Non Denominational Christmas Services

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It still seems like people making Christmas a side show. Nativity plays are great and all but there is something bigger going on here. For Catholics, I think the Mass is so critical because we actually get to experience Christ in the Eucharist. He is truly there with us. We celebrate His Incarnation with Him truly present in that moment.
 
Wannano said:
Meanwhile, I believe our cathedral has 9 Christmass Masses scheduled between Christmas Eve evening and Christmas Day. I suspect there will be large crowds at every one of them.
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Two reasons:
  1. Many people are spending holidays with their family. Mom or Dad expects everybody to go to church. So when you’re under their roof, you go, even if you don’t go the whole rest of the year.
  2. Those people who have fallen off the bus of religious practice often feel guilty or bad or just not right spending a totally secular holiday. You remember all the years you and your family went to church. Sometimes this gets all tangled up with nostalgia for your childhood. So you go, even if you don’t go the whole rest of the year. You might even make some resolution to start going regularly again which of course goes the way of all resolutions the following week when you don’t feel like getting up for Sunday Mass.
I think it’s nice myself. Jesus is trying to lead people back to him on those extra special days. It probably conveys a certain amount of grace. Every little bit helps.

I was a Chreaster for years, some years not even that as I missed Mass on Christmas or Easter and felt terrible about how low I had sunk from the way I used to be. I am greatly relieved now that I go to Mass again and don’t have to feel that bad feeling on the holiday any more.
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That there is a Christmas service at all is unusual for non-denoms. There usually isn’t one on Christmas Day or Christmas Eve. Everyone has that day off.

Emphasis is not placed on the incarnation. This reflects the fact that many Protestant denominations (especially non-denoms) have lost a lot of the theology that makes the incarnation so essential to the Christian message.

I grew up Baptist. Several of the Baptist Churches would have a joint service on Christmas morning. We went sometimes. It was usually poorly attended.

I mentioned that we would be going to mass as a family either Christmas Eve or Christmas morning and my family looked at me like I had three heads. The idea of going Christmas morning when we are supposed to be opening gifts was dead on arrival. We agreed on going to the Children’s vigil mass before Christmas Eve dinner…
 
ColorMomma said:
It’s more than remembering. It is understanding the role of Christmas in salvation history. Worship on Christmas is putting Christ above the trappings of secularism, earthly concerns, and holiday gluttony. It is about marking the momentous moment that leads to salvation.
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A lot of this has been lost in many Protestant communities (some mainline groups excepted). Without any Marian theology Christmas loses alot of its mystery and enormity. In my experience, even the divinity of Christ is simplified. That God would humble himself to become fully man is not emphasized. The reason why God had to become man is not emphasized.

Salvation is the emphasis. All these other “details” pale in comparison.
 
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My wife’s parish has 3. The only one that has large crowds (that I’ve seen) is 4:15 Christmas Eve… Not saying that’s good or bad.
 
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Dacinom said:
It’s confusing to me (honest question) why during the Christmas season my Protestant brothers and sisters would put out manger scenes, read scripture about the coming of Christ, discuss what a holy and beautiful time it is and on the 25th not go to church because it’s just an arbitrary day. We could debate that the entire season, calendar-wise is arbitrary I suppose. Again, not being critical, just trying to understand. I would be sad not to go to church on Christmas and I’m not alone among Christians, most churches are PACKED.

I would respectfully disagree that it’s liturgical only. I believe human beings are hard-wired for tradition, ceremony and honorary celebrations. I don’t know if you’re in the US, but we have a Holiday that honors the fallen military called Memorial Day. It’s rather an arbitrary day as well, yet observing traditions on that specific day is deeply meaningful to millions. Thank you for an interesting discussion. God bless you.
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My family has the tradition of celebrating our birthdays by getting together and my wife (mother and grandmother) cooks the favorite meal of that person. Seldom do we get together on the actual day of birth to celebrate it but usually on the Sunday noon before or after the date. It does not hamper our good times to meet on a day that isn’t the actual birth day.
 
I believe there is a denomination called “non-denominational”.
I could be wrong tho.
 
Moving a family birthday to the day when everybody isn’t working, busy with other commitments and can get together makes sense as it’s a personal holiday. You just schedule it when it works for your family and friends.

However, Christmas among Christians is a universal holiday, and we are supposed to show our unity as Christians by having our religious celebrations on the same day. In Christian churches that follow liturgical calendars (including Catholic), there is a buildup towards that day. You can’t just move it to some other day (other than Christmas Eve vigil service) without wrecking the liturgical calendar tradition/ momentum. The religious part of the day is also supposed to be the key part, the reason why we celebrate, with all the other stuff like eating meals and unwrapping presents being secondary. (Some of us who don’t have family don’t even do the meals or presents or anything other than the church part.)

I would like to see Easter be one unified day again someday too, rather than a movable feast that occurs for Orthodox later than it does for Catholics and Protestants.
 
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It is important for Catholics to know that although many Protestants do not follow the liturgical calendar does not mean that we don’t love or follow Christ or that we are heathen. :roll_eyes:
 
I know many loving and faith filled Christians of other faiths. I respect and admire them. I pray that you all come to know Christ in a deeper way and find the fullness of truth.
 
Wannano said:
It is important for Catholics to know that although many Protestants do not follow the liturgical calendar does not mean that we don’t love or follow Christ or that we are heathen. :roll_eyes:
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I don’t think many of us think like that. I do understand how a conversation based solely on the differences between Catholic and Protestants can feel that way. So, thank you for the reminder.
 
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Dacinom said:
I find it sad, really. If you are a Christian and are a pastor of a non-denominational church, the birth of Jesus Christ is still pretty huge I would imagine. Gathering on THE day that we honor his birth in church means something. My two cents.
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It certainly means something to me.
 
Tis_Bearself said:
Eh, whatever you want to do these days there is some storefront offering courses for it in hopes of taking your money.

Even for the handful of states that require ministers to be licensed, I don’t think there is any specific education requirement. So such courses are either for somebody’s personal interest/ knowledge or else so he can put on his web bio that he has an associates degree in Non-denominational Ministry from the Global Institute of Ministerial Studies or whatever quack name the institution calls itself.
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My former priest whom I’m still in touch with told me that other than Catholic and Lutheran here where I live, there’s not very stringent educational requirements to become a pastor. That’s pretty much the same thing I read on CAF.
 
It’s a man-made holiday. We can celebrate the birth of Jesus literally every day of the year if we wanted. What difference does it make to celebrate the birth of Jesus in church on the Sunday before Christmas and celebrate with our family on the day of Christmas?
 
Yeah, I don’t think the intent is to call anybody “heathen” but just kind of explaining why it’s important for Catholics, and some though not all of the Protestant faiths, to attend church on Christmas or Christmas Eve rather than just go the Sunday before, or Dec. 23, or whatever.

Catholics, as you know, think Jesus is actually there at Church in the Eucharist and those who are disposed can even receive him. To have a birthday party at home for Christ on Dec. 25, without including Christ via the liturgy and/or Communion if we’re properly disposed to receive, would be like having a family member’s birthday party without inviting the family member to come to the party, even though they are right in the neighborhood. Some non-Catholics, on the other hand, may not see church as so central to welcoming Christ on that day and would probably just be praising and thanking Jesus at home.
 
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I would add Anglican/ Episcopal to that list as their clergy tend to be quite well educated. I think once you get out of those groups, the educational requirement really declines and it’s more about whether your congregation likes the way you look, preach, etc. You might want to attend a bible college where you presumably improve your command of Scripture so you can preach the Word better, that’s about it.

Many of the Baptist, Evangelical, Congregational etc. churches in USA have a tradition of clergy who didn’t really have access to formal education because they didn’t have the money and/or were living in some area where there wasn’t higher education available and kids were homeschooled or maybe went to a one-room schoolhouse off and on. I have a great grandfather who was some sort of church elder (I think Methodist) out in Kansas or Nebraska in the mid-late 1800s. When not being a church elder, he was a farmer. During the same era, your average Catholic priest had to go to a seminary and learn all kinds of Latin and if he was smart and drew the attention of higher-placed priests, he might even be sent to study in Rome for a while.
 
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