Old Testament: Isaiah 9:2-7
Gospel: Luke 2:1-14, 15-20
Epistle: Titus 2:11-14
Merry Christmas!
Today is both Christmas and a Sunday! Perhaps you have heard the consternation this is causing in the Protestant community about whether there should be a church service today or not. I would rather not rehash all the arguments I have seen on social media, but I think it is important to remember that Christmas is first, and always, a Christian religious holiday. Before it became a retail blockbuster, a day to spend with family, or a day off work, it was a time to celebrate God coming incarnate into a baby. Christmas is much like Easter, which is a day that a church service is natural a part of the celebration. Church on Easter is easy because it always falls on a Sunday. But somehow we manage to both go to church and spend time with family. In my estimation, the question this year should not be, should we have church this year, rather, we should ask ourselves why we don't have church every year on Christmas?
Although the Church, capital C, is more than the 4 walls, it is at least in part the gathering of the people to worship God. We should consider it both an honor and a privilege to get together and proclaim the Good News of the birth of the Savior of the world. Is anything more important than that? Some people say this happens during the Christmas Eve service, so we don't need to meet the next day also. Well, by that logic, let's just meet the first Sunday of the month and call it good for the next 3. We should want to meet as often as possible to proclaim and bear witness to God's work in Christ!
Although the Church, capital C, is more than the 4 walls, it is at least in part the gathering of the people to worship God. We should consider it both an honor and a privilege to get together and proclaim the Good News of the birth of the Savior of the world. Is anything more important than that? Some people say this happens during the Christmas Eve service, so we don't need to meet the next day also. Well, by that logic, let's just meet the first Sunday of the month and call it good for the next 3. We should want to meet as often as possible to proclaim and bear witness to God's work in Christ!
That is the end of my rant. Obviously, I think we still need to have a church service today. I think to fail to do, based on the only reason I have heard so far, that Christmas is a day for families, is to idolize the family. It also turns the church into nothing more than a social club. Our gatherings become nothing more significant than any other earthly group were we can meet, or not, based on our own whims. Any heavenly or sacred connection is thus lost.
Since I am assuming everyone went to church on Christmas, or at least Christmas Eve, I won't spend time going over the texts for today. But merry Christmas to everyone and God bless.
Grace and peace.
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