A few Christmas issues for this year

[Alcott]

While we have done polls and threads in the past about Christmas topics, this poll covers 2 of them which posters here want to discuss.

 

[Squire Robertsson]

Regretfully, you didn't have

My church will have its regularly scheduled Sunday Evening service.

Though in my case the service will be a Christmas candlelight service.

 

[SaggyWoman]

I am not sure why some make issues out of whether we attend certain days or times or all the times. Aside from meeting together, the Bible hasn't listed in it's bulletin when to attend.

 

[Johnv]

I couldn't properly answer the first one. I say "Merry Christmas", "Season's Greetings", and "Happy Holidays" all the time, somewhat at random. I don't see why I should have to refrain from "Merry Christmas" just to please a non-christian, or why I should have to refrain from "Happy Holidays" just to please the hyperfundamentalists.

 

[FriendofSpurgeon]

Regarding how you express your greetings, I think a lot of it depends on where you live and to whom you are speaking. We happen to live in an area that has a large percentage of Jewish families. When speaking with someone I know is Jewish, I either wish him "happy holidays" or sometimes more specifically "happy Hanukah." If I am speaking to a Christian (or at least a Gentile), I would be more apt to say "merry Christmas."

Regarding Sunday Services, I can understand how some churches may want to reduce their schedules. At our own church, we are having just one service (instead of our normal two) on Chrismas Day, with no Sunday School. But we are having four Christmas Eve services the night before - quite a busy day for our ministers, staff, volunteers and choirs.

 

[Taxman]

I don't see the big issue some have made about churches having several Christmas services throughout the week and not one on Christmas Day. The N.T. believers met daily and from house to house. I'm just glad the gospel is preached, whatever day that a church decides.

 

[I Am Blessed 24]

I say, "Merry Christmas" no matter who I'm talking to, unless it's someone from another country, then I say, "Happy Christmas."

Our church is having one service on Christmas, at 11:00AM.

We are having our cantata, "The Thousand Hallelujahs" during the Sunday evening service the week before Christmas.

BTW, I did my shopping this year at Menard's instead of Lowe's because everyone at Menard's said, "Merry Christmas" and sold 'Christmas' trees.

Lowe's employees all said, "Happy Holidays" and sold 'holiday' trees...

 

[Debby in Philly]

My church will have a cantata/drama presentation on Christmas Eve. We expect a fairly large attendence.

We will be having "normal" Sunday School and Morning Worship on Christmas Day, although the senior pastor will not be there because he is expecting his rather large family at home (he had suggested that we not have services), but the assistant pastor will preach. It is expected that the "old guard" will attend, but that many of the new people will not. Hopefully we will be pleasantly surprised.

 

[PamelaK]

We will be having a Christmas Eve Service, no Sunday School, a regular morning service, those who wish, as a church, bringing gifts to an assisted living facility in the afternoon and visiting and singing there, and having a regular evening service.

 

[cojosh]

We will be having an 11:00 service and after a Christmas dinner in the fellowship hall. Most people will not stay because they have other plans with their families. This is mainly for members who may not have family, this way they won't be alone on Christmas.

 

[tenor]

That's pretty cool!

 

[Alcott]

Observations:
Although 55% say their church will have the "regularly scheduled morning service" on Christmas Sunday morning, for many of us who answered that way it may not be technically true. Our church, for example, is going to have 2 services, instead of the usual 3, and not at the exact same times of any 'regularly' scheduled service; and no Bible study groups, apparently within the 'norm,' as just 12% say their churches will have Bible study that day.

But apparently since most of our churches are not having regular Bible study, the position of our own churches is opposed by a lot of us, since 36% say churches should not change anything about their regular Sundy schedule.

Neither the poll nor any comments seem to make a relation between a Christmas Eve service on Saturday night and whether that, in a sense, 'compensates' for part of regular services missed.

 

[Bob Farnaby]

Hmmm .. I usually say "Happy Christmas" .. so does this create a situaton of compromise?, a declaration of independance?, a lack of christian unity?, an mark of libralsm?, a mark of conservatism?, ..... or just a habit aquired may years ago.

Regards
Bob

 

[I Am Blessed 24]

Hey, Bob! Did you miss this in my post?

I say, "Merry Christmas" no matter who I'm talking to, unless it's someone from another country, then I say, "Happy Christmas."

I know what "merry" means in other countries.

§ue

 

[patrioticcamerican]

Originally posted by Squire Robertsson:
Regretfully, you didn't have </font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />My church will have its regularly scheduled Sunday Evening service.

Though in my case the service will be a Christmas candlelight service. </font>[/QUOTE]Same here on the services. Our pastor was adament about keeping the service schedules the same. But we did have a special evening service, with candlelight and communion. A nice choice. I can understand a church canceling an evening service, but to cancel entirely just seems a little ironic to me because after all the holiday is supposed to be about Christ's birth. I do think it's silly and sad that anyone would actually have a problem with stores saying Merry Christmas and that this issue is an example of a downward trend in society. Would the Founding Fathers or people 100 or even 75 years ago ever dreamed that saying Merry Christmas would be a semi-political issue?

 

[Kiffen]

Same here on the services. Our pastor was adament about keeping the service schedules the same. But we did have a special evening service, with candlelight and communion. A nice choice. I can understand a church canceling an evening service, but to cancel entirely just seems a little ironic to me because after all the holiday is supposed to be about Christ's birth. I do think it's silly and sad that anyone would actually have a problem with stores saying Merry Christmas and that this issue is an example of a downward trend in society. Would the Founding Fathers or people 100 or even 75 years ago ever dreamed that saying Merry Christmas would be a semi-political issue?

Ouch! Great post. Puts me under conviction.

We had Christmas Eve services at 5 pm Saturday night which we do every year regardless of the day that Christmas falls on. We had Christmas morning service at 10 am Sunday. We canceled Sunday School and Discipleship training and no evening service (Though we still ended up with 2 Worship services because of Christmas Eve).

Maybe if we celebrated Christmas on January 7 when the Eastern Orthodox celebrate it we would take it more serious. It is sad that so many will not come to Christmas services.

 

[Alcott]

because after all the holiday is supposed to be about Christ's birth.

Whether it is "supposed" to be about Christ's birth depends on who it is doing the supposing. But the simple fact is that His birth is just an insertion into a winter solstic festival which has developed over thousands of years. Coupling that with a NT search showing as assembly of God can meet at any time, then the only 'wordly' thing is the festival itself.

 

[ronthedisciple]

Our church did not have Sunday School on Christmas. We did hold our regular morning worship service. Our church does not hold an evening service. We held a Christmas Eve candlelight service on Saturday night.

Our pastor makes recommendations as to worship schedules, but it is ultimately a decision of our Deaconate Board. The decision to hold Sunday School or not was decision made by our Board of Christian Education, again considering input from the pastor. In our church the pastor is a de-facto member of all boards and committees, but carries no vote.