Non Catholic Christians and Christmas services

[Candescent]

That is very simular to the church of Christ philosophy. They claim to celebrate everything at the same time all of the time. But in my experience that really lead to celebrating nothing all of the time.

It does seem that for most of us, saying every single day is equally special ends up meaning that no day is special. I admire those with the ability to really live their lives as if every day is Christs birthday… don’t know if I’ll get there tho…

 

[Publisher]

That is very simular to the church of Christ philosophy. They claim to celebrate everything at the same time all of the time. But in my experience that really lead to celebrating nothing all of the time. The human mind can only do so many things at once.

Once in a while Christmas would fall on a sunday or wednesday. It was just totally depressing to arrive at a church (building in coC speech) and see four bare walls and Chrismas not even mentioned.

Not even poinsettia on the “Lord’s Supper table”.

I never thought I had an exceptional mind, but to seek Him daily to be “born anew” in me, just didn’t seem that difficult of a concept…He is our All and In All…no day of the week or month or year will ever substitute Him…and He is from what I’m told…“the reason for the season”…so, setting a day aside to live, act, “feel” as I shoul live and act and feel the rest of the 364 days…just seems odd to me.

 

[Traverse]

I don’t celebrate in Christmas in any religious capacity. I strive to remember His birth on a regular basis so I don’t even know what I’d do differently on Christmas if I wanted to celebrate it for Him. I don’t think putting up a tree and giving gifts for people really cuts it.

 

[ChurchSoldier]

Christmas Eve 7:30 Carols 8:00 Mass
Reception at the Rectory follows Mass

 

[TypesAndShadows]

I’ve been enjoying browsing the “Churches Together” leaflet detailing all the services held around my town this Advent and Christmas. There seem to be an awful lot of Christingle services.

I’ve also been amused that several specific CofE churches (who I know for a fact never call their Eucharistic Services “Mass”) have listed services called “Midnight Mass” considerably before midnight on Christmas Eve. The only actual Mass (even as in “a service which the church in question calls Mass”), and the only service actually at midnight, is the Catholic one, and yet it isn’t labelled “Midnight Mass”

I’m not really sure what’s up with that. But it’s a good thing that the leaflet is out there. Most of the churches seem to have a Christmas service on Christmas morning.

 

[Indifferently]

Carol services everywhere. Eucharist on Sunday. Midnight Mass and Christmas Eucharist on Christmas day at midnight and 10am respectively. Plenty of other festivals at this time too. It’s a busy time to be an Anglican.

 

[hn160]

We heve an weekly Advent Service, and in this year’s case, normal services on Sunday, Christmas Eve Service Monday night and a Christmas Day Service, and a New Years Eve service the following Monday.

 

[robwar]

To be fair to the Adventists, they do celebrate Christmas. Their “prophetess” Ellen G White actually chastised some of the founding members who objected to a “popish” holiday. In one of her books she even recommends setting up Christmas trees in the church building.

I know this because I had an Adventist classmate whose father was the local SDA pastor. The pastor and his family were ardently pro-Christmas, but some holier-than-thou types in the congregation tried to turn it into a “who’s saved?” contest.

Does anyone know if the restrictions on Christmas were found throughout the Reformed world, or just in the English-/ Scots-speaking side? I know the Britannic Reformed (Scottish Presbyterians, English Puritans, etc) tended to be a little more ‘puritanical’ in a lot of things than their continental brethren. For instance, Scots and English were routinely scandalized in the 17th century to find Dutch Reformed doing business on the sabbath.

My late father’s cousin was Seventh day adventist and she did not believe in celebrating Christmas. I am a little surprised by the examples you gave. I do agree with the fact that the no Christmas would be more of the English/Scottish reformed idea since the early Puritanical Americans did not believe in celebrating Christmas because is was “too Catholic”