I keep saying that I’m not surprised by anything I hear that Christians have done nowadays — and then just about every week I hear of something that some Christian (or church) has done and I’m flabbergasted. Again.
Apparently, the fact that Christmas falls on Sunday this year has flummoxed a number of churches. One of which put out a video to explain to their congregation the reason why they had changed their normal practice this Sunday. The pastor says, the leadership team was stumped at first. You have to do “something on Christmas” he tells us. But they couldn’t figure out what. So, after a lot of discussion, they came up with the idea of doing . . . . next to nothing. They’re going to leave the church open so that their members can come by and have a time of quiet meditation. There might even be Bible reading and prayer and singing of some Christmas carols, he says, they’re not quite sure how it will all work — but this will, he says, make Christmas “special.”
Nowhere in the video does he indicate that, you know, we might just worship on this Sunday like we do every other Sunday! Worship apparently isn’t “special” enough.
Then I hear that a number of Christians are planning to stay home from worship this Sunday so that they can celebrate Christmas. Yeah. I hope that sounds a tad whacky to you! John Barach makes this point to show the stupidity of this:
Would you skip someone’s birthday party and refuse to come to his house or eat any of his birthday cake and then tell him that you did all of that in order to honor him on his birthday? No? Then why would anyone skip church on Sunday in order to celebrate Christ’s birth?
This is akin to those who say they’re not going to worship in order to “have family time.”
We need to ask the question, “Who is your family?”
Jesus actually had the opportunity to answer this question one day. Remember when He was in Capernaum teaching and healing, he was told that his mother and brothers wanted to speak to him. Jesus used this as an opportunity to give some important instruction (Matt. 12:48-50): “But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” 49 And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”
Jesus points out that His first and most important family consists of all those who do the will of His father. They all are closer to Him than His own mother and brothers would be if they did not believe and obey. God’s family is our first and most important family. It turns out that the water of baptism is in fact thicker than blood.
Everyone supposedly wants all of us to remember “the reason for the season” but I don’t think a lot of them understand the Reason as well as they think they do. If we are celebrating Christmas because of Jesus’ incarnation then we are acknowledging that His coming and His life, death, resurrection, ascension, and reign are the most important things in the world. Nothing is more important that what God has done in and through His Son. And how has God told us chiefly to commemorate His Son’s coming, life, and work?
It’s NOT to be done by forsaking public worship of His Son so that you can spend time with your private family. My first family is not the Wilkins. My first family is not the Hilburns or the Pages or the Thompsons. My first and most important family is my baptismal family and our lives and schedules must reflect this by making worship a priority for the Wilkinses, and the Pages, and the Thompsons, and Hilburns and every other family. Public worship is “family time.”
Don’t make rules for your family that contradict the rules Jesus makes for us. Worship is the most important thing we do for our individual families. The best thing you can ever do for your children is to teach them that there is nothing, nothing, more important than worshiping God with His people on Sunday. If they learn this lesson, your family will be mightily blessed — and they will be blessed because they have learned that our individual families are secondary to the Family of God.
Don’t forsake the worship in some mistaken idea that doing so will help your family more than attending worship with God’s family. It’s just not so.
So, I’ll look forward to seeing you this Sunday.
And, may the Lord grant to you a most merry Christmas!
I will be missing Sunday worship on Christmas.
I will be doing this because I will be spending that day with my grandmother, who is very ill and cannot leave her home. My wife, son, and I will be traveling many hours by car to see her, and we will be far from our home church.
I don’t feel that I am dishonoring God by making this decision.
I live in the Los Angeles suburb where the church quoted is. Most Christians aren’t driving 5000 miles through the snow, rain, sleet, hail and balls of fire to visit unfortunate relatives. They’re just sitting at home, on a balmy Southern California Sunday, because family has trumped the Body of Christ.
“because family has trumped the Body of Christ.” So family is no where near as important, to you, than a church meeting? I feel sorry for your family. Your family, sir, is THE most important job you will EVER have. What a horrible comment.
The previous response about visiting an elderly relative is the exception and not the rule. No one would fault your need to minister to this grandmother.
However, Steve’s “Family Time” posting IS the rule in general. Thank you Steve for speaking out on a too-common problem. Most people are like me and live minutes away from church with no pressing obligations other than our own gratifications at home.
My church has graciously foregone with Sunday school this Sabbath so that we may have a bit more time with small children before the normal 11:00 worship. Personally, I look forward to this special day of worship and fellowship with my true family.
FWIW our family has suffered many, many recent deaths and we always went to church in the midst of these trials. Being far from our home church and attending church with saints from a another geographic location (and often another communion) was greatly comforting. I was strengthened by the means of grace and was reminded again and again through the family of God (1 Timothy 3:15) that the Spirit is thicker than blood.
I will think about it. It would not be out of the question for us to attend a worship service that morning, and certainly not that evening as my grandmother is often weary in the evenings and not up to visiting anyway. It would certainly be encouraging to be with the body of Christ that day after slogging through the difficulties of the trip. Plus Christmas music is wonderful.
I have to say, though, that in my opinion the tone of this article (“the stupidity of this”) and of “Garrett’s” comments (“snow, rain, sleet, and balls of fire”) is inappropriate for one Christian commenting on another. My grandmother’s illness may be an exception, but stress and difficulty managing family-related demands on your time during this season is not an exception but seemingly an iron-clad rule. No doubt many are doing the best they can, and – “Another esteems all days alike….Who are you to judge the servant of another?”
Well said, Steve! Far too many have a very low view of the Church and choose to place corporate worship (and even church membership) low on their list of priorities.
[…] good friend, Steve Wilkins, has already written a few insightful thoughts on the subject. It is not hard to find churches all over the country cancelling Christmas Sunday. In many ways […]
My church has a Christmas Eve candlelight service and a Sunday morning service. Do you think God would want our entire church body to attend both?
anburdell: Sorry for coming across a bit abrasive. I actually perceived your original comment as overly-pious but I assume you didn’t mean it that way. The point is, I don’t find going to church a burden that needs to be overcome in the midst of competing family events. Instead, I find being with the people of God, hearing the Word, engaging in corporate liturgy and partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ is exactly what I need in the midst of a busy or sorrowful season.
Elizabeth: Yes, do both! We will be with joy and gusto here on the Left Coast!
Overly pious. Really.
*blinks*
Have you read this thread?
I’m sorry to have to say this, but the author’s tone came across as a bit arrogant and abrasive. Your point could have been made with more love i.e. with an “appealing” tone. I don’t know the reasons my church decided to cancel Sunday services (I don’t know that they’ve done that before) and we are trying out a new schedule of an 11 pm Christmas Eve service. I trust my leadership to have prayed through this decision so I support them in it. The sum of the law is love and I think the best thing for us to do is to extend GRACE to each other to follow the Lord’s leading in how we celebrate His birth. Off point, I would rather that we celebrated His conception (the real beginning of His life) in March anyway. Just sayin’…
Whoa. My point was not to be harsh, but merely to say, “What is going on here?” If worship is the most important thing we do, then we don’t cancel it or forsake it UNLESS there are solid reasons (sickness, family emergencies, catastrophes, providential hindrances, etc.). And there is an incredible disconnect when families refuse to attend worship (or for a church canceling worship) because Christmas falls on a Sunday — thinking all the while that this would please Jesus! Are you kidding? John Barach’s comment was on point here. The irony is staggering.
The fact that this post (and some of the comments) would be considered “arrogant” and “abrasive” only proves my point. We truly have lost the importance of worship, haven’t we? We really don’t understand the centrality of it and we don’t view the public, gathered worship of the church on Sunday as the most important thing that is done in the week. We don’t. Obviously.
If we did, refusing to go to worship or canceling worship just because Christmas lands on a Sunday would not even be considered an option. It is an option simply because we believe that public worship is *optional*.
“The fact that this post (and some of the comments) would be considered “arrogant” and “abrasive” only proves my point.”
Cool. So basically you’re saying that if others perceive you as an arrogant jerk, it only proves that your argument is sound. Come again? Your grasp of rhetoric is, shall we say, defective. For shame, sir. What would Socrates say?
Uhhhhh…Pharisaical much?
So, Jason, you’re saying it’s “Pharisaical” to maintain that worship of the living God is not optional? Really?
I don’t think that word means what you think it means.
It is Pharisaical to attempt to bind fellow believers’ consciences to man-made rules and traditions. I believe that it was Apostle Paul himself who said, “One man esteemeth one day above another, another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.” If you want to take the matter up with the Apostle, be my guest. My guess is that you will now proceed to twist and pervert very plainly spoken words into their opposite meaning. Aaaaaand…GO!
Wow. The amount of man made legalism is astounding! You actually believe the church has the right to bully, force and legate your every move? If the federal government tried this, you’d be furious! But no, because a MAN stood up one day and decided that Sunday was the sabbath, you are actually terrified for your very souls to not be there. This is so sad. I know what you are going through too. I went from one amazingly legalistic church and into the next. I am so glad and greatful to God to have escaped the popish mentality of churches like these.
I do have to add to that some of the most angry, bitter, hateful Christians that I have ever known, believe as you do, Steve. I can only assume they are insecure and jealous of the freedom that other Christains have by not following man-made standards. And I feel truly sorry for you and for those you are attempting to bully.
An addendum to my previous note: I am not anti-church by any means. I however, feel that attendence and which one you go to, is entirely up to each individual person. Now, that being said, I have another observation about this discussion. I think, quite honestly, that as long as there is the snobbish, holier-than-thou, look-how-many-times-I’ve-been-this-week, attitude, you will see more and more Christians leave (or only attend occasionally) the institutionalized church. And I think pastors are afraid. Christians are finally waking up, opening their own Bibles, and realizing that scripture has to mean something to THEM. On judgment day, none of us will be able to stand before God and say, “Well that’s what my church said!” We will each be held accountable for our beliefs. This is why Christians cannot and should not badger one another into any man-made traditions.
I know that in the Russian community Christians always made a special service on Christmas no matter what day it happened to be, it there was a church service on Sunday and Christmas was on Wednesday, there was still a service. The fact that Christmas in on Sunday this yes I think makes it all the better. You have your service and you have your Christmas all in one! It there anything better then that?( That’s what I think even though no one asked.) So I agree with Steve 🙂
Wow, what a day we live in. Pastors who encourage Christians to go to church on Sunday (especially feast days) and to view their families as constituents of the family that passes into the next age, the Church, are charged with being Pharisees. I think the term “pharisee” has become a meaningless shell.
The fact that what I just wrote is unfathomable to many Christians speaks volumes about the ignorant, undisciplined and narcissistic age in which we live.
I don’t understand why people are upset about spending Christmas at church. Can’t think of a more rewarding family time than sitting together with them worshipping our beautiful Lord, along with our wider Christian fellowship. If this is an uphappy day for some, I can’t imagine what attraction heaven will have for them. Sad.
If this is the only day you plan to worship our Lord this week, by all means, I hope your church is open for you on Christmas Day. But, since God doesn’t restrict corporate worship only to Sundays. Our church is holding services four other days this week for worship/Christmas Services. So, I’ll be home on Christmas Day with family (and worshiping at home, too boot). If it’s only the ‘ritual’ of being in a certain building on this Sunday… nope.
By the way, Steve, I have no problem with anyone who wishes to go to a church meeting on a Christmas Sunday–more power to them!! What I do have a problem with is Christians who try to guilt trip their fellow believers into following man-made traditions and rules. THAT is an evil and wicked practice which is clearly condemned by Scripture. Be careful Steve– as a Christian leader, I believe that you are being held to a higher standard.
We have spent some time scratching our heads over Christmas being on a Sunday this year. With three kids under four years of age, and a 45 minute drive to church (we’re rural), adding Christmas morning to the already sometimes difficult task of making it to church with three dressed, fed, and (fairly) clean children seemed a little…impossible. After brainstorming a bit, we’re planning on doing our family Christmas celebrating Saturday, Christmas Eve, so that we can fully enjoy Christmas celebrating at home and not make Sunday a logistical nightmare. I’m looking forward to spreading out our celebrating!
Well, thanks for all the attention, but please, take a deep breath and re-read the post. The thesis is NOT:
1) Everyone ought to have a public service of worship on Christmas.
2) Everyone ought to go to church on Christmas.
3) Everyone ought to observe Christmas
4) If you don’t observe Christmas you’re in sin
5) If you don’t go to church on Christmas you’re going to hell
6) Canceling special Christmas services is sin
If you think that any of the above is my concern, you’ve missed the point and missed it so badly you need to take a course in reading comprehension (and that apparently includes some Presbyterian pastors).
Further, I’m not talking about having a special service on Christmas. Nor am I challenging the legitimacy of Saturday evening (or Sunday midnight) services. I’m not laying down any “law” about how you should observe Christmas (or not observe it).
The illustration of the church having a “time of meditation” instead of their regular worship this Sunday is NOT a criticism based upon the fact that they are not worshiping on Christmas!
To the contrary, my point was to show how unimportant public worship on the first day of the week is to many modern evangelicals (and, yes, Jason, many of the comments indicate that I’m right).
Normally when you see the title of an article, you expect to see an explanation of the title in the article, right? The post is titled “Family Time.” So where is the explanation for this title and what is it? (hint: it’s in the 10th paragraph, last sentence). Found it? Ok, here it is: “Public worship is ‘family time.'”
My point was that the church in my illustration was searching for a way to make Christmas “special” since it fell on Sunday this year. In searching for how to do this, they didn’t think that doing what the Church has done for 2000 years (i.e. have public worship on the first day of the week) was sufficiently “special”, so they chose an alternative service. They did this for the same reason many families decide not to attend public worship — i.e. they don’t really believe that the public worship of the church is all that important. They don’t believe that it is central to our lives, vital for the advancement of God’s kingdom, and the most influential thing we as Christians do each week.
I’m saying that this is obviously the view of many Christians. And it is a huge mistake. Worship is the most important thing we do. Worship is the most powerful and influential thing we do. Nothing is more important or beneficial for my individual family than making the public worship of God’s people a priority for them. And, nothing should hinder us from attending and participating (aside from those providential hindrances mentioned above).
THAT is the issue that should be discussed NOT whether or not I’m trying to make people feel guilty for not going to church on Christmas. I’m trying to make you see that when you view other things as more important than worship you are falling into a very dangerous trap — and you’re leading your children down a very unhappy road.
Clear?
Your dismissive attitude regarding the relevance of whether or not you’re “trying to make people feel guilty” is precisely why believers are turning away from the church bureaucratic in droves. In fact, it was such arrogance and blindness by the Catholic institution that caused Martin Luther and other Reformers to rebel against the church of Rome.
Some folks just don’t appreciate it when a fella says, “Unless you meet up in building X on day Y, you are not honoring God–you are making a huge mistake. In other words, unless you jump through these hoops, I decree you to be a bad Christian.”
But why would anyone resent such arbitrary rule-making and its associated judgemental attitude? Maybe because they are actually God-fearing Christians who also have as sincere desire to serve God with their lives as do you, but simply have a different view of what “worship” means than you do. They too have diligently examined Scripture, but have come up with a different conclusion than you have. Is that really so bad and, if so, why?
You may be experiencing a certain level of insecurity in your own beliefs, which is subconsciously driving you to seek validation from others by demanding their conformity to your beliefs. Or it could be pride. Or it could actually be a genuine (though misplaced and mistaken) concern. Any way, please don’t be so dismissive and judgemental toward the Church. You worship in your manner, I’ll worship in mine, and we’ll split the difference!
Merry Christmas!!
Jason, your rebuke would have weight if I was making up this obligation out of thin air. But I’m not. The writer of Hebrews exhorts the Christians of his day not to fall for this misjudgment (Heb. 10:19-25). And when he said this he was simply repeating what God has said from the beginning. It is sin to forsake and despise the public worship of God, simply because to do so is to despise God Himself.
And this is not some new or novel teaching. I’m simply repeating what the Church has taught (with almost complete unanimity) for 2,000 years. If you really want to say that the Church has gotten this wrong — then you are the one who is being arrogantly dismissive and judgmental toward the Church (indeed, and doing it with trumpets!) not me.
Yes, Pastor Steve, those points are easily lost in the original article by lines such as:
• “Apparently, the fact that Christmas falls on Sunday this year has flummoxed a number of churches”
• “there is nothing, nothing, more important than worshiping God with His people on Sunday”
• “So, I’ll look forward to seeing you this Sunday”.
I understand your major point of the illustration regarding worship being family time and making that a priority. And, I think you might have underestimated your underlying point you made (even if unintentionally).
Thanks for the follow-up and focusing your intent. It helped, and you’re spot on.
(By the way, we’re attending one of 14 worship services our church is having this week, accommodating over 30,000 worshipers across all services. My family and I will be working at two other of those services because serving our Lord is an act of worship; and on Christmas Day we’ll gather as a family for “online” worship and a message from our pastor.)
Wow, Steve! With friends like these, who needs enemies?
This Sunday my family and I will gladly and joyously go to church to worship the living God together with His people. It will be a day of great rejoicing and fellowship, because that is what happens at our church every Sunday, how much more this one.
I am pretty confident that if I told my children that we were not going to church this Sunday because it is Christmas, there would be lasting negative repercussions in their relationship with me. They love the church, they know their dad loves the church, and they would recognize the disconnect right away.
On the holy mount stands the city He founded;
The Lord loves the gates of Zion (read; gathered worship)
More than all the dwelling places of Jacob. (read; family worship)
Glorious things of you are spoken, O city of God! Psalm 87:1-3
Does the Lord want you to worship at all times and in all places? Absolutely. But He loves His gathered Church even more.
A blessed Christmas to you and yours, Steve!
Amen, Pastor Wilkins! I wonder if all the people who campaign to keep Christ in Christmas will also be keeping the Mas in Christ-mas this year. (Protestantly speaking of course.) 🙂
Fair enough, Steve–good luck with that. You realize that your pride is, ironically enough, directly contributing to the destruction of the very institutional church that you seek to perpetuate. But this is as it should be. The harder you push, the more you will be resisted (and, eventually, overthrown). We have fought too hard for our freedom from the horror of Romanism to have folk like you lead us down that path again.
Wait a minute. Saying you ought to go to church on Sunday is Romanism?! I had no idea that Luther and Calvin were fighting against church attendance! My whole view of the Reformation has been wrong all this time!!!
I just noticed this comment from Lisa regarding Garrett’s statement: “So family is no where near as important, to you, than a church meeting? I feel sorry for your family. Your family, sir, is THE most important job you will EVER have. What a horrible comment.”
Lisa, you’ve completely missed Garrett’s point. He’s NOT saying that his family (or yours or mine) is unimportant. He’s not saying that he doesn’t care for his family (he does care, deeply). AND, he’s not saying that his family is less important than “a church meeting” (as you put it).
He’s making the same point that I was making — i.e. that his natural family (like mine and yours) is SECONDARY to God’s family. But that’s exactly what Jesus was saying in Capernaum and what He meant when He said “he who loves father and mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” (Matt. 10:37) Was Jesus making a “horrible comment”? Was He insulting His own mother and father and brothers and sisters?
Nope. He was saying what Garrett was saying. Our first and most important family is the Family of God (the Church) not our natural families. And, until we get that straight, we’ll never be able to love and nurture our natural families as we ought. So, to forsake the public worship of God in order to spend time with your natural family, is to make a huge mistake. But to teach my children that being a child of God is a far greater blessing than being a member of the Wilkins family, is to teach them a vital truth (and it’s anything but an insult to me or my family).
That’s what Garrett was saying . . . and he’s absolutely right.
I’m gonna call stalemate on this one…different shades of gray and all that.
But you can’t be all bad, Steve–LOL. I see that you’ve written books about two of my personal heroes (Mr. Jackson and Mr. Lee). I’ll have to check them out.
Hey Jason, quit calling me the Pope and I’ll send you a copy of each one for Christmas. ; )
[Seriously, send me your mailing address (by email) and I’ll get em to you]
Wow–thank you sir. I will definitely look forward to reading them.
I should probably say a word or two of explanation regarding my admittedly too-strongly worded tirade against an “institutionalized church.” I think it was Mr. Jagger who said, “Once bit, twice shy.” For my wife (who, you may have guessed, is Lisa) and I, it would be more like “Dozenth bit, forever shy.” Both of us have since childhood had incredibly bad church experiences. Perversion, corruption, abuse (sexual, personal, emotional–you name it), I could go on…
We have seen very sweet fellowships destroyed by self-serving clergy who were more interested in their congregations worshipping them than their Creator. Members manipulating the elders to harrass and persecute other congregants. Etc., etc., etc.–you’ve probably heard it all yourself.
Anyway, I don’t know what’s going on, but it seems to be epidemic. You can’t swing a cat without hitting either a corrupt church leader or a disillusioned believer. I don’t know what the long-term solution is either, so for now we’re just in a holding pattern. On standby, gun-shy (and with hair-triggers, too, evidently).
Thanks again, and truly, Merry Christmas!!
Jason, don’t forget to email me your mailing address.
I looked around–can’t seem to find it.
Your email address, that is.
Sorry, here it is:
swilkins@auburnavenue.org
Here’s something from today’s Wall Street Journal:
“Nearly 10% of Protestant churches will be closed on Christmas Sunday this year, according to LifeWay Research, and most pastors who are opening up say they expect far fewer people than on other Sundays.”
Seems like there should be some kind of uniform, authoritative stand against canceling worship on Christmas…like maybe a law that guarantees worship will take place on this and every single Lord’s Day in every single parish worldwide. What’s up with that? Must not be an essential of the faith.
I am the brother-in-law of Jason and Lisa. They have a history of attacking churches and pastors. Fortunately they are no longer members of a church. They leave destruction and disruption in their wake… the poor churches they called home over the years.
And they do have a problem with anyone who practices regular church attendance.