The great hope of the gospel begins with the incarnation. That Jesus, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God came down from heaven; he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary and was made human. Without the incarnation, there is no active obedience of Christ, no passive obedience on the cross. Without the incarnation, there is no death, resurrection, or ascension. Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, for us and our salvation, became a man just like one of us.
While yes, it is true that there are no explicit Biblical commands that we are required to celebrate the holiday of Christmas, there is certainly wisdom in doing so. The incarnation is of such importance that why would the church not set aside a season to give special attention to it? And not just attention to it through devotional readings, Christmas hymns, and special neighborhood outreaches, but to give special attention to the incarnation by holding worship services. We ought to worship the Lord Jesus Christ for many things, and right at the top of the list would be because of his incarnation.
And by worship, I mean not just a worshipful spirit throughout the Christmas season but actual worship. The event of worship. We, as pastors, should want to encourage the gathering of God’s people to sing and pray, hear God’s word preached, and participate in the sacraments. To worship God in spirit and truth as a church family.
Hence my surprise when I hear of churches canceling worship services because Christmas this year is on a Sunday. That in the name of the incarnation, churches are canceling worship. No one would admit to this in such strong terms. The reasons commonly offered up are something like the following: It is important for families to be together on Christmas. Or, the church staff needs a day off because of all the Christmas programming leading up to Sunday. These are not the worst reasons when stated in a vacuum, and they are understandable given the many pressures churches face during the season. However, given the context, I would encourage pastors to reconsider these thoughts. Let’s use this opportunity to celebrate the great glory of the incarnation with the very activity God gave us to honor Him.
The church’s great cultural concern is that we aren’t “Keeping Christ in Christmas.” And yet, in practice, many Christians themselves are doing this by canceling Christmas service or choosing not to attend.
The 4th Commandment states, “Remember, the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” While yes, there are some in-house theological discussions concerning the particular nuances of continuity/discontinuity between the old and new covenants and what that means for the Sabbath, all Bible-believing Christians should at least affirm the basics. Sunday is God’s day, the Lord’s Day, and on the Lord’s Day, we should be in the Lord’s house with the Lord’s people, doing what the Lord commands—worshiping him.
Pastor, in the name of Jesus, don’t cancel what honors Jesus most. A worship service on Christmas doesn’t need all the bells and whistles. It can be a simple service—a few carols, simple prayers, and a regular sermon that tells the basics of what happened in Bethlehem. Simple can be good, especially during a busy season.
I know many families find great joy in opening gifts on Christmas morning and putting together a large spread of holiday food for when extended family visits. But there is also great joy in families attending Christmas service together and taking time to remember what this holiday is all about. Presents can wait a few more hours under the tree. A little delay is fine. But start the day in church. If you are out of town, visit a church. If you are in town, go to your church. Just make sure to go to a church.
And Christian, go to church every Sunday, especially this Christmas Sunday. There will be plenty of time after church to do all the other things that make Christmas a wonderful holiday. Family can still come over.
The incarnation is a God-ordained moment that would forever impact our eternal destinies. It’s the beginning of the gospel. It’s the initiation of what makes Christianity different from all other works-based religions—that God would come to us. It’s why the angels sang in heaven and the shepherds came to see. Jesus is worth our praise.
Jesus is the reason we gather every single Sunday, especially when Christmas is on Sunday.
Let’s be in church on Christmas Sunday. Honor the incarnation through worship.
The post Is Celebrating Christmas as a Church Body Worth It? appeared first on Focus on the Family.
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While yes, it is true that there are no explicit Biblical commands that we are required to celebrate the holiday of Christmas, there is certainly wisdom in doing so. The incarnation is of such importance that why would the church not set aside a season to give special attention to it? And not just attention to it through devotional readings, Christmas hymns, and special neighborhood outreaches, but to give special attention to the incarnation by holding worship services. We ought to worship the Lord Jesus Christ for many things, and right at the top of the list would be because of his incarnation.
And by worship, I mean not just a worshipful spirit throughout the Christmas season but actual worship. The event of worship. We, as pastors, should want to encourage the gathering of God’s people to sing and pray, hear God’s word preached, and participate in the sacraments. To worship God in spirit and truth as a church family.
Hence my surprise when I hear of churches canceling worship services because Christmas this year is on a Sunday. That in the name of the incarnation, churches are canceling worship. No one would admit to this in such strong terms. The reasons commonly offered up are something like the following: It is important for families to be together on Christmas. Or, the church staff needs a day off because of all the Christmas programming leading up to Sunday. These are not the worst reasons when stated in a vacuum, and they are understandable given the many pressures churches face during the season. However, given the context, I would encourage pastors to reconsider these thoughts. Let’s use this opportunity to celebrate the great glory of the incarnation with the very activity God gave us to honor Him.
The church’s great cultural concern is that we aren’t “Keeping Christ in Christmas.” And yet, in practice, many Christians themselves are doing this by canceling Christmas service or choosing not to attend.
The 4th Commandment states, “Remember, the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” While yes, there are some in-house theological discussions concerning the particular nuances of continuity/discontinuity between the old and new covenants and what that means for the Sabbath, all Bible-believing Christians should at least affirm the basics. Sunday is God’s day, the Lord’s Day, and on the Lord’s Day, we should be in the Lord’s house with the Lord’s people, doing what the Lord commands—worshiping him.
Pastor, in the name of Jesus, don’t cancel what honors Jesus most. A worship service on Christmas doesn’t need all the bells and whistles. It can be a simple service—a few carols, simple prayers, and a regular sermon that tells the basics of what happened in Bethlehem. Simple can be good, especially during a busy season.
I know many families find great joy in opening gifts on Christmas morning and putting together a large spread of holiday food for when extended family visits. But there is also great joy in families attending Christmas service together and taking time to remember what this holiday is all about. Presents can wait a few more hours under the tree. A little delay is fine. But start the day in church. If you are out of town, visit a church. If you are in town, go to your church. Just make sure to go to a church.
And Christian, go to church every Sunday, especially this Christmas Sunday. There will be plenty of time after church to do all the other things that make Christmas a wonderful holiday. Family can still come over.
The incarnation is a God-ordained moment that would forever impact our eternal destinies. It’s the beginning of the gospel. It’s the initiation of what makes Christianity different from all other works-based religions—that God would come to us. It’s why the angels sang in heaven and the shepherds came to see. Jesus is worth our praise.
Jesus is the reason we gather every single Sunday, especially when Christmas is on Sunday.
Let’s be in church on Christmas Sunday. Honor the incarnation through worship.
The post Is Celebrating Christmas as a Church Body Worth It? appeared first on Focus on the Family.
Continue reading...