I’m wishing you a Merry Christmas!

And if you celebrate something different this time of year, then may you find the joy and satisfaction in that celebration.

And if you don’t celebrate anything this time of year, then Merry Christmas!

Hark the herald angels sing “Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild God and sinners reconciled”
Joyful, all ye nations rise Join the triumph of the skies
With the angelic host proclaim: “Christ is born in Bethlehem”
Hark! The herald angels sing “Glory to the newborn King!”

Christ by highest heav’n adored
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin’s womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! The herald angels sing
“Glory to the newborn King!”

Hail the heav’n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Ris’n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
“Glory to the newborn King!”

—- Charles Wesley

Tags: Christmas

The latest controversy to roil evangelicalism is the decision of several megachurches to not hold services on Christmas Day this year because it falls on a Sunday. We actually discussed this yesterday during my Adult Bible Fellowship Class (otherwise known as Sunday School) because we have two teachers and they got off track about who was teaching what. So one of the teachers threw this is out as a topic of discussion. Personally, I’m of two minds here, because yes it is crazy to cancel Christmas services because they fall on Christmas Sunday, but why not since everybody was just in Church the evening/night before for a Christmas Eve service. OK, the Murphy Family at this point is planning to be in the pew at our church on Christmas morning following being in the pew at my Father-in-Law’s church the night before (just as we have for the past 17 years).

While I’m not going to fault the churches that decided to skip a Sunday, I’m going to agree with the position of a pastor who appeared on a TV show to discuss as relayed by my ADF teacher: “We made the decision a long time ago to hold services every Sunday of the year regardless of circumstance – whether it was Christmas, we lost power, whatever”. I think that’s the right position – it doesn’t matter how many show up, the doors will be open. I know, easy for me to say, since I all I have to do is show up and maybe help serve communion.

The Internet Monk has big roundup on this subject and is also spot on in his analysis.

Tags: Christmas