Going to Church on Christmas: A Vanishing Tradition

Millions of Americans go to church on Christmas Eve. They crowd shoulder-to-shoulder in pews to sing "Silent Night" and light candles and listen to soloists belt out "O Holy Night." More than a few watch nativity plays that recreate the birth of Jesus with a cast of 10-year-olds in bathrobes. When the service is over, they exchange hearty "Merry Christmas!" wishes before getting in their cars and heading home.

And they stay home the next day. Or they drive to Grandma's, or go to the movies. But however they spend Christmas Day — "the feast of Christmas" on the Christian liturgical calendar — one way most Americans don't celebrate it is by going to church. While demand for Christmas Eve celebrations is so high that some churches hold as many as five or six different services on the 24th of December, most Protestant churches are closed on the actual religious holiday. For most Christians, Christmas is a day for family, not faith. [read more...]

How timely! I was thinking about this since Christmas Eve, and was chatting with KW over MSN, and it turns out that both of us were thinking about this.

I mean, it's rather odd to be celebrating in such a big way the birthday of Jesus on Christmas Eve... and then the next day, not celebrate the day for Him. And later on, I met another friend, as I was passing her my Christmas gift. It turns out that she had also thought the same thing too.

So, when I woke up on Christmas morning, I felt a deep sense of longing to go to the Family service today, just to join them for the Christmas service. I did go for the HopeKids party, and had a GREAT time with them... but still, I was rather sad that I missed the Family service.

In fact, I had seriously thought about going down to St. Andrew's Cathedral yesterday to see if they were holding Christmas services, 'cos I really, really miss singing Christmas carols and listening again to the story of the Nativity. I really want to honour Him who laid aside His majesty and gave up everything for me, to become a baby in a manger.

In the end, I decided to spend some time reading Luke 2, and meditating on it. That passage was so beautiful, and so real to me that day.

So I've been thinking. I think next Christmas Day itself, I'll organize a very special Christmas Day party. Not a family gathering, but a meaningful Christmas where everyone can just really take time to celebrate the Lord of love, and sing Christmas carols, to just worship God and adore Him.

Oh come let us adore Him
Oh come let us adore Him
Oh come let us adore Him
Christ the Lord...

And I think it's a proper AND sensible biblical response too, actually. 'Cos didn't the angels sing for joy when Jesus was born? And didn't the wise men just bow down before Him and worship Him? And didn't the shepherds rush to see the King of glory where He lay... and then tell everyone about it?

Come to Bethlehem and see
Him whose birth the angels sing
Come adore on bended knee
Christ the Lord the newborn King

Yup, I think Christmas Day itself should be a special day to be set aside for the Lord, just to worship Him and adore Him for who He is... He's so beautiful!

Hee. Actually, I think nothing wrong with not setting aside Christmas Day as a sacred day... it's just my own personal way of loving and honouring Jesus.

Romans 14:5-6a
"One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord..."

It's like what my friend said, that the Lord sees the heart... just like the little drummer boy. :)

Yup... and it can be evangelistic at the same time too! :) So... yup, just want to commit this plan into the Lord's hands... see how things go... it's so amazing to think that the eternal God actually has a birthday... He truly is the God over everything, including babies and birthdays! He really is God...

Anyway, shall end with this very thought-provoking article from the article:

The idea that Christmas Eve is a prime marketing opportunity to attract new members is widespread among pastors. In online forums, they give each other advice on crafting services that are broken down into digestible segments that will "hold the attention" of infrequent church-goers. (They also devote considerable space to trading concerns about the fire hazards posed by those Christmas Eve candles their congregants love holding.) One pastor said he considered regular Sunday services at his church to be "seeker-friendly," but holidays like Christmas and Easter were "seeker-focused." The irony is that by holding Christmas Eve services that cater to first-time visitors and shuttering their doors on Christmas Day, churches often fail to meet the spiritual needs of their longtime members on one of the holiest days of the year.