Friday, December 26, 2014

Deleting Worship

No Worship this Sunday? 
Should worship be deleted the last Sunday of the year? Should worship be cancelled because of busy Christmas schedules? For several years many churches have deleted worship on the last weekend of the year. (They’ve held just a token worship service in a chapel in place of three large services.) There are arguments in support of this. 

Christmas is such a busy season. Shopping, planning, cooking, parties and special music events and Christmas Eve services lead up to Christmas. The staff works hard and long through out the holidays. Church members, especially those who volunteer, are tired and need time off. Everyone needs a rest, so why not cancel church?

Christians in countries where the church is persecuted would wonder about this. Christians in China, India, Pakistan or Saudi Arabia risk their lives to worship. They would not understand our churches canceling worship. Why would a church free to worship, delete worship? Why would they do this during this significant Holy season? Does this keep Christ in Christmas? 

Yet in recent years churches in the USA have cancelled church in order to rest from busy holiday events and preparations and to enjoy lavish family gatherings. In its place they encourage family worship at home, a poor substitute. They cater to the C. and E. Christians by offering five or six Christmas Eve services and neglect the devout believers who want to worship every Sunday. It promotes a shallow faith.

Should the secular, economy boosting aspects of Christmas take precedence over the true and holy meaning of the day?  

Sunday is a day of rest set aside to gather as a church. The Sabbath is to be kept Holy. We must spend time in worship as a church every Sunday. To cancel this is unthinkable.

What about "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy?" (Ex. 20:8) What about "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing?" (Heb. 10:25a)

What about the New Year? From 2006 on some churches virtually did away with worship on the last Sunday of the year. The end of the year and the beginning of a new year is a special time to reflect on the past and make resolutions for the future. It's a time to worship our Holy God with our brothers and sisters in Christ.  

Let's find a church that is open and worship Christ the Lord this Sunday.

Blessings, Dottie


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1 comment:

  1. quietspiritDecember 26, 2014 at 4:41 PM

    Dottie: If our church would suspend service on any Sunday,except in the case of inclement weather (read blizzard), Iwould be concerned. I did attend a small church that sat with fields all around it. They had to suspend service when the heat wasn't working one January. But to NOT have services "because people are too busy" is not a good example for a church to set.
    On the case of a medium snow, our church would likely be open for those who could make it out. Last January, our church closed on a couple of Sundays because of the amount of snow we received and the average age of those in our congregation,

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