Calvary Chapel of Fort Lauderdale now promoting its Christmas Day service online after initially announcing a Dec. 25 closure
Posted on 12/19/2005 6:23:54 AM PST by NYer
With many large churches across the U.S. announcing they won't be open on Christmas Day, some pastors are defending their decision to stay closed, even going so far as to blast those who question their motives.
Among them is Jon Weece, pastor of Southland Christian Church in Lexington, Ky., who received complaint e-mails from Christians in all 50 states.
"I was deeply saddened by the knee-jerk response of the Christian community as a whole to give the benefit of the doubt to the media and not a church or a brother in Christ," Weece said in his Dec. 10 sermon. "I'm still troubled that more Christians in this community specifically did not stand up for us knowing what this church represents."
(Audio of the entire sermon is available here.)
Weece blamed Satan the devil for using the Christmas issue as a distraction, prompting Christians to bicker among themselves.
"People are not the enemy," he said. "The devil is, and it is obvious that he has been at work in this situation."
Weece said the services being offered on Christmas Eve were still technically the "first day of the week" if one went by the custom of starting days at sunset, which some believe was the case in Jesus' day.
He went on to note: "Christmas began as a pagan holiday to the Roman gods, and if we were to really celebrate the historical birth of Jesus, it would either be in January or mid-April. I'm only pointing out the historical technicalities not out of intellectual arrogance, but again because of the illogical, ill-informed and even hypocritical arguments that were aimed at me personally this last week."
Weece also said Jesus himself walked all over opinion and tradition: "Do not lose sight of the controversy that Jesus incited by turning traditions on their head. And always remember in the economy of Jesus, the one whose birthday so many are claiming to be so passionate about, Jesus placed value and emphasis on people over policy and procedure and protocol every single time."
Meanwhile, the largest Christian church in South Florida has reversed itself on its closure Christmas Day, and now says it will be open for a single service next Sunday morning, Dec. 25.
Calvary Chapel of Fort Lauderdale now promoting its Christmas Day service online after initially announcing a Dec. 25 closure |
Calvary Chapel of Fort Lauderdale originally decided to give its members and workforce a day off to spend with their families on Christmas, even though it falls on Sunday, its traditional day of worship. Instead, it had scheduled a slate of extra services for Saturday night, Christmas Eve.
 Pastor Bob Coy |
"I've been called a bad person and a shame to Christianity," pastor Bob Coy told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "It made me realize that many people misunderstood our motives."
But after an onslaught of negative public reaction from both inside and outside his congregation, Coy had a change of heart.
"Say it isn't so," read one e-mail, according to Coy. "You're shutting your doors on Jesus' birthday. I'm appalled at the message you're sending to the community."
Coy also was advised by some church members who said they wouldn't be able to attend services on Christmas Eve, and preferred to come on the actual holiday.
"Christmas is filled with unrealistic expectations," he said. "I don't want to fuel that. If people need Jesus on Christmas, I want to make Him available."
The entire issue has exacerbated the national Christmas controversy at a time which many believe is supposed to harken back to the Gospel of Luke's "peace on Earth."
"There is no biblical mandate that we meet on Sunday, only that we meet," writes Larry Baden in an online messageboard. "This is clearly a nonessential issue. Nobody's orthodoxy stands or falls on having a Sunday service. Nobody's salvation depends on having a Sunday service."
Minister Jeff Chitwood contends: "I think the issue centers on canceling worship on a day that is supposed to be centered on Christ. Too many times the church accuses the world of taking Christ out of Christmas but now the church is the one changing things because a day centered on Christ conflicts with schedules. What kind of message does it send to those who we have condemned in the past? At our church we are rescheduling service times but not eliminating the opportunity to worship on a day centered on Christ."
One poster said true worship is about much more than just singing or attending a church service.
"The way I greet my family when I go home from work is an act of worship. The way I talk to my co-workers. The dedication I give to my employer. The passion and inspiration I find in teaching or writing or editing or reading or mowing the lawn or ironing my shirts. ...
"Let's all just focus on God this Sunday. He's a big Guy. I'm sure those who look for him will find him – even if they don't set foot in a church building."
So how can imperfect beings offer a "perfect sacrifice of the Son?" Oh, that's right, the Pope said you can.
This certainly can take place anywhere, but it is good to have a fitting place on earth for this worship and sacrifice.
A "fitting place," such as a smelly stable where Christ was born?
Isn't it amazing how great a role fear plays in the lives of religious people, be they Buddhist, Muslim or Christian?
"Security through fear." What a paradox!
The Catholic Church has a huge problem with it's priests. It's not like the situation is resolved. This is really damaging as the "Church" is considered sacred.
Protestant churches have issues as well, but protestants have never asserted that their "Church" has supernatural powers.
These problems with the Catholic Church would lead many to believe that the "Church" and the papal father might be akin the "emperor with no clothes".
Paul also says that when something is done (or in this case, not done) that causes a brother to be offended, we sin against that brother.
So where do we draw the line?
"It's not clever, and makes you sound like a bigot.
It's cool for Catholics to belittle Protestants, but when Protestants point out serious problems in the "Church" then they're bigots?
Like I said before in this thread, "live by the sword, die by the sword" - if you start throwing stones and don't act like an innocent bystander when some get thrown back."
Are you two brothers or the same person posting? Anyway, not to point out the obvious (again), but it is a matter of degree. There is a way to RESPECTFULLY disagree with another person's opinion. What people do or don't do on Christmas is their decision, and involves free will. But people do have various opinions about one of the biggest Christian Holy Days of the year and that's okay. What's not okay is some of the bigoted hyperbole that is being bandied about as opposed to well thought out, intelligent discourse.
Our Protestant, Mega-Church in Houston is having a 4PM service at the Toyota Center on Christmas Eve. We expect a large crowd and everyone in the city is invited. Clay Walker and Yolanda Adams will be participating in Worship with us.
Music starts at 3:15 and the service at 4:00.
We will also have an 11:00 AM service on Christmas.
My point is that those who "worship" in glass cathedrals shouldn't throw stones.
You've arrogantly condemned others because of the myopic view of your own religion...just like the Pharisees.
I've got news for you, the same is true not just for the megachurches but all of organized religion, which probably includes most of what you hold dear regarding "church."
Maybe part of the disconnect with all of this is that Protestant pastors tend to be married and have family of their own.
I don't have a problem with churches closing on Christmas, especially if they are having lots of services on Christmas Eve. I figure the pastors and their families are doing their duties the day before. I'm sure it is well-publicized.
My church is small and meets in a school. For 2 summers, we've had to be very creative about church while the school was unavailable due to contruction. It gives you a whole new perspective about what church is.
Some people would have a hard time meeting in a school because because they care more about the building than about the people. However, my husband and I think the church is more about the people than the location or the time.
He was talking about a weaker brother being offended.
Those of us who sit out there and snipe at these churches are not in danger of losing our faith over their less than stellar decision.
What I would do is lovingly let them know that they've made a weak decision.
The penalty to them is that none of the Christmas attenders will go to their churches.
Because they are holding lots of services on Christmas Eve. It takes a lot of managing to hold the Christmas Eve services, and they don't want to do it on both Christmas Eve and Christmas.
>>attending church just for the sake of attending is legalism and ritualistic. <<
Three things:
1) We are commanded to meet corporately and worship God as a church body. Individual/family devotions are for the other 6 days
2) A true believer longs to worship God and be in the fellowship of other believers. Anyone who rolls out of bed and feels "obligated" to worship has an issue with himself, not the church.
3) The heart of this issue is not legalism, it's the "Conditional Worship" laziness of contemporary pop-bubblegum christianity. The idea of "Unless I can ____ then I won't go to church.", or "Unless the church offers ____ then I won't go."
These churches are closing their doors on Christmas Sunday as a convenience to the congregation. Our convenience or comfort should never be a consideration when it comes to worshipping the LORD on the day He has set aside for corporate worship.
See my post #158.
I suppose all of Paul's instructions on church government and orderly worship aren't applicable in your eyes?
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