What’s up with that?
by
Jeff Adams
I keep reading about churches that are going to be
closed on Christmas day, which falls on a Sunday this year. What’s up with
that? The word ‘Christmas’ comes from ‘Christ mass,’ which is the Roman
Catholic service, or mass, for celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.
Christmas falling on a Sunday should be viewed as a special occasion, with
people excitedly looking forward to going to church that particular day,
not using it as an excuse to close the church doors. Churches that are
deciding to not hold services on Sunday, December 25th, are
making a huge mistake.
Now, I
know the churches planning on not being open on Christmas Sunday are
giving lots of justifications for their decision, including the following:
The church is
supposed to be reaching out to the unbeliever, and if they won’t come on a
regular Sunday, they are less likely to come on Christmas.
The church
should promote family, and Christmas as a time for family, not being in
church.
Last time
Christmas fell on a Sunday, people didn’t come.
Getting help on
that day will be hard, and won’t be worth the effort, as we expect a low
turn out.
These are
all excuses. Cop-outs. They are not credible justifications for being
closed on Sunday. Concerning the first excuse, I have to ask, “What about
‘CEO Christians’ (Christmas and Easter Only)?” One of the few times of the
year these ‘nominal’ Christians may come to church, and the church doors
are shut! This could be the year these people get serious about their
faith and their salvation, and the church is skipping this opportunity to
reach these folks.
The
second excuse is simply ridiculous. What better place for a family to be
together, especially on Christmas Sunday, than in their house of worship?
Do these ‘pastoral leaders’ think it’s more beneficial to the family to
stay at home in their pajamas with bed head? The last two excuses are
nothing less than a damning indictment of our churches today and the lack
of faith of those who attend.
For
crying out loud! It’s going to be Christmas on Sunday! People should be
flocking to their churches, not skipping out. The doors should not be
closed, but thrown open so that not only can people get in, but so that
those passing by can hear the joyous singing coming from inside from those
celebrating what this special holiday is truly about.
What’s
next? Are these churches going to start closing their doors when the 4th
of July hits a Sunday? What about other holidays when they fall on a
Sunday? Why not close on Super Bowl Sunday? We are headed down the road
where churches will be open only nine months out of the year like schools
(Hey, let’s take the summer off from worshiping our Lord and Savior.).
Closing the churches on Christmas Sunday this year is definitely a step in
the wrong direction.
Parents,
think of the precedent you are setting if you stay at home this Christmas
Sunday. What are you teaching your kids? You say, “It’s just one Sunday,”
but your kids will get the message that playing hooky from church is okay,
and it can grow to missing a lot, to not going at all. Is our commitment
to our faith so weak that we’ll bail from church attendance at the least
inconvenience?
This
shouldn’t be viewed as an inconvenience, but a wonderful stroke of good
fortune. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but church when Christmas
falls on a Sunday. To the church ‘leaders’ who will be skipping church
this December 25th, I say, “Do as you wish, but you are
jeopardizing your credibility as leaders in a House of God. How can you
criticize a member for skipping out on Sunday services to go hunting
during deer season, or fishing in the summer, if you pick such a
significant day to skip out?” As for my family and me, we’ll still open
presents and have a wonderful Christmas dinner, but we’ll work our
schedule around the true reason for the season and be at church on Sunday
December 25th.
The opinions expressed in
this column represent those of the author and do not necessarily reflect
the opinions, views, or philosophy of TheRealityCheck.org, Inc.
