"Christ" is brought to the forefront of our culture during the Christmas season. Whether people like it or not, mangers take center stage in store displays, malls and in yard displays set up all around our cities.
Churches capitalize on the cultural receptivity that this holiday creates. Musicals, "pageants", theatres, candle-light services, Christmas Eve services, Christmas Day services, concerts, parties, benevolence projects, outings, and much more -- these all are added to our calendars as we try to make the most of the opportunity afforded to us by this cultural receptivity.
People that work at churches feel the stain of this demanding season. In the bustle and busyness is there time to rest? Time to enjoy? Time to reach out to neighbors? Time for children and family? How about time to even decorate or purchases gifts?
I wonder if it isn't just clergy and staff members feel this way? What if Christmas pageantry was skipped one year. What would happen?
What if people scheduled their own time to carol in their neighborhood? What if the people of the churches serviced the community foodbanks? What if instead of having pageants at churches, families were encouraged to go to the community tree-lightings and the community events? Would we be missing out on fulfilling the purpose of the church?
Or are churches that are scaling things down really the ones that are compromising? Here is an excellent article about churches that are closing for Christmas:
news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051206/ap_on_re_us/closed_on_christmas
I've asked a lot of questions that you may want to comment on.
I guess where I "land" is on the hope and prayer that this Christmas will be something that God will use to bring Jesus to the focus of my life, my family's life, and the life of others. And I'm all for anything that would help this happen.
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