from 68-75, the best party of the Christmas season was a 2&1/2 block walk from St.Marys after Midnight Mass... it was nothing to see 25-30 people in one large gaggle heading south after Mass.
Posted on 12/25/2008 3:51:48 PM PST by NYer
Millions of Americans go to church on Christmas Eve. They crowd shoulder-to-shoulder in pews to sing "Silent Night" and light candles and listen to soloists belt out "O Holy Night." More than a few watch nativity plays that recreate the birth of Jesus with a cast of 10-year-olds in bathrobes. When the service is over, they exchange hearty "Merry Christmas!" wishes before getting in their cars and heading home.
And they stay home the next day. Or they drive to Grandma's, or go to the movies. But however they spend Christmas Day — "the feast of Christmas" on the Christian liturgical calendar — one way most Americans don't celebrate it is by going to church. While demand for Christmas Eve celebrations is so high that some churches hold as many as five or six different services on the 24th of December, most Protestant churches are closed on the actual religious holiday. For most Christians, Christmas is a day for family, not faith.
If that sounds like the triumph of culture over religion, it is. By the middle of the 20th century, Americans had embraced a civil religion that among other things elevated the ideal of family to a sacrosanct level. The Norman Rockwell image of family gathered around the tree became a Christmas icon that rivaled the baby Jesus. And Christmas Eve services — with their pageantry and familiar traditions — became just one part of the celebration, after the family dinner and before the opening of presents.
(Excerpt) Read more at time.com ...
We had 3 services in our small parish - 5pm Christmas Eve, Midnight and 11am Christmas Day. I attended the Midnight (yes ... at midnight) service and was told there was a high attendance at the Christmas Eve Mass. Not sure about this morning. What about your parishes?
If you're only going to go to Mass once a year, maybe you shouldn't bother at. Imagine how poor a player you'd be at anything else you only bother to do 1 day a year.
We had services Christmas Eve 4:00 p.m. (two); Christmas Eve 6:30 p.m. (two); Midnight (one) and 10:00 a.m. Christmas (one). My grupo musical played for the “overflow” Mass at 6:30 last night; both services were full. I’m told the Fire Marshal turned over 100 people away from the 4:00 p.m. service. They’ve gotten very strict recently.
Midnight was probably not full, and 10:00 a.m., to which I took three children who didn’t go last night, had a few empty seats. Many of our parish stalwarts, especially the elderly, seemed to be at the service this morning. I guess they’ve learned when they’ll be able to sit down!
Midnigtht mass for me. Had to work today,but would have gone to midnight mass anyway.
We’ve never had a Christmas Day service in our church. I don’t know any Baptist churches that do — although I expect there are some. Christmas Eve is when we “do” our special services.
Not ours. This Lutheran pastor has aways insisted on having the Festival Service on the Festival, with the Feast. I believe in keeping both the CHRIST and the MASS in CHRISTMAS.
Here's a paragraph from my sermon this morning, "The War on Christmas":
Item, many Christians’ homes, today: Church members are staying home to be with family, rather than being in the Lord’s house, to be with Jesus. But keeping the Christ in Christmas also means keeping the Mass in Christmas, the Christ Mass. Keeping Christmas means being here for the Divine Service of Word and Sacrament, keeping the Feast on this High Festival Day. Skipping out on the Christ Mass is to go AWOL while the War on Christmas is going on.
It appears this writer is subtly (or not subtly) trying to bash Christians, even those who go to Christmas Eve service- for not attending church on Christmas day?
I wonder what her family religious tradition was?
I haven't seen that the prez-elect and his family went to any kind of services for Christmas.
I went this morning (Christmas Day). I look forward to it! There are times I try to make the Christmas Eve ceremony too.
The article said — “For most Christians, Christmas is a day for family, not faith.”
That’s not necessarily so, if a family wants to have a day of rest and contemplation and family togetherness on Christmas Day and remember what Christmas is about.
Going to a church service on Christmas Eve is just as much about having faith in Jesus Christ (while staying with the family on Christmas Day) as going the next day. I do not see a problem with faith in that — given that we’re talking about people who have faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior in the first place.
bump
I changed religions 14 years ago. Yet, I took the children to mass last night. My 6 year old was fascinated by it. After 14 years I still remember all the words and said them.
You have nailed it, silverleaf.
I call those Chreaster catholics. They only go on Christmas and Easter, or, if you will, Chreaster.
We went last night. We always go to Christmas eve midnight mass. When my wife and I were newlyweds we even went to St Peter’s in the Vatican in 1992. Heard the mass in Latin and seven different languages done by Pope John Paul II and a host of cardinals, bishops, priests and altar men.
Didn’t leave until around 4:30 am.
WELS Lutheran here
... or sit, stand and kneel. CAPE Catholics ... Christmas, Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, they show up. The sermons delivered on those days are so important to moving hearts. Pray for them. I was once a member in good standing.
I’m told the Fire Marshal turned over 100 people away from the 4:00 p.m. service.
Sigh ... I only wish we had such a problem in our parish.
Trust, me, there was a day when I would have whined, "oh, God bless them, at least they're here..."
But no more. I see how hard the religious and clergy work for them. I see how they have given up their verly lives for them -- talented men and women who could have had marvelous careers. And then, of course, is Who is waiting for their busy, important little selves in Eucharist.
You pray for 'em.
Something poetic about that...
FACT: TIME -- clueless as usual.
Now if we're talking about a Christmas Eve Midnight Mass, that kind of straddles the fence between an "Eve" and a "Day" service.
The Baptist Church I grew up in had Christmas morning service. My grandparents made sure we went.
The ironic thing is that 4:00 p.m. on December 24 is not even Christmas Eve yet. It's still Advent. I guess those folks don't want church interfering with "their" Christmas.
:-) The Midnight Mass is absolutely beautiful. Sorry you had to work today. It was a pleasant surprise to learn that local malls were closed today.
Perhaps you should consider this.
Christmas Blessings to you and your family!
At 6:30am this morning, we attended a Julotta (Swedish tradition) service at a Baptist church in San Jose.
why’d you cc me on this? I’m a revert. That’s why I go to Mass.
Just curious but do you happen to know why Baptists would not celebrate the birth of our Savior?
See #23 and #28.
My parish has four masses, 4:30PM, 10PM ( midnight mass at 10PM ), 8AM, and 10:30AM. the vigil and midnight at 10PM is the most crowded.
When you get home from church, will Christmas go with you, or will this be the end of it?
The Christmas and Easter sermons are so critical. You only get one shot at moving the hearts of visitors while also addressing the regular parishioners. You made an excellent point.
Actually, although many Baptist churches do not have a service on Christmas day, I can assure you that many celebrate the birth of our Savior on Christmas Eve.
In truth, the pratice of having the “Eve” honored goes back to the Jewish practice of starting a new day or a festival at sundown, the begining of that festival. Since Christ was born at night, it is only right that there is worship at evening/night for Christmas.
Not to belabor this, but because it was THE most striking thing about Mass today: a church full of spectators is about a healthy as a nation full of ‘em. It dawned on me that, no, America doesn’t have to go down the tubes but, if this is what we’re made of, and if this is what we stay made of, it’s over.
Please see post number 35.
I went with family last night. The church (Lutheran) was almost completely packed! There was going to be another service today. My daughter said there would be fewer people there then.
In the old days in the RCC, priests would celibrate 3 masses, at midnight, at dawn, and during the day. Now there is a fourth, often a children’s liturgy vigil mass.
Midnight mass is on Christmas day. It is not on Christmas eve.
Growing up, our Baptist church didn’t even have Christmas Eve services. Church was on Sunday day & night & Wednesday nights.
My church that I go to now is a Baptist off-shoot, and it only recently started having a Christmas Eve service.
We actually opted for going to another church’s service last night. It was a traditional Candlelight service, and I think my whole family enjoyed it. My kids had never been to a traditional service like that.
Merry Christmas!
For some of us, that once a year is a chance to move hearts. The Choir Prayer we say before every Mass has the words, "May we touch but one heart and lead it to Thee." This is a chance to move hearts. Granted, the choir in the Mother Ship here is absolutely the best Catholic choir I've ever sung in, but it could be that way everywhere. Charity-wise we always must be hopeful.
Christmas Eve is almost invariably better attended than Christmas Day. But I would never do away with the Christmas Day Divine Service. That is unthinkable.
Hence why, in the Catholic Church, at least, the readings are different for a 5pm on the eve, a 10 pm, a Midnight, Mass at dawn, and Mass later in the day. This year, I only sang at three Masses (5 pm, Midnight and 10 am) and we had three different sets of readings. The gospels were REALLY different. It really doesn't matter if it's the congregation's Christmas, much to many people's dismay. It's what is proper.
BTW, X=Christ is actually an ancient Christian symbol stemming from the Greek. X or chi is the first letter in the word Christ, so it's kosher,so to speak. Unfortunately, that hasn't been taught. That being said, without Christ, the Solemnity has no meaning.
I grew up as a Baptist in Alabama. As a teen I went to a Christmas eve service at a Baptist church other than my own to hear my girl friend sing the soprano solo of “I wonder as I wander”, and to midnight mass at a local Episcopal Church. I have no recollection of my own Baptist church’s Christmas services.
The day starts at Midnight o 1...
Baptists have a Midnight service and they have your church beat on Christmas day celebration by hours...
My mother’s rather large Episcopal Church has 5:30 and 11PM Christmas Eve and 9AM Christmas. Our very small Anglican church had 7PM last night and 10AM this morning.
We went with my mother at 5:30. She had altar duty, so she had to be there or find someone to cover as she ought not to drive after dark.
from 68-75, the best party of the Christmas season was a 2&1/2 block walk from St.Marys after Midnight Mass... it was nothing to see 25-30 people in one large gaggle heading south after Mass.
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