Megachurches Close on Christmas
I read this and found it a little funny - ironic funny.
I can see the reasoning behind closing them and the reasoning for having Sunday service. I prefer having a service on Christmas Day - whether it's on a Sunday or not. Although I am never around for the service. In my community there are many people from other countries who can not be home with their real families for Christmas. So having a Christmas service, they get the opportunity to spend some time with their church family and still feel the connectedness on Christmas.
What do you think? I'd love to hear some feedback. Thanks
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Christmas, church, megachurches, Christian
2 comments:
It's to bad churches can't be open on christmas, but it would probably be inconvientent for so many people, that few would attend, which would undermine the purpose. So it probably makes more sense to have a service the day before or such.
-aurora
One side of me, the old fashioned side, really wants to say "it just isn't proper to skip a Sunday service", but that side is fading away quickly as I look closer at the humble beginings of the early church, and the ways that our society is changing.
I have to agree that running a full-out Sunday 'service' could very likely over strain some of the workers, especially at this time of year for those with large families, but...
1. Maybe those enslaved to the routine of church don't see the big picture anymore. Is the worth of their ministry solely reilant on numbers? Does 10,000 attendants = good ministry, and 9,000 = failure?
I guess having grown up in a small, struggling, rural church, I see the valus of a ministry in different terms. I honestly believe that, if even only one person is led to take even 1 spiritual baby-step, it was worth all the effort! Remember the story of the shepheard that left the 99 to go look for the 1 lost sheep? Isn't that how Jesus is with those that don't follow him? Then shouldn't we have the same outlook on ministry - so long as it doesn't do any permanent harm to the other 99. Besides, there are so few times in the year that people are so open to the religious side of things, why not take advantage of that and go all-out for them! We can slip back into routine next week ;-)
2. I'm sure that there must be some volunteers with families abroad, or none at all, that would be willing to hold some small-scale, alternate program of some kind - especially in these mega-churches. Why not just hold a simple lunch with a small program of things like sharing times, reading the Christmas story, prayers and reflections in preparation for the coming New Year. Advertise it in the commuity as a 'post-Christmas', 'non-service' event open to anyone. Just a thought for those that see the ministry of the church as more that just routine services.
My thinking here is of a good friend that has lost both parents over the last few years, and their only sibling lives hours away (Friend doesn't drive). This friend has shared with me several times how Christmas time is a VERY painful and lonely time - hours upon hours spent just crying from the pain of remembering old times with family followed by intense lonliness. ANY kind of distraction from it would be gladly welcomed, and I'm sure that they would also appreciate the escape of the business of organizing some kind of program as that would help keep their mind off of the usual drudgery ; giving them something to look forward too.
3. We have a lot of immigrant friends whose families are overseas, and can't be with them at Christmas.
They too would surely enjoy gathering with their 'Church family' for the extra day.
4. Although Evangelicals tend to look down on "C&Es" (those that only go to church on Christmas and Easter), I have to admit that my brothers and sister ALL fit into that category, and I'm glad that at least they get to a church once or twice a year, even if it is partly out of obligation to my parents. I have a feeling that, if there was to be another smaller, informal event on the Sunday, there might be an increased likelihood that they would feel ilke attending that one too - maybe start bridging that gap that keeps them away from churches the rest of the year.
Just a few thoughts.
Merry Christmas !
Jeff.
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