am also unfamiliar with non-Christmas worship that "saps" people, "rather than feeding and edifying" them. I've never heard of biblical worship having such injurious consequences for believers.

Maybe if "worship" (and I'm using the quotation marks on purpose) is actually sapping, then cancelling services on the Lord's Day, December 25, 2005 is not enough. I'd cancel such "worship" every Lord's Day.

Again, I've never heard of biblical worship having the injurious consequences of sapping believers.

[Ken]

...the Orange County Register mentioned that a number of the churches who closed for Christmas day cite a desire to be consistent with their "innovative" and "family friendly" approach to Christianity.

Talk about "Focusing on the Family"...