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."
Tell me, Hermann, which day do you keep the fourth commandment on?
I saw this in my son's church yesterday.
http://www.celebrationchurchtx.com/videos/no-service-on-christmas-web.wmv
You don't believe that man is judged on his works? Here's a hint, Catholics tend to use language very precisely. Hermann did not put in the phrase "of our own" in as a lark, nor did he then follow it with a reference to Pelgaianism.
Works we do without faith and without God's grace can never amount to anything except "filthy rags."
Works done with faith and in cooperation with God's grace can be, literally, soul-changing.
SD
LOL - It can't be said enough. I have huge problems with the direction that modern religion has taken - especially Catholicism, but it's nice to know that a lot of people still get it when it comes to salvation.
No need to give hints: we all get it.
Just to be clear, are you saying that works are required for salvation?
Generally speaking, yes. You might have an epiphany and then get hit by a bus or you might be an infant or mentally retarded, but in general terms one needs to have a living faith in order to obtain eternal life. And, as we all know, faith without works is dead. Dead. Not alive. Dead.
SD
I just sent an email bashing this moron.
It is extremely sad that the modern church somehow decides that the Ten Commandments don't matter, that since it is Christmas, we don't need to keep the Sabbath Day and make it holy.
Instead, we are to sit at home and open presents!
No worship of the King whose birth we celebrate.
Just sick.
I hate the modern American church. The sad thing is, thte evangelicals are often just as bad as the liberals.
While I don't agree with you on most things, I am glad the Catholic churches I know will be open on Sunday.
I find it sickening that some Protestants believe crap like this:
"Nobody's orthodoxy stands or falls on having a Sunday service."
Bull$*$*. Scripture mandates SUNDAY, not Saturday, not Friday, not Thursday.
SUNDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is an essential issue, and I am pissed off.
I'll be at the 8:00 service with my family, and will happily host anyone who wishes to join us.
Sunday is the established day of worship.
The Westminster Confession makes this clear, sir.
Which day of the week is The Sabbath? The first or the seventh?
BTW I believe that every single one of these churches has a service on Saturday after the Sun goes down. Scripturally speaking that makes it Sunday, doesn't it? Or did scripture suddenly change when we started days at midnight rather than sundown?
I hate the modern American church.
So move to Europe. You'd just love the European churches. Plenty of room to spread your legs out.
The schedule is Sunday.
PERIOD.
In my area, it is the liberal United Churches (4 of the 5 in my area) that are closing on Christmas Day (and New Year's Day). Most of the others are at least having one service on those days...
BTW, this is up in Canada where such is taking place.
Our church will hold six Christmas eve services, but will not have a Christmas day service...so? If I wanted to go to church I would find one that was open or just pray. Most people I know do not go to church on Christmas day anyway.
Best bet: find one that is open, and stay there permanently. Show them that you aren't happy with the decision.
So the Westminster Confession has trumped Exodus Chapter 20, huh? Oh well if it's a choice between the words of God written in stone or the Westminster Confession, then the Westminster Confession wins every time, eh?
The NT time of worship was changed to Sunday. However, the Ten Commandments still abide, and we are to keep the Sabbath Day holy, Sunday for us.
Great witness there, RW.
Again, when exactly, from a scriptural standpoint, does Sunday start?
I don't talk to heretics.
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