When you hear of places closing for Christmas, you naturally expect those places to be businesses that are closed to allow employees to gather with family for the holiday. You don’t expect that place to be a church, which you would naturally think would be considered the gathering place for the spiritual family of God.
"This Christmas, no prayers will be said in several megachurches around the country. Even though the holiday falls this year on a Sunday, when churches normally host thousands for worship, pastors are canceling services, anticipating low attendance on what they call a family day.
"Critics within the evangelical community, more accustomed to doing battle with department stores and public schools over keeping religion in Christmas, are stunned by the shutdown.
"It is almost unheard of for a Christian church to cancel services on a Sunday, and opponents of the closures are accusing these congregations of bowing to secular culture."
(Nod to the reader who sent the link and admitted to being "surprised/saddened to read it.")
I was saddened but not surprised.
It reminded me of a story a Seventh-Day Adventist pastor told my father many years ago. Every Easter the local pastors would ask the SDA pastor to lead the "non-denominational" sunrise service for the community. Eventually, he was tired of being pressed into service each year and curious as to why he was always being tapped. When he asked, the pastors told him, "Well, you’re the only one of us who doesn’t have to work that day."
They were referring, of course, to the fact that SDAs do not worship on Sunday. It was only many years later, once I was a Catholic, that I noted the irony of a Christian pastor not having to "work" on the day that commemorates the Lord’s Resurrection.
The difference now, I guess, is that there are some Christian pastors who don’t bother to look around for a Seventh-Day Adventist pastor to shepherd their flocks in their absence. (And, of course, the Christian pastors who asked the SDA to step in for them were busy tending other flocks at their own churches.) These Christian pastors who have chosen to shut down their churches for Christmas simply close the inn for the holiday and confirm for the flocks the message that Christmas is all about gluttony for food and stuff after all.
Great post, M.
Very interesting. I guess we’ll see if Easter is important to them by seeing if they close up for it as well.
Not being a particular fan of megachurches or the silly, generic brand of Christianity they preach, my initial response after hearing this news yesterday was actually, “Good. Here’s to hoping they stay closed.” Upon reflection, though, I snapped out of it and began to see the bigger picture. This is an issue ALL Christians should be concerned about.
But this certainly isn’t unexpected. In any war, it is the weakest who fall first.
I was always raised to think of God, Family and Work in that order. It was just assumed.
How could any Christian family who took the designation seriously put Family before God?
Some megachurches closing for Christmas
This Christmas, no prayers will be said in several megachurches around the country. Even though the
I was hoping this was one of those joke articles from someplace like “The Onion.”
This is just sad.
As a former Evangelical who went to a borderline mega-church, I am not surprised by this.
The fact that many of these churches do not have services on Christmas highlights for me the difference between the Catholic Mass and the “services” of other Christian denominations.
For a Catholic on Christmas, what better thing is there to do than to go to the church and celebrate Jesus’ birth by receiving Him in the Eucharist at Mass? But Evangelicals do not have this amazing gift, so it’s just “go to church” vs. “spend time with your family”–rather than “receive the Body and Blood of the Incarnate Word” vs. “spend time with your family”.
Certainly people can and should do both, but the reason for going to church on Sunday is stronger in the Catholic Church.
In fairness, these churches are virtually all having (multiple) Christmas Eve services. So it’s really the same (in terms of attendance) as any Catholic who goes to the Vigil Mass, no?
Unthinkable — it’s bad enough that stores and cities, etc. are taking Christ out of Christmas — but that a church that purports to be Christian would not come together on the day of Our Lord’s birth is unbelievable.
How will be ever wrestle Christmas away from those who would make it a generic “holiday” and a time to buy extravagant gifts? — it may be time for Christians to become hardcore and to quit with the Santa and shopping at Christmas time ourselves.
In realistic terms, it makes sense. Without the Eucharistic sacrifice, there is nothing you do at an Evangelical church (sing, pray, read/discuss the Scriptures) that you can’t do at home.
There’s a common saying in business that if you want to know how vital something is, stop doing it for a while. If it’s not missed, it’s not vital, and you should probably get rid of it.
We Catholics forget that not all Christians have the Liturgical Year. What’s weird is Protestants celebrating Easter and Christmas at all, since they don’t celebrate the other seasons and feasts. I guess we Catholic are used to regular old chronological time being sanctified by reflecting Salvation History, but it’s a foreign idea to Protestants, right?
Now this is a perfect marketing opportunity. If I were the diocese in any of these comminities where the megachurch was closing, I would get somoething out there on radio or TV or newpapers or all of them and say “If your Church is Closed on Christmas day, join us.” Or something like that.
Keith, funny you should mention that. One of the actives in my fraternity invited all our megachurch-attending brothers to join him at the Cathedral Christmas morning. Apparently, or so he tells us in his email, he called the Pope to make sure Christmas Mass was still on. Personally, seeking the Pope out was a little much, the local Bishop would have been fine … but you got to love the effort to make sure that his offer was good.
Despite the blue laws being off the books, Catholics should honor the Sabbath and stay away from shopping on the Sabbath. Get the business done on Sat or Mon. Keep the Sabbath the Lord’s day. Oremus !
Jennifer and Vince while many denominations do not celebrate the gife of the eucharistic feast, there are many that do, episcopals, anglicans and methodists to name a few. Many many not celebrate it as often as the catholics however I am lucky to recieve the gift every Sunday. Many Protestant denominations have a litugurical calendar and celebrate the seasons and the feasts of the year. Although it may not be the same as that dictated by Catholic liturgy.
The reasons for going to church, mass or what ever you term in on Sunday should be plain and simple no matter what Sunday that is; simply to worship the trinity, ask for grace and forgivness, repent, and to thank God for giving us salvation through the gift of his son and our savior Jesus Christ.
As for the mega churches, Universalists Unitarian, and many of the other PC cults that have grown up in recent years. They need to remember that it is our duty to adapt our lives to Gods laws not to adapt Gods laws to our lives. While society and the secular would seem to be headed down the path of self-indulgence and wickedness, we need to be steadfast in our faith and the assults on it. All faiths are at war with the darkness that asaulting all christians in our schools and public forms. This time of year more that most remember why we celebrate renew your faith and take up the battle to spread the word of God’s gift and fight for you rights to sing your praise and thanks that was given to us by our founding fathers.
oops! forgive me Keith and Jennifer the first response should have been addressed to Devin and Abigal. Sorry first posting, reading wrong lines for who which comment belonged too!
Erm…these aren’t Catholic Churches, right?
But in general…
That’s just stupid.
Kosh:
In the article, no, but not far behind! Our local Catholic megachurch’s (weekly attendance 8,000) usual schedule for Christmas is:
Christmas Eve – 3,5,7,9 and 11
Christmas Day – 9
This year they have opted to add an extra Christmas Day Mass at 11 because “it’s Sunday” according to the secretary. Why that matters, I don’t know! As if more people are going to show up because it’s both Christmas and a Sunday?
It just seems like the pervading attitude about Mass is “let’s get it over with” although with a music ministry that is out of control and an organist who sounds like she is having a stroke everytime she starts a hymn, maybe there is good reason for it!
Hmm…that’s a lot of masses on Christmas eve. They can’t ALL count as vigils, can they? But only 1 on Christmas DAY?! That is crazy.
“Jennifer and Vince while many denominations do not celebrate the gife of the eucharistic feast, there are many that do, episcopals, anglicans and methodists to name a few.”
Thanks E.E., I realize that these denominations are more liturgical and have a type of eucharist; but I was speaking mostly of the “non-denominational” churches that, I believe, the article is primarily concerned with.
I checked with the diocese and a few parishes like this one have been given permission to have that many vigils starting that early because they are so big. Why not have more on Christmas Day? I guess they think noone will come. Check Amy Welborn’s blog for a couple of threads this past week that started out like this one and diverged into a discussion on the Catholic Church shift from Christmas Day to Christmas Eve. Does anyone know what the traditional schedule of Masses used to be. I have heard about a Shepherd’s Mass, a Midnight Mass and another one that I forget. Any ideas what times those were at?
Methodists have a type of Eucharist? Hmm..learn something new. What do they generally (or even specifically) believe?
E.E.: Are you an Electrical Engineer as well? Or just Episcopal? 🙂
Ignatian Spirit: “In any war, it is the weakest who fall first.”
Try not to wax too Darwinian, my friend. Many has been the time when the great and the strong gave their lives for the weak and the helpless.
We should not be so quick to judge.
You have to pause for about 30 seconds first…
There.
No church on Sunday???? On Christmas???? That’s more nutty than a vat of homemade peanut butter in an asylum!
Maybe we should start saying “Merry Christ’s Mass” and “Happy Holy Days”.
*Totally unrelated to this post, but…*
Kosh –
Do you have any family in the Spring/North Houston area of Texas?
Just curious.
I wear a botton on Christmas Day when I assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
The cafeteria is closed, but the confessional is open. Come to Jesus with a clean soul.
That’s button.
SubbleSpark: Yes. We should. That would be awesome.
Kristy, I am not sure why you would think that, but no.
Kosh –
Only b/c I know a family with the last name “Kosh” in that area. So, I was just curious. Apparently there’s no connection though :).
Peace.
Kosh is not my real name. But an alias.
But back on track, it seems that one would have to go to church b/c its a sunday, no? Christmas + Sunday = Holy Day of Obligation x 2!!! Don’t want to ENCOURAGE everyone going to the vigil and then not showing up Sunday.
If that seemed like random junk, it is 11:30 and thus you are probably right.
~Kosh
I have read several posts regarding the “dilemma” of satisfying the holy day of obligation for the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ followed up by the “normal” Sunday obligation the next day or, in the case of the vigil mass, two days later.
I am sure the answer to my question is found in these posts, but can someone be specific about the 2005 edition of the question? In other words, does the vigil mass on Saturday, December 24, 2005 satisify BOTH the feast day and Sunday obligation?
Thanks,
When a Holy Day of Obligation falls on a Sunday, the Holy Day is celebrated. One mass fulfills one’s obligations. It can be the mass on Sunday or the Vigil Mass.