I am not a pastor.
I am not currently employed at a church, but I hope to be soon.
So speaking from the perspective of a simple churchgoer with a love for ministry, my plea to pastors should be considered logically reasonable:
Don't cancel church on Christmas!!!
"But people will be making other plans!" You say. "Not many people will show up to church. They will be traveling and spending time with their family."
Okay, so maybe you will have a smaller group of people show up. And yes, it is horribly inconvenient for you as a pastor to sacrifice your own family time on Christmas to plan another Sunday service and find enough volunteers willing to sing, run sound, or serve in the nursery. You are already busy planning a Christmas eve service, and maybe you have even printed in the bulletin that there will be no church services on Sunday, December 25th.
It's not easy, but it's doable. Some churches are combining their multiple Sunday services into only one church service on Sunday. Others are planning an identical service for both their Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services. As the church discerns the needs of their congregation, many viable, creative options surface.
But the answer is not to cancel church. And the reason should be obvious to you - It's Christmas! What better day to celebrate the incarnation of God for the redemption of the world with your body of believers on the day actually set aside for intentional celebration!
Furthermore, it's Sunday. It;s the Lord's Day, also known as the Sabbath. Are we to cancel the gathering of believers for worship as soon as it becomes inconvenient for us?
And yes, family time is important, especially on Christmas. That's why we travel, cook big meals, and see people we wouldn't normally take the time to see. So tell me, why wouldn't we want to spend our family time on Christmas with our brothers and sisters in Christ? The ones we actually spend fellowship and deep, genuine, intimate community in worship of the Lord who unifies us?
As a pastor, you should be teaching your congregation the right perspective when it comes to church and Christmas, not the other way around.
But don't just take it from me. Take it from an actual pastor who writes books and blogs for the Gospel Coalition, Kevin DeYoung:
"It’s the Lord’s Day. It’s a resurrection morning. It’s the day on which Christians have gathered for 2,000 years to sing the Bible, preach the Bible, pray the Bible, and see the Bible in the sacraments. It’s the day of the week given for rest and worship. Why would we cancel church on Sunday just because that Sunday is extra-special?
Maybe you’ve already printed the Advent schedule. Maybe the plans are already set. But it’s not too late to change your mind. Will your church’s ministry crumble without church one Sunday? I doubt it. But might it say something good and healthy about your convictions and priorities if you gather for corporate worship on December 25 just like you do every other Sunday? Something to think about."
Read DeYoung's full article blog here: https://blogs.thegospelcoalition.org/kevindeyoung/...
So think about it.
