Christmas will fall on a Sunday this year, and that comes with both a unique challenge and a unique opportunity. Will we have church on Christmas? Another way to ask that question, just replacing the terms “have church” and “Christmas” with more precise theological language: Will we gather on the Lord’s Day for the celebration of the Lord’s coming?
This is both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge, I think, is to not float with the cultural currents and ignore the gathering of the saints. Christmas is a busy time, and when things get busy, we shirk things we see as optional. Another challenge is simply the cultural air we breathe. In our day, Christmas is a more cultural holiday with family traditions than a religious holiday with spiritual significance.
And there, friends, lies the great opportunity before us. Some of the cultural trappings are fun and even helpful. Our building is decorated beautifully this year. And the gift of family is among the best God gives. Treasure your time together. But we have a God-given opportunity this season to say, we enjoy these things, yes, but we glory in the Giver of these things. These things point us to Christ and him we celebrate! Our families are for him, our traditions point us to him–it’s all about him! Yes, we have a challenge, but man, we have an opportunity.
I am less of a critic of “the church today” than I was five or so years ago for a lot of reasons. But I do think one of the most damning indictments of our spiritual condition is our inability to feast–our inability to celebrate in the Lord. How is our celebration of Christmas fundamentally different than our unbelieving neighbors? I do just worry that, often, it’s not. If you travel, that’s fine. One of my leadership flaws is that I’m often too chill. Listen, I’m not going to judge you. But I owe it to you to be honest with you and this is an area of great burden. Christmas Sunday morning, I’ll be here, because there’s nowhere else more fitting to be–for to us a child has been born.
