No, it's not the ACLU or the People for the American Way, or any of the usual suspects this time. I am still stunned by the news reports that a number of churches are going to cancel worship services on December 25. These aren't liberal churches, they are conservative evangelical churches -- including some Christian churches (click here for an ongoing discussion about this). If Wayne Smith were dead, he would be rolling over in his grave.
I agree with my friend David Willis who says that this is the inevitable consequence of abandoning the emphasis on “the first day of the week.” The fact that secular news agencies have picked up on this story demonstrates just how whacked-out it is. Even the world recognizes that canceling is rather strange. Christmas isn’t even the issue with me – it’s the idea of blowing off worship on the Lord’s Day – although the fact that it’s Christmas makes it even more ironic. Can canceling on Mothers’ Day, Father’s Day, or even Easter be far behind?
My father-in-law had a classic response to one of his church members who inquired about worship on Dec. 25. He said, “Well I would hope that at least the CHRISTIANS will be here.”
Please, this isn’t about inconveniencing people in order to test their orthodoxy or their allegiance to Christ. It’s about the fact that many believers actually WANT to worship on that day, EVERY WEEK, and especially on Christmas.
Ben Witherington has a good post about this. And the Get Religion blog weighs in as well.
Truth is stranger than fiction. Granted, I have no idea what it is like to lead a church of thousands, but still... I have to wonder if whatever they think they have "gained" by not having Christmas service (family time, a break for volunteers, etc.) is not going to be far outweighed by the negative press, etc.
5 comments:
You Go, Mike! Absolutely right. I expect overflow crowds on the Coast for Christmas. We'll see. But even if it is only two or three...we know the promise associated with that!
Sounds like a lot of folks' faith is somewhere between Ho-Ho-Ho and Ho-Hum. We'll choose to worship the risen Savior and not offer lip-service to the infant Savior in Butler, Indiana.
I admire your passion. Let me kick at the tires...
1) Was the first Christmas special?
2) Why/why not?
3) Did they have a church service?
4) What does this tell us?
Hi Tony!
Thanks for reading my blog!
My point was that Sunday is special (every Sunday). So canceling seems kinda weird to me. The fact that it's Christmas simply accentuates the weirdness (to me, at least).
But you are right. There is no biblical command or example to worship on Christmas. And the early church did not do so. But they did come together on the first day of the week.
Blessings,
Soren
Mike,
I sure hope that this is not an inidicator of Christians hearts, if it is how disappointing. What better time to truly worship our God and King? Just where is God in our "list" of priorities anyways? "AS for me and my house we choose to worship the Lord!"
Greg
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