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
I think this year with Christmas Day falling on a Sunday presents a marvelous opportunity for faith communities that do not have a practice of having Christmas Day worship to begin such a practice, or at the very least have the opportunity to celebrate the Festival of Incarnation according to Luke and John in very particular and distinct ways.
ReplyDeletePerhaps I'm different than most, but I don't see why Christmas Day falling on a Sunday is an issue in the first place. For me it is a duty and delight, part of Christian practice, to celebrate these days in all their fulness. After for weeks of expectant waiting, I can't imagine truncating the the party.
More, with every Sunday being a little Easter, why would Christians not celebrate the resurrection on the eighth day? If an Eve service is enough to even ponder canceling Sunday worship, I want nothing to do with it. Thus, if pressed to only have one service this year, I would choose Sunday.
I am eager to rejoice with the angels and shepherds once again and then to enter the cosmic mystery of the poetic proclamation of the Word made flesh.
(And for those looking ahead...Christmas Day being on a Sunday also means that the Festival of the Name of Jesus is the following Sunday).
How unfair that Christmas should fall on a Sunday! It's not right to expect us to interrupt our Christmas morning gift-opening traditions to be in a church service! Can't God get involved and deal with this? Maybe issue a special dispensation or do a miracle or something?
ReplyDeleteOh, wait... That's what Christmas is about, isn't it...
(Best Emily Litella imitation): Never mind.
Transferred from Facebook...
ReplyDeleteEllen R Pannier: I think we should worship on Christmas morning- no matter what day it falls on- if it weren't for Christmas, would any other Sunday matter- as a former sexton who cleaned between those services- it did make for a long night- but it was worth it- humble service to God.
Rachael Lyman: Cancelling a CHRISTmas morning service just encourages our society to stay home and celebrate commercialism in place of this miraculous event. Shall we cancel the Easter morning service so we can worship the bunny and all the goodness he brings?
Ken Pannier: I do not see the logic behind this. It's Sunday. Your normal day of worship. The fact that this is even a concern is disheartening. I apologize if this insults anyone, but I feel that the fact that this is a concern, problem, or even passing thought raises the question, "What is being preached the rest of the year?" The masses are obviously not getting the message the rest of the year if this is a valid concern.
Ken Pannier: Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.
Also from FB:
ReplyDeleteArthur Bergren: First, Geneseo has 3 Christmas Eve services which include candlelight and communion. We worship 700 or so at those liturgies. We have one Christmas Day service where we worship around 70 people. Afterwards we hold a community wide Christmas Day meal where we serve around 150 meals. Both days are important for different reasons. Not better, not worse - just different. God is in it all.
Liturgically, and following the Jewish tradition, THE DAY begins in the evening, so Ch Eve IS Christmas! The EVE, the DAWN, the DAY are historically related to the three sets of Christmas propers.
ReplyDeleteFor Swedish Lutherans traditionally Ch Eve afternoonor evening was time for gifts, with the DAWN time ("Julotta") being the most prominent --- the reason that Wallin's "All hail to you, O blessed morn" and also "When Christmas morn is dawning" are so prominent as entrance hymns in the Swedish expression.
Especially on a Sunday, there really should be a Christmas DAY service, even if the attendance is small. (Whenever there is a change of Sunday morning schedule, there needs to be signs at entrances giving the revised times --- especially if outdoors signs are not changeable.)
I am well aware that currently Americans are more likely to attend Ch Eve.
However, if we look at Easter, the most ancient Easter Service was the Vigil of Easter (at night) but currently people are prone to attend Easter morning. Actually Easter Sunrise services and Easter breakfasts could be understood as the concluding remnants of the Easter Vigil (which often ended with a light meal).
John Lekander