Holy Day?

A recent conversation I had involving the topic of whether "Happy Holidays" is an appropriate or tolerable phrase for Christians inspired me to do a little research yesterday.

During the conversation, I had wondered aloud whether the people who complain the loudest about the use of the phrase "Happy Holidays" rather than "Merry Christmas," and who every year object to the "secularization" of Christmas in the "public square" and in the "marketplace," and who demand that we "keep Christ in Christmas," even bother to attend church on Christmas day. That in turn got me wondering whether most churches (except Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and other liturgical churches) are even open on Christmas.

I don't remember ever—even once—during my upbringing as an Evangelical Christian attending church on Christmas day. Christmas Eve, yes, but never on Christmas day.

So I decided to makes some calls. I contacted fifty local (and two out-of-state) Evengelical churches to find out who was holding services on Christmas day and who was not. Out of fifty-two Evengelical churches, a total of ...zero... were planning to celebrate Christmas on Christmas. In fact fifteen of them (that's 30%) weren't even having services on Christmas Eve! One of the churches that was planning four Christmas Eve services, not only wasn't planning to be open on Christmas day, but wasn't even having services on the 26th...that's a Sunday! Another church was planning a New Years party, and yet another was planning a "burning bowl" ceremony on the 31st (according to the receptionist, that's where you write down all your problems and concerns for the coming year and toss them into a flaming bowl for "god" to receive). Some churches were scheduled to have "candlelight" servies only on the 24th, others on the 23rd and 24th; five churches were planning three or more pre-Christmas services. But not one, I repeat: not a single one was planning to come together as a community on the feast of God's Incarnation in the flesh to celebrate His birth of a Virgin as foretold by the Prophets. Not one.

So, what's my point in all this? My point is that anyone who can't be bothered to get dressed and go to church on Christmas morning might do well to rethink whether or not they have a leg to stand on when demanding that people say "Merry Christmas" rather than "Happy Holidays." I have heard people say of politics that if you don't vote, you have no right to complain about the government. I believe the same principle applies here: if you don't make a practice of attending church on Christmas day, you forfeit your right to complain when someone else says "Happy Holidays."

Furthermore, I would suggest that anyone who attends a church that doesn't even bother to open its doors on Christmas (even if it happens to fall on a Sunday!) is not to be taken seriously when they complain about the secularization of Christmas in the "public square" or when they boycott retailers and other businesses for not giving Christmas its proper respect. (see also here, here, here, here, etc...) My guess (and I welcome your correction if I am wrong) is that these churches have also done away with any observance whatsoever of any other event in the life of Christ (like His baptism, or His presentation in the Temple, or His Transfiguration, or His Ascension), or of the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost; and heaven forbid they should ever commemorate Mary or the Saints!*

I think it's pretty safe to say (and, again, please correct me if I'm wrong) that a lot of these churches that choose to lock their doors on Christmas, and that have decided to eliminate altogether the many other beautiful holy days throughout the year are the same ones that use theater seating, laserlight shows, rock bands, multimedia, and dramatic performance to entertain communicate their message. And these are probably the same ones that have removed from their building any visual cues that would identify the place as a house of worship (except maybe a cross above the rock band).

The "worship space" looks like a high school auditorium hosting a battle-of-the-bands contest, the "praise and worship" music sounds like something you would (and sometimes do) hear on any secular radio station, the feasts of the church are gone, any sense of majesty: gone; any sense of spirituality: gone; any sense of beauty, wonder, humilty, dignity, or awe: gone; any motivation to humble oneself before their Creator: gone. In other words, these places are about as secular as a "Christian" community can possibly be and yet there are people who attend them that actually have the temerity to complain, not about the secularization of their own churches, but about the secularization of the secular world. Hey folks; I undersand you want to put Christ "back into Christmas," but how about first putting Him back into Christianity!

If there is, in fact, a "war on Christmas," it is being LOST in American Evangelical "churches." Please pray for these people, that the scales may fall from their eyes and that they will allow the Lord to lead them into His Church.


*And yet, curiously, some modern churches have adopted the practice of observing Jewish holidays! That's right: they have eliminated all the ancient Christian Holy Days (except for one, Easter. Although I wonder: would these churches even celebrate Easter if it didn't happen to fall on a Sunday every year?) and have replaced them with non-Christian festivals! The old Jewish observances were given for the purpose of foretelling the coming of the Messiah. Now that the Messaiah has come, there is no need to celebrate them. Modern Evangelical Christians would know this if they had not completely lost touch with historic Christianity.

And please don't tell me that merely holding a candlelight Christmas Eve service is equivalent to celebrating Christmas, especially if you're unwilling to allow that "Happy Holidays" is as acceptible a greeting as "Merry Christmas." Christmas is, after all, one of the holiest days of the Christian calendar. At least to some of us...