Ken Chumbley
Christmas Day falls on the Lord’s Day, Sunday this year. The media has noted that some religious groups are either canceling Bible study and worship or changing the times of these services. What is the reason for being given? The reason is that they value their families and want them to be able to spend time together. After all, one has to consider opening the presents, preparing the Christmas dinner with all of its trimmings, and all the other activities associated with “Christmas Day.” Thus, because of the difficulty of fitting in Bible study and worship with all of these important activities, they have canceled services because it is inconvenient.
Such statements come from some of the same people vociferously saying we must put “Christ back into Christmas” and that “Jesus is the reason for the season.” How inconsistent? They want people to remember that, according to them, Christmas is all about the Christ, and they are locking the doors of their meeting places to those who have accepted their message. How long before some so called churches of Christ do the same thing? After all, some already do so for Super Bowl Sunday! The principle is the same, and the logic behind such decisions is the same!
Where will such silliness end? So-called Easter falls each year on a Sunday. How long before some decide that valuing family time involves closing the church doors so the family will not be inconvenienced trying to schedule Easter egg hunts, etc., around Bible study and worship? What about Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, the 4th of July, etc.? Indeed, trying to schedule everything involved with those days around Bible study and worship is just as difficult!
We could take this further: what about celebrating family birthdays that fall on a Sunday? Indeed, any special event that falls on the first day of the week. Certainly, all of these make it inconvenient to schedule around worship and Bible study!
For these reasons, some would say they would never want the church doors locked. However, there are some for whom the church doors might just as well be locked since they chose to absent their family from the assembly for such as we have been discussing.
Does not closing the church doors for “Christmas” or any other man-made day or purpose make a mockery of one’s claim to love Christ and the Heavenly Father above all others because it is inconvenient for the family? Does it not mock the claims of some Christians to love Christ and the Heavenly Father above all others? Such action is “forsaking the assembly,” which is condemned by the Scriptures (Heb. 10:25).
We trust that all who read this will assemble with the saints next Lord’s Day, December 25, to worship the Lord, no matter how inconvenient it seems, that we may genuinely honor our Savior and God by worshipping Him in the way and manner that He has appointed.
