Skipping Christmas Worship

My worship director sent me an email a few weeks back telling me that he asked all of the worship directors that he knows in larger independent churches and found out that NONE of their churches were having a service on Christmas Day (for the first time since 1994, Christmas day is a Sunday).  He wasn't suggesting we do likewise, just the opposite, but he was bemused, "Is this worship on Christmas Sunday just a Presbyterian thing?" he asked.

Well, no.  It's a...worship thing, I'd say.  Now, because I grew up Catholic where many people go to church both on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day I hadn't thought much about the idea of "canceling church" until the idea was raised.  But now it's even national news.  My blogging friend Mark Daniels has written his take here about it and he and I come to the same conclusion: It's Sunday and Christmas, so let's worship God together. 

But I do understand the argument for canceling the services that day:  We're going to have four services on Christmas Eve, the staff and crew will be wiped out, we all have Christmas day traditions, etc. etc. 

But still we decided to plan to worship.  Yes, we scaled back a bit.  One service (instead of our usual Sunday morning three), pretty low-key, simple, even quaint, I'd guess.  We're going to have nursery care, but no Sunday School.  Gave most of the Sunday morning crew off, but we'll still ask some folks to be ushers and greeters, to help us in the sound both.  One of my worship leaders and one of the pianists will assist me.  I'll give a children's message and we'll focus our attention on a scripture and carols morning of worship.  I have a brief message planned on Joseph (Jesus' earthly father) and we'll have one solo.  The afterward we'll have some Christmas cookies and go home. I am actually really looking forward to it.  (I'll undoubtedly take a Santa-like "long winter's nap" that afternoon.)

Some of the argument for "skipping Christmas Worship" are about mission and "target audience" and resources.  And I affirm both mission and stewardship at every turn.  But perhaps the best reinforcement that worship is primarily for God is to worship more simply, with fewer people who have all decided to make a point to do so, for no reason than God deserves us to be faithful to the Lord's day.   I understand why some would want to skip worship that morning and (honestly, if I wasn't on the payroll, I might be tempted also).  But I am glad that I won't be.  Worship on Christmas day seems, well, right. 

O Come Let us Adore Him...   

 

Comments

[Derek Simmons]

Praise God "you are not like other men" who if they are "ministers of word and sacrament" or "husbands of but one wife" choose culture over Christ, Walmart over Worship; who chose sleeping in "for crissake" rather than standing up and kneeling down for His Sake. In church!

Until I read your blog this morning I would never have imagined that any church would choose to go dark for convenience' sake. It called to mind this:

King James Version (KJV)
Joshua - Chapter 24

Jos 24:14
Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.

Jos 24:15
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that [were] on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

Jos 24:16
And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;

God has promised that He would never bring The Flood to us again. All too clearly, He has given us the power to rush back to the other side of the flood and drown ourselves.

Satan has it so very easy.

[Sue]

We had these discussions too, and as a new church with less than 50 in attendance to date, we had perhaps different issues. The demographic we serve for the most part already views church as the thing to do when there is nothing better to do. We expect Christmas Sunday to be a very low-turnout morning for our "regulars."

But it was a concern for something else which moved us to solidly decide to gather on Christmas Sunday. What are we saying to our community? We will only gather when we have a certain number of people to justify the "trouble"? We have some in our community for whom church on Christmas Sunday might be the only family gathering they will participate in for one reason or another and they might decide to walk into a church that day for no other reason than to be with people. Closing down because "most of us" have family things to attend to at home sure seemed antithetical to the mission of the church.

[James Petticrew]

My worry about the lets take the Sunday off so we can be with our family argument, is what happens to the people whose primary family is the family of God? People who already worry about spending Christmas alone, will no potentially spend Sunday alone too. Will those who don't want to gather to worship be inviting these people, the marginalised into their families. For to me that is one of the messages of Christmas. Jesus using a poor couple, and invites the socially despised shepherd. He includes the least, the lonely and the left out in Christmas and this decision does the opposite it makes such people feel less valued, more and lone and very clearly excluded. This contradicts everything Christmas is about for me. Isn't Phil 2 in part about a God who gave up his home comforts to be with others? What is our Christmas celebration saying if we give up being with others in need for our home comforts?

[George]

While I am somewhat surprised and disappointed that my own church has opted to forego Christmas morning services, I don't see it as a Christian failure. Paul taught tolerance between those who observed special days and those who don't, and he did not include any test for tolerance. A role of the institutional church is to provide for assembly, but there is no requirement I know of for providing that on particular days. Paul also taught that our spiritual worship is in making a living sacrifice of our bodies, and the author of Hebrews instructed us to continually offer up praise -- no "assembly" required! For those who prefer to gather, invite others to your home, at a restaurant, or to join together at a homelss shelter to serve. So we can celebrate Christmas in a God-fearing manner without visiting a church building.

Having said (and believing) that, Tod, I'm glad you've decided to hold Christmas morning church services.

[Gordon]

Hear hear! I am thankful that I am part of the church family sharing Christmas at SCPC. My kids are growing in their awareness of and love for God, I am learning to be a man in relationship with other men, and my wife is growing in confidence that God really does love her and accept her. This Christmas falling on Sunday is perfect for our family. Thanks for giving us opportunity to share our joy in God's blessings with our "extended" family. Love your messages and insight. Truly a bright spot in my day.

[Becky Abell]

I can honestly tell you I have been looking forward to having church on Christmas morning. It feels so right to me. On the day that we celebrate Christs birth we should literally Celebrate it through worship, praising God with our voices and most of all being in community. Not only with our immediate family but our extended church family as well. The thought of being "surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses" (to borrow a phrase) that love and care for Christ deeply seems like a great Christmas to me. Those who decided to forgo some typical Christmas traditions to spend the morning giving glory to the creator of all things rather than typically celebrating the new cool gadget that they got for Christmas really makes Christmas seem less like the consumer holiday it has turned into. Rather it refocuses us back on the ultimate gift that came straight from heaven and not Macys on sale.

[KC]

I just heard about this yesterday and one of my youth leaders told me last night. CPC is doing the same. One blended service at the later hour of 11AM. It's still awesome that Christmas falls on a Sunday...and that the church universal gets to celebrate the birth of the Christ child...our pastor gave me the day off because of our kiddoes...but everyone else gets New's Year day off and I get to preach and lead worship New Years day...

[Curt Dalaba]

So much has been written about the megachurches. The issue has nothing to do with megachurches. I think megachurches are great. Plus, there are just as many small and medium-sized churches that are canceling services.

These are a few of my thoughts:

Individual attendance is a matter of personal liberty and accountability, however, when the church cancels services, it makes a statement.

I love my family, but I do wonder when love of family ceases to be a value and turns into an excuse.

Society is picking up on the story all too gleefully. What are churches saying to the culture by canceling?

What about the people that don't have family in the area?

What about the people who only come on special occasions? Won't the churches that cancel forfeit a chance to connect with these people?

[Zema Chambers]

When asked several weeks ago if I wanted to have a Sunday morning service, I said "no". I wasn't adamant or anything like that . . . just simply "no". I was thinking about the fact that I have to go early. I was thinking also that we will have just had the Christmas Eve service that really is special for our church family. Our family has traditionally done some special things on Christmas morning. Ok . .ok . . . I guess we ARE having church and I'll go ahead and do all of those things. Now, because I'll also work late on Christmas Eve (right up to the time I have to run to the Christmas Eve service), I see that everything will be right in place for Sunday morning. The day after Christmas I'm right back at the store at 8am. For some reason, Christmas feels very short this year. That's why I'm going to do more celebrating throughout the traditional 12 Days of Christmas! Like Todd said "Oh com'on . .let us adore Him" . ..oh wait that's "c'mon everyone, let us adore Him" . . . or something like that . . .

[Deborah White]

Amen!

[Mark Daniels]

Well put, Tod!

Mark

[DennisS]

Our little church on the Kansas plains decided not to meet as usual on Dec. 25. We are meeting at the local nursing home chapel that morning.

We've been averaging less than 50 in attendance, and guesstimated that we would have up to 15 for worship - and likely all would have been there the night before. So sharing Christmas in another place made sense.

The candlelight Christmas Eve worship usually draws 120. There are two elderly widows who would like to have Christmas morning worship at our usual facility.

These ladies never want to set foot in the nursing home - won't even visit their friends who live there. This is a concern, and perhaps we find a way to assist these ladies with communal gathering in some other way on Christmas morning. Any suggestions?