While Christmas as a Festival kept annually by the Church only goes back to the fourth century, the Lord’s Day, the first Day of the week, as the weekly Celebration of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus from the dead goes back to the apostolic age (see Revelation 1: 10).
The English Puritans and Scottish Presbyterians – and their New England descendants – did not celebrate Christmas because it was not clearly a biblical festival, there being no command with reference to it in the New Testament. They treated it as a normal day. However, they did have a very high doctrine of the Lord’s Day as the Christian Sabbath and the keeping of this was a basic moral duty (see the Ten Commandments!).
Against this background, it is at first sight perhaps NOT surprising to see an advert such as this which appeared in Oklahoma recently:
However it is surprising for here we find an amazing thing -- that the leadership of a supposed Christian congregation, a very large one, is saying that there is NO duty to worship God the Father in the Name of the Lord Jesus on the weekly celebration of the resurrection in late December. What may be called the secular understanding of Christmas – family get together for a holiday celebration – has triumphed and the assembly of Christians is closed down on that day which is this year, nothing less than the Lord’s Day. (And the same is happening in many similar churches of the Willow Creek type across the USA.)Life Church
Christmas Eve Worship ExperiencesJoin us on December 24 at the Oklahoma City Campus for our Christmas Eve celebration! Experiences will be held at 2:30 PM, 4 PM, 5:30 PM, and 7 PM.
Because Christmas falls on a Sunday this year, all Christmas worship experiences will take place on Saturday December 24, Christmas Eve only. There will be not be worship experiences on Sunday, December 25.
It is our most sincere hope that you will be able to use this opportunity to spend some time with your family and enjoy the holiday together.
The practice of being user-friendly, relevant and “with it” has here clearly triumphed over the clear teaching of the New Testament and the requirement of the law of God.
In defense of the leadership of the “Life Church” one may note that they are asking people to attend services on the Saturday, the 24th. However, why they could not have also opened their building for one service, just one, for those who have a sense of “Sunday duty” is puzzling. Also why they could not, like the Catholic Church, have a Midnight Celebration, on the 24th, is also puzzling. For they are not like the Puritans of the 17th and 18th centuries who abolished Christmas but most seriously kept the Lord’s Day. In fact they are so committed to Christmas as a public holiday and general family get-to-together that they are ready to close down their church on the festival day, even if that day is the day of days, the festival of the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
What is clear is that churches such as this one in Oklahoma will (at least in the short term) grow in numbers and popularity. It may be observed that at least part of their attraction is that they tailor Christianity to fit into American life so that there is a minimum break with American culture and society for church members.
In contrast, the fullness of Catholic & Evangelical doctrine and practice stands in in contrast to, even in conflict with, much American culture and practice.
Maybe this Christmas we all need to hear these solemn words:
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life and those who find it are few.” (Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount)
petertoon@msn.com December 12, 2005
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