[Between the Lines]

I guess when you run a church like a business, you will have to take off for holidays.

[wideawake]

?

[SandRat]

I wonder if anyone has checked to see if they are having a Christmas Eve service.

[randog]

Others, troubled by the holiday's increasingly secular tone, lament the change.

It might just be the "mega-churches". My wife belongs to a church that started out small but grew very large--about 5K congregation. I've noticed a trend towards secularism in this church. Last Christmas the pastor gave a sermon (after a Las Vegas-style pre-sermon warm-up show) dressed like he was leaving for the Bahamas right afterward.

[Charles Henrickson]

Stupid, stupid, stupid. Not only is it the Lord's Day, it's also the Festival of the Nativity of Our Lord, one of the three chief festivals of the whole church year! So instead of whimpering away in defeat, retreat, and apathy, we ought to be doing CHURCH ON STEROIDS!

But these historically amnesiac and theologically anemic "evangelical" churches wouldn't know the gospel if it came up and smacked them in the face--or, better yet, put the Lord's Word in their ears and his Body and Blood in their mouth.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Just shaking my head. People might disagree about how to celebrate Christmas, but Sunday is Sunday...

[WKB]

What say ye Baptist ping!!

[Uri’el-2012]

Y'shua was not born on December 25.

He was born on the feast of Tabernacles in early October

when He came to Tabernacle among us.

However He was conceived on the feast of Lights.

It was during that feast that He entered as the LIGHT of the world.

b'shem Y'shua

[Clock King]

"It's more than being family-friendly. It's being lifestyle-friendly for people who are just very, very busy," she said.

Either you make time for the Lord or you don't. If you don't, then your faith just isn't that important to you, and becomes just another thing on the todo list.

[r9etb]

Amazing. There are several people who are members of my church precisely because we happened to have a Christmas Day service, and they sorta just wandered in.

[Sensei Ern]

Our church will have a full morning service, with Sunday School, but we will not have an evening service. We are having a Christmas Eve service as well.

I sit on our church's board. We discussed being open on Christmas. We only have 40 adults, so if more than one decides that they are staying home, the pews seem empty. My personal desire was to have all services, but I understand the actions of others to have an evening to be with family. So we settled for what we got. THere was not even a discussion of cancelling SUnday service altogether.

[proudofthesouth]

Then they need to start paying taxes.

[Forest Keeper]

The decision makes sense in today's hectic world, said Willow Creek spokeswoman Cally Parkinson. "It's more than being family-friendly. It's being lifestyle-friendly for people who are just very, very busy," she said.

I'm sure God understands fully the busy lifestyles we lead. I'm sure God says: "Yeah, if you can fit me in, that's great, but if not, no biggie." When churches cater to the desires of men to the exclusion of God then what are they there for in the first place?

I'm proud to say that our church will be open for worship on Christmas morning. The best part of all is that neither of our teenagers have any problem with this at all. By God's grace they want to go. They couldn't care less that some presents will have to wait. God is truly good.

[Gamecock]

But say one negative word about megachurches around here....

[HarleyD]

"At least one other major Lexington congregation, Crossroads Christian Church, will close for Christmas. Crossroads Pastor Glenn Schneiders says Dec. 25 is no longer considered sacred by many Americans...

One has to wonder who's leading the church? When the pastor acquiesce what message does that send to the congregation.

[al_c]

Central Kentucky's largest church will break with tradition and close its doors on Christmas Sunday so that staff and volunteers can spend more time with their families.

Uh... closing during one of the holiest days of Christianity?

I will be spending time with my family Christmas morning and that includes going to Mass as a family.

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

Me thinks the staff wants the day off. All else is a cover story.

[Salvation]

I heard this on FoxNews Channel yesterday and was absolutely flabberghasted. What are they thinking?


Oh, yeah, bottom line ________________

[Salvation]

All these people are welcome to stop in at the Midnight Mass at their closest Catholic Church. Consider this an open invitation to any of the Masses on Christmas Day too!

It's time to come home!

Mary, the Mother of God, pray for us.

St. Paul the apostle, pray for us.

[Cronos]

I'm sorry if I offend anyone, but these Broadway style productions are not religious services, just song-and-dance-with-a-bit-of-shouting-and-bad-acting

[Cronos]

A true religious service is a Mass