Sullivan church of Christ – Sullivan, MO
Date: December 23, 2007
SHALL WE CHANGE THE TIME OF OUR WORSHIP FOR
CHRISTMAS?
Doug Smith
[NOTE: The following article was written in 1997. Although the dates of that year
fell on different days than they do this year, the article is still, nonetheless,
timely and relevant.]
The clamor has already begun in many churches throughout the brotherhood to
cancel or change the scheduled Wednesday worship service on Wednesday night,
December 24th, as well as the service on December 31st. What should be the
attitude of a Christian toward Worship and Bible Study? What message is given
to members of the local congregation when a change or cancellation occurs?
Brethren have consistently preached and taught that worshipping God is of the
utmost importance. We have preached, and rightfully so, that we are not to
forsake the assembling of ourselves together (Heb. 10:25). Our brotherhood
understands that we are to seek first the Kingdom of God (Matt. 6:33).
Let me also say something in regard to the authority of elders in the Lord’s
church as this relates to this subject as well. Certainly elders rule and have
authority as the Bible makes that plain beyond any doubt (Heb. 13:7; Acts 20:
28). Elders rule and make decisions in matters of judgment and those decisions
must be respected and upheld by members of each local congregation. It is a sad
commentary on our time when members, and even preachers, defy and
undermine the authority of elders. I must admit that this is one decision that
would fall under the category of judgment. If an eldership in a local congregation
makes the decision to cancel or change the time of a service because of
Christmas, New Year’s etc. that is their prerogative. We must respect that and
stand behind them even though we may disagree because, after all, this is a
judgment call.
Now, with all this being considered, I want to set forth some things for all to
consider regarding this subject. It is certainly true that many families get
together during the Christmas season and this is always something enjoyable
and worthwhile. But the question is: Should this be allowed to interfere with
our obligation to God and to the church? Someone may reply: “Well this is a
legitimate reason to cancel or postpone the service since it is a rare occasion.”
Another may say: “Christmas Eve is a very important day for our family. We have
traditionally gotten together as a family on Christmas Eve and certainly worship
services should be canceled or postponed to be accommodative.” Another may
say: “We don’t want to make things difficult on others who have family plans
when there is a conflict between family get-togethers, such as takes place during
the holidays, and our worship services.”
From a casual observation, these expressions appear to have validity at first.
After all, who wants to be overbearing, difficult, and uncooperative? Now,
remember that ultimately this is a judgment call that a local eldership must
make from time to time, and that decision must be respected. But stop and
think about the message that canceling or changing the time of a service sends
to others (those in the congregation as well as in the community).
Does not canceling or changing the time of a service, due to an event like
Christmas, send the message that Christianity is a religion of convenience?
Does moving or discontinuing worship to the most High God to accommodate
such an activity display a burning zeal to put the Lord first? Christianity was
never meant to be a religion of convenience. Think about the message it sends
to members of the congregation. We preach and teach that one ought not to
forsake the assembly of the saints together, and that nothing should come
before God, but then turn right around and send the message that there is, after
all, something more importance than assembling (family get-togethers at
Christmas).
If family get-togethers associated with Christmas and New Year’s is a legitimate
reason to cancel or change the worship services of the Lord’s church, are there
not other legitimate reasons as well? What if Alabama is playing in a bowl game
on a Wednesday night? In my family, that would be even more legitimate than a
Christmas get-together. If there is one legitimate reason to cancel or postpone a
worship service then that just opens up the flood gates for even more and turns
Christianity into a religion of convenience. If not, why not?
It is also very interesting to note that congregations who see fit to cancel or
change the worship services due to things like Christmas begin to see
inconsistent attendance on the part of their members. You will begin to see a
decline in the attendance during gospel meetings and other activities, which is
only a natural result of the message being sent. Those congregations that meet
regardless, avoid, in many cases, the lack of consistency in church attendance
because they send the right message. May we always endeavor to seek the Lord
and His church first in our lives.
— via “Seek the Old Paths,” Dec. 1997
[FOLLOW-UP NOTE: There may be certain situations in which it would be the
most expedient to postpone services or change the time of services. This would
be the rare exception and certainly not the rule. If December 24th or 25th falls
on a Wednesday night and the majority of people will be out of town, then it is
my judgment that elders (leaders) would be wise to change the times of services
to say Tuesday or Thursday so as to have as many as possible in attendance.
With that said, I do not believe that any service should be canceled if the
majority of members will be town and able to attend the services. Just because
Christmas may fall on a Wednesday night doesn’t necessarily mean that services
should be changed. The situation is different in this case. In the first case, the
majority of the members were out of town, and in the second case, they were
still in town and therefore able to attend the services. It would be wise for
elders (leaders) to weigh the situation and make the best decisions for the
congregation as a whole. As the article clearly pointed out, we must not send
the wrong message to an unbelieving world or even to members of the church
that Christianity is a religion of convenience. It is not; rather, it is a religion of
conviction and putting Jesus first in our lives no matter what (cf. Matt. 6:33)
— Ben Justice]