Posted on 12/06/2005 3:32:33 PM PST by franky
I think a generalization of Evangelicals was mistakenly stated. I think Nyer meant to be specific about the "Mega-churches" who are closing for Christmas.
The reading of scripture is a form of prayer and we Catholics do "Preach the Word" in Homilies at our Masses.
Remember the sabath and keep it holy, my family will be attending the early Christmas mass.
Just goes to provide evidence to one hypothesis of mine - that many of these "evangelical" megachurches are all about the show and actually have little substance. I know people that go to them because they like the fact they can feel anonymous.
If you're at a church in which you feel anonymous and they cancel services on Christmas, its time to rethink things...
The last time Christmas was on a Sunday, my PCUSA church held ****9**** services, and 8 were full. There are 1100 members, and the church holds about 400.
The evangelical protestant service is centered around the sermon. The Catholic (and the Anglican/Episcopalian that haven't gone completely off the deep end) service is centered on the Eucharist.
The difference in the focus is because we believe that God is THERE, on the altar and in the Tabernacle, body and blood, soul and divinity, under the appearances of bread and wine. If you believe that, it changes the entire focus of the worship service.
(. . . and if you don't believe that, of course preaching and receiving the word of God is equivalent to worship.)
Yeah, me too! I could but stare!
At our church we have the following services on Christmas Eve/Christmas Day:
Saturday
5:00 PM
7:00 PM
Midnight
Sunday
7:00 AM
8:30 AM
10:00 AM
11:30 AM
The only service cancelled is Sunday evening Mass at 5:30. Usually all of the services are standing room only particularly midnight.
Several reasons. Family from out of town, people like to come as a family for Christmas, Chreaster Christians that just show up twice a year and that's in addition to the usual folks that always show up for Mass. I used to resent the twice a year churchgoers but Christ would not quench the smoldering wick, nor would I.
Bless you!
Sounds kinky.
SD
I did the linens during November, my regular month, but the lady doing the linens for December is going out of town, and we are having so many services that I am afraid we'll run low. So I volunteered.
A priest, a minister, and a rabbi are sitting around drinking coffee and complaining. The minister says, "I can't get rid of the bats in the steeple. I've tried everything and they just keep coming back."
"Oy!" chimes in the rabbi. "They're under the eaves at the synagogue, I've tried everything - exterminators, owl decoys, wind chimes - nothing helps!"
"Hey, no problem," says the priest. "I just baptized and confirmed them, and now they only show up at Christmas and Easter."
My parish (Catholic) is only having two services instead of the usual Sunday four (five counting Sat night) but is having three services on Saturday. So total of five services over the weekend. And, of course, Mass is celebrated every day (except Good Friday when there are two services but no mass).
Personally, I never quite understood why Protestants ever felt they had to go to church. The Bible doesn't say you have to. So, I guess it doesn't really surprise me at all.
[owl]
[crickets]
[wind]
Thank you for clarifying my statement. On Christmas day, we should kneel in awe and amazement at the incredible love of God for mankind. I can't understand how any church would shut its doors to worshipers.
"The difference in the focus is because we believe that God is THERE"
We also believe that God is present where two or three are gathered together in His name.
I saw this on Fox & Friends this morning. The rationale of "maybe the ministers want to spend time with their families" is completely way off. Would an accountant consider taking April 15th off?
Some of the Megachurches are more "spiritual" or pentecostal in nature, like Houston's Lakewood Church.
Well, since it's a Baptist church probably 100 people are divided amongst greeters, ushers, people who collect money. The other 400 are requried to swarm any visitor and exert great pressure on them to join the church.
There body and blood, soul and divinity, is what I meant.
You almost make it sound as if God is not present when the eucharist is not being served. IOW God's presence in a person exists only when they are partaking of physical elements.
Is not God everywhere... always? Has he not taken up tabernacle in your body and soul?
Or is he only really present in the Eucharist?
Protestants (or at least this one) believe that God is omnipresent and further that when a person becomes a believer, God takes up actual residence in that person. So there is no necessity of insisting upon a "real presence" in the eucharist since the "real presence" is in the heart of the believer.
When the Eucharist is not being served, the Tabernacle is used for reservation of the Host.
You can tell because the lamp is lit beside the Tabernacle. When it is, one reverences the Tabernacle instead of the altar.
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