Are you going to church for Christmas?
This makes no sense to me whatsoever.
I've heard many things about the "conspiracy" this year between major megachurches (Willow Creek, Mars Hill) not having Christmas services. I would also like to point out that Saddleback is still having a Christmas service with "New message just for Christmas Day!" The major theme here seems to be that these churches are trying to be "family friendly" by letting you celebrate Christmas with your family.
Much has been made about how little this makes sense but I would like to point out one of the reasons given for this decision. Gene Appel, a teaching pastor at Willow Creek, said "The best way to honor the birth of Jesus is for families to have a more personal experience on that day."
I do not know of a better way to have a more personal, intimate experience with Jesus Christ than to be able to read and hear the Word Himself and to be able to taste his own body and blood at communion. It breaks my heart that so many "Christians" seem to have lost that.
And hey, you can even take your family!
I've heard many things about the "conspiracy" this year between major megachurches (Willow Creek, Mars Hill) not having Christmas services. I would also like to point out that Saddleback is still having a Christmas service with "New message just for Christmas Day!" The major theme here seems to be that these churches are trying to be "family friendly" by letting you celebrate Christmas with your family.
Much has been made about how little this makes sense but I would like to point out one of the reasons given for this decision. Gene Appel, a teaching pastor at Willow Creek, said "The best way to honor the birth of Jesus is for families to have a more personal experience on that day."
I do not know of a better way to have a more personal, intimate experience with Jesus Christ than to be able to read and hear the Word Himself and to be able to taste his own body and blood at communion. It breaks my heart that so many "Christians" seem to have lost that.
And hey, you can even take your family!
posted by Jed at 8:44 AM
2 Comments:
i simply wonder if this is possible from the intimate home setting?
We read Scripture and went through the Christmas story together as a family in the privacy of our own home...as well as in the church (however, because of past circumstances, we haven't usually had a Christmas Day service...only 5 and 11 Christmas Eve...but this year we did because it fell on a Sunday (and we are so used to meeting on Sunday, we couldn't let it go). I certainly am not against getting together at church...
But, didn't Luther himself say the father and mother should be the "priest and priestess" of the home? If he did say that, than wouldn't it be possible to worship God in the living room...and maybe even leave a more lasting impression on the children about where their main mentors (parents) stand on the issues in Christmas.
Isn't all too easy to take our kids to church and not say anything to them at all at home about Jesus...because, "ya, know, we took them to church...and the pastor took care of that." I'm not so sure, given the right leadership and encouragement, that it is a bad idea...are you so sure?
I think this goes back to something Dr. Dost hit on at the seminary...we are overjudgmental regarding our brother in Christ in a different setting. We aren't under their roof, leading, teaching and guiding their people...we don't know their strengths and weaknesses...we just know how it would be done if we were there. The problem is, we aren't there, and God has placed "them" in charge. Should we be careful to "accommodate" and mirror their bahavior...yes, no doubt...but that doesn't mean that they don't have a theologically and pastorally sound reason for what they are doing.
If we spent half as much time learning from each other rather than tearing each other down, we might have too many people in our care to take time to tear each other down. Again, I'm not saying we shouldn't be critical about what we do and how we do it...but I am saying that sometimes (more than not) we should give the benefit of the doubt to a brother in Christ who is just trying to make Christ real in his people's lives. And if we are going to bash...we should fully understand and know thier motives for doing what they are doing.
The fact is that I just gave a possible reason (see John Warwick Montgomery on this usage of debate for apologetics) for why they would do it that way...and it was sound both theologically and pastorally. Do you know why they made their decision? Or are we just doing things because "thats the way they have always been done." Again, I'm not against meeting together...even on Christmas...but what did Adam do? Before there was Dec. 25th (which, by the way, is not Jesus birthday...see Dr. Paul Meier on this one in "In The Fullness Of Time" pages 24-31...chapter 4)...did he go to church? Didn't he have the same faith in a coming Messiah as the Levites who were ordained to work in the church? Isn't life worship...really! Couldn't someone worship God in their actions at the ballpark (I'm not saying this happens often) just as much as singing (or not singing) hymn 247 TLH? What are we really talking about and why?
Over and out
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