Will Your Church Be Closed For Christmas?
By Paul Proctor The Covenant News ~ November 27, 2005
Christmas is going to fall on Sunday this year. That hasn't happened since 1994 and won't happen again until 2011. In years past, this might not have been much of an issue; but considering today's chummy Church of charm and chatter and the celebrated catapulting of all inconvenience, discomfort and offense from among the brethren; I would say the following question is in order:
Will your church be closed for Christmas?
The blind irony of it all is just magnificent; like the Chief Priests and Scribes not wanting to kill Jesus on the Passover. (Mark 14: 1-2)
It was brought to my attention recently by someone whose daughter was so disappointed by her church's decision to not hold worship services on Sunday, December 25th that she wrote her pastor in protest. After telling the young lady how much he loved her, this courageous Man of God actually chastised her for questioning the consensus; citing, among other things, the difficulty of rounding up day care workers on Christmas and the importance of being with family; adding pathetically that we really don't know what day Jesus was born on anyway.
I'm sure the Wise Men from the East and their enormous entourage could have come up with a lot better excuses than these for not following that Star through the night to worship the Christ Child in a Bethlehem stable; not to mention Noah, Abraham, Moses and David and all the logistical problems they had to endure in their worship and service to the Almighty; and the Apostles as they struggled through the remainder of their persecuted lives taking the Gospel to a strange and hostile world.
No, it seems this year many of us are going to honor that Blessed One who was born to be nailed to a Cross for our sakes and sins by taking our ease, trading our toys, watching our TVs and munching out en masse before happy nappy time.
"How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man." - Proverbs 6:9-11
I don't know about you; but I'm just glad the Lord has never been pragmatic; especially during that memorable visit to the Garden of Gethsemane where He sweat drops of blood over all that awaited Him while the leaders of the soon-to-be church, snoozed.
Well friends, it seems the church is spiritually dozing off once again; because if you haven't yet noticed, food, family, fun and fellowship have now become the new measure of all things Christian; and beginning this Christmas, officially more important than gathering on Sunday to worship the Lord in Spirit and in Truth.
Take a look at all of the websites, promos, commercials, brochures, and bulletins of today's more popular churches in your community and notice, if you will, what they glorify and promote just in pictures alone. Chances are you'll see nothing portraying the terrible cost of discipleship and the inherent loneliness and suffering of the Christian that was so prevalent in the Early Church and throughout the New Testament; only very attractive and photogenic church members, models and musicians laughing, singing and frolicking about before the camera's lens as if following Christ was just another fashionable form of entertainment or recreation reserved for the beautiful, privileged, talented and well-to-do.
The Latter Day Saints have been selling themselves like this for years - hiding their heresy behind a friendly facade of family, familiarity, amusement and marketing; like craftily using The Bible and its touching stories on television to promote The Book of Mormon as if the two go hand in hand. No wonder their churches are growing like weeds!
Baptists call them a cult; yet, when The Purpose Driven Life is presented as a companion to the Bible by a Southern Baptist pastor and his publishing company, it is proclaimed a miracle of God because of its wondrous bounty of tasty tares! And, I have no doubt that just as many newly converted Mormons, as Purposites would be ready and willing to tell you how much their lives have been dramatically changed and transformed by the writings of Joseph Smith, as those who credit Rick Warren for his teachings.
"Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn." - Matthew 13:24-30
From a pragmatic perspective, I suppose it's really not all that strange that today's church, being big business now, would be closed on Christmas Sunday considering they're run these days by CEOs and consultants rather than under-shepherds and bondservants, except that more and more big businesses are opening on days once set aside for worship; point being, the sacred and the secular are trading places leaving the world around them morally and spiritually confused.
Unfortunately, when you muddy the "rivers of living water" for fun and profit, you're not left with much to drink.
"Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." - Hebrews 10:23-25
Paul Proctor, a rural resident of the Volunteer state and seasoned veteran of the country music industry, retired from showbiz in the late 1990's to dedicate himself to addressing important social issues from a distinctly biblical perspective. As a freelance writer he extols the wisdom and truths of scripture through commentary and insight on cultural trends and current events. His articles appear regularly on a variety of news and opinion sites across the internet and in print. Paul may be reached at watchman@usa.com