Sunday, December 25, 2011

I have been amused and somewhat bemused recently by the discussion that has been taking place in many congregations.  Since Christmas falls on Sunday this year, pastors and worship committees are wondering what to do about worship services on Sunday, December 25.

I don’t have any proof of this, but it seems to me that over the past generation there has been a movement away from Christmas morning services in favor of Christmas Eve exclusively.  Christmas Eve services are plentiful and offered at a variety of hours.  Christmas Day services are harder to find.  Thus, the question of what to do this year is more significant than it has been in the past.

I served a congregation where the emphasis was on Christmas Eve.  In fact, I used to write two sermons for Christmas Eve because we had an early Eucharistic service (more oriented toward families) and a late candlelight service.  Two unique sermons were necessary because so many of the same faithful folks attended both services.  I would get home well after midnight.  Selfishly, I was glad that I did not have to get up early on Christmas morning to get back to church.

However, in those years when Christmas fell on Sunday, it was simply a short night.  We worshiped as we did every Sunday.  Although it was always a smaller group than a normal Sunday morning, I found that those who came for worship on Christmas morning made for a highly motivated group.  We had the opportunity to sing Christmas morning hymns that don’t make as much sense after dark.  We stepped out of the romantic glow of the manger into the light of a new day in Christ.

Certainly, multiple Christmas services are exhausting for pastors, musicians, choirs and sextons.  They are also taxing on worship committees and altar guilds.  There is a certain price that is paid by the families of those who are in leadership positions.  It is a bit tricky to schedule family activities in between trips to the church.  Christmas morning worship does add to the burden.

Congregations that do not normally have Christmas morning worship are considering whether it is worth the effort to have worship services on Sunday, December 25.  They are wondering if anyone will show up.  Congregations that normally do worship on Christmas are deciding whether to go ahead with their normal schedule for a Christmas morning or to maintain their normal Sunday morning schedule.

Whatever decision your congregation makes, it must be made soon and then well publicized in multiple ways. Finding a locked church door on Christmas morning, Sunday, December 25, would not make a very good gift. 

In case you’re wondering, Christmas has fallen on Sunday most recently in 1994 and 2005.  Comments?  Go to http://niselca.blogspot.com or comment on Facebook. --JC

Funeral Liturgy

I attended a memorial service this week at a United Methodist congregation. As an outsider I felt pretty comfortable. The guest book was in a prominent location. A representative of the funeral home told me where to sit. In the service itself, the only thing that was not printed in either the bulletin or the hymnal was the Lord’s Prayer. The pastor began, “Our Father, who art….” I quickly thought to myself, Methodists don’t say the emphatic “and ever” before the “Amen.” It was a beautiful service followed by a bountiful lunch.

My personal expectations for a good funeral or memorial service were met. Hymns were sung, the Scriptures were read, the Gospel was preached and Holy Communion was celebrated. Hospitality at lunch was gracious.

My own expectations have been formed by a lifetime in the church and years of experience as a pastor. I have officiated, been part of, or attended countless funerals. I know what seems right and fitting to me.

 

I am sure that everyone carries his or her own expectations into funeral worship. Those expectations may have been formed from their own church traditions or they may have been influenced by other sources. Once in a while the funeral of a celebrity or a dignitary may be televised. I watched Ron Santo’s funeral. From it one might surmise that all Roman Catholic funerals include eulogies and assigned seating.

People are also influenced by fictitious portrayals of funerals on TV and in movies. It is fairly easy to picture a grim-faced preacher in a flowing gown standing next to an open grave solemnly intoning the King James Version of the Twenty-third Psalm. In sitcoms the casket is always open and is surrounded by mountains of flowers and candles enough to resemble a forest fire. Think about the TV funerals that you can recall. Do any of them resemble what you have witnessed in the church?

We need to remember that many folks who attend funerals in our congregations come from other churches or have no experience with the church at all. They come out of respect for the deceased not knowing exactly what to expect, though they may have some preconceived notions. We need to be explicit in our instructions during worship and maybe even offer some commentary as we move through the liturgy.

Most people, including active church members, are not familiar with the funeral liturgy that we use. I think that is unfortunate. The funeral liturgy can and should be a source of comfort for those who mourn. But, it is hard for the liturgy to accomplish that goal if we are not familiar with it. As useful as funeral planning classes are, they never attract many people. I am wondering if it might be possible to incorporate portions of the funeral liturgy into what we do on an occasional Sunday. I might even be tempted to adapt the whole funeral liturgy for use on a Sunday. I think a congregation would hear the prayers and the Scripture readings much differently on a Sunday morning than it would at a funeral. The Good News can be hard to hear through the grief associated with a loved one’s death. However, I think we would all be better prepared if we went in knowing what to really expect.

Comments? Go to http://niselca.blogspot.com/ or comment on Facebook. --JC

Faith Stories

Pastor Chuck Steinke was the synod’s stewardship director prior to me.  At the time, I was glad that I didn’t have to do all that stewardship preaching.  Besides the occasional pastor’s installation, it seemed like preaching and teaching sound stewardship practices was all that he did.  I liked the greater variety that my portfolio afforded me.

When Pastor Steinke left the synod staff, Bishop Wollersheim tapped me to take over as stewardship director.  Soon I was preaching and teaching stewardship most of the time.  It’s not that stewardship wasn’t a passion of mine.  I was just afraid that serving as stewardship director would be somehow limiting.

After I had been preaching and teaching stewardship for four years, the ELCA created the position of Director of Evangelical Mission, with a job description that included stewardship.  Pastor Kurt Nordby joined our staff as our DEM and I passed the stewardship baton to him.  My job description once again included a lot of variety.  To my surprise, I missed the stewardship work!  I had found it to be much more fulfilling than I had anticipated.  I told Kurt that he could count on me to help in any way I could.

Fortunately, I am still called upon throughout the year and especially each fall to do some stewardship preaching.   In my preaching, I often tell the story of how I learned to be a good steward.  It began humbly in Sunday school and has continued to the present day.  I am still learning how to be generous.  In fact, I think a lot about what it takes to actually be generous.  For me, generosity is marked by unselfish, sacrificial giving.

I have learned to tell my stewardship story by listening to the stories of others.  We need to hear those stories in worship on Sundays.  As a pastor, I have had the privilege of hearing faith stories around kitchen tables, in circle meetings, in small groups, and in my office; but I have heard precious few in worship.  Whether we call them temple talks, testimonies, faith stories, or something else, we need to hear each other’s stories.  We would benefit from hearing how God is at work in the lives of others.  I think we would all become much more comfortable in talking about our faith if we just practiced a little.  What better place than in the midst of your own congregation?

Can your congregation make room in its worship for faith stories?  Are you willing to tell your own story?  Are you willing to hear the stories of others?

Comments?  Please go to http://niselca.blogspot.com or comment on Facebook.  --JC