Why are the parking lots at Protestant Churchs emty on Christmas morning?

[Cat]

I suspect Protestants may not place a huge emphasis on Christ-Mass. We had a Mass at my Church today but I know of no Protestants who did.

You suspect incorrectly.

I was evangelical Protestant for the first 47 years of my life. There is a huge amount of emphasis on Christmas in the evangelical churches, to the point of hyper-celebration at times. Some of the cantatas and programs start rehearsals during the early fall, and involve many hundreds of people in the church. There are special Bible studies and prayer meetings, guest speakers, Christmas “teas”, covered dish suppers, youth group service projects, offerings for various missions, huge involvements with various local charities like rescue missions and Angel trees, etc. The music during the Christmas season is magnificent.

It is only the actual holiday itself, Christmas Day, that is left to each individual and family to celebrate how they see fit.

 

[ltwin]

You suspect incorrectly.

I was evangelical Protestant for the first 47 years of my life. There is a huge amount of emphasis on Christmas in the evangelical churches, to the point of hyper-celebration at times. Some of the cantatas and programs start rehearsals during the early fall, and involve many hundreds of people in the church. There are special Bible studies and prayer meetings, guest speakers, Christmas “teas”, covered dish suppers, youth group service projects, offerings for various missions, huge involvements with various local charities like rescue missions and Angel trees, etc. The music during the Christmas season is magnificent.

It is only the actual holiday itself, Christmas Day, that is left to each individual and family to celebrate how they see fit.

This sounds right. This probably isn’t true for all evangelical Protestant churches, but the one’s I’ve been apart of tend to put more effort into celebrating Christmas than they do Easter (except that the reverse is true – they make a big deal about Easter Sunday while ignoring the lead up and wind down).

 

[Georgia]

My former independent Baptist church never has a service on Christmas Eve or on Christmas Day unless those happen to fall on a Sunday. If Christmas Day were on a Sunday, the usual schedule of Sunday School, morning worship, training union in the afternoon, and evening worship, all were consolidated into an abbreviated service around 10:00. If Christmas Eve were on Sunday, there would be neither training union an evening service.

 

[iloveangels]

This sounds right. This probably isn’t true for all evangelical Protestant churches, but the one’s I’ve been apart of tend to put more effort into celebrating Christmas than they do Easter (except that the reverse is true – they make a big deal about Easter Sunday while ignoring the lead up and wind down).

This isn’t true either. Protestant churches take lent very seriously and Protestants are very likely to do penance for Lent, although it doesn’t usually consist of mandatory abstinence from meat. It’s more likely to be voluntarily giving things up or serving someone else for the duration of Lent.

 

[iloveangels]

You suspect incorrectly.

I was evangelical Protestant for the first 47 years of my life. There is a huge amount of emphasis on Christmas in the evangelical churches, to the point of hyper-celebration at times. Some of the cantatas and programs start rehearsals during the early fall, and involve many hundreds of people in the church. There are special Bible studies and prayer meetings, guest speakers, Christmas “teas”, covered dish suppers, youth group service projects, offerings for various missions, huge involvements with various local charities like rescue missions and Angel trees, etc. The music during the Christmas season is magnificent.

It is only the actual holiday itself, Christmas Day, that is left to each individual and family to celebrate how they see fit.

This is my memory also as a Protestant. Catholics vastly underestimate the amount of preparation and work Protestants put into these things, and the numbers of programs they have. Don’t you guys ever look around at church websites? This is where the practical difference between Catholics and Protestants is the most dramatic these days.

Catholics need to step it up. A lot.

 

[AbideWithMe]

This isn’t true either. Protestant churches take lent very seriously and Protestants are very likely to do penance for Lent, although it doesn’t usually consist of mandatory abstinence from meat. It’s more likely to be voluntarily giving things up or serving someone else for the duration of Lent.

Yes, I’d agree with this in the Methodist-based and Lutheran-based Evangelical churches I know best. Around here in PA Dutch (German) country, we have Fastnaught Day before Lent, and then some voluntary abstention or extra service of some sort.

Other than that, I agree with Cat and Itwin that Christmas Eve services are a big deal for Evangelicals.

 

[Georgia]

Not only did we not have Christmas services if the day fell other than on a Sunday, I had no idea what Lent was until I began looking across the Tiber. My hometown has very few Catholics, one small Lutheran church, and a small Greek Orthodox church. The majority of the population is Fundamentalist, in fact, that would have to cover two-thirds of the people.

 

[ltwin]

This isn’t true either. Protestant churches take lent very seriously and Protestants are very likely to do penance for Lent, although it doesn’t usually consist of mandatory abstinence from meat. It’s more likely to be voluntarily giving things up or serving someone else for the duration of Lent.

It sounds like you’re talking about liturgical Protestants. In my comment, I was specifically referring to low church evangelical Protestants who tend not to observe lent or order church life around a liturgical calendar. I’ve never celebrated lent in my life. We do have times where we fast as a church, but it isn’t connected with any particular season on the church calendar. Come to think of it, I’m Pentecostal, but my church has never made a big deal out of Pentecost Sunday.

 

[Isaiah45_9]

Midnight Mass FTW!!!

Always loved it the most as it represents the very 1st thing you do on Christmas: Praise and Worship our Lord and Savior!!!

As an added blessing the kids sleep 'til later

 

[Cat]

This isn’t true either. Protestant churches take lent very seriously and Protestants are very likely to do penance for Lent, although it doesn’t usually consist of mandatory abstinence from meat. It’s more likely to be voluntarily giving things up or serving someone else for the duration of Lent.

Most Evangelical Protestants do not recognize Lent, and do not do penance, since their sins, past, present, and future, are forgiven the instant they accept Jesus into their heart to be their personal Savior. Most Evangelical Protestants would consider acts of penance “works of man,” and therefore an insult to the Lord Jesus Who finished the work of salvation for all mankind on the cross.

I say “most” because there is a large number of Evangelical Protestant denominations, and it is possible that some Evangelical Protestant denoms DO recognize Lent and Do encourage acts of penance. But these would be “fringe” Evangelical denominations, and would be regarded with suspicion by most Evangelical Protestants. . The majority of Evangelical Protestants do not recognize Lent and do not perform acts of penance.

Many mainline (older denominations) Protestants do recognize Lent, but these denominations are dwindling in numbers in the United States. Evangelical Protestantism is the largest and fastest-growing group of Protestants in the U.S.

 

[Cat]

This is my memory also as a Protestant. Catholics vastly underestimate the amount of preparation and work Protestants put into these things, and the numbers of programs they have. Don’t you guys ever look around at church websites? This is where the practical difference between Catholics and Protestants is the most dramatic these days.

Catholics need to step it up. A lot.

Hmmmm, I don’t know about that. I’ve been Catholic for 8 years now, and I kind of enjoy kicking back during Advent and not being involved in so many church activities. :juggle:

Actually, I don’t “kick back.” I played in quite a few secular musical events this season, and I got paid for it. Sweet. I never got paid for all the work I did in the Evangelical churches.

I do think that Catholics need to seek, ask, and learn about Protestants, and never make any assumptions. And that’s exactly what the OP did–pose a good question in order to learn more.

 

[Sarcelle]

My former church, Church of Christ always had Christmas day services.

I remember there was a controversy some years ago when an evengelical mega-church canceled Christmas day services so people can spend time with their families.

 

[Kal2012]

Yeah - services are usually on Christmas Eve because Christmas is family time.

It also matters what kind of protestant a person is because it wasn’t until college that I met protestants who celebrated Ash Wednesday and ate Paczkis around Fat Tuesday!

Now that I live around Detroit, I totally understand what a cultural thing it is around here and why my friend was just shocked that I had never heard of them. People go to great lengths to get good Paczkis and the bakeries are packed every year! The local news crews go down to Hamtramck every year to one of the bakeries to show everyone how they are made. It’s just huge in this area.

These things just don’t matter much if you live in a culturally protestant area, like the one I grew up in.

Lent, I knew what it was, but that’s what Catholics did. Since I wasn’t a Catholic, I really didn’t worry about it one way or another.

 

[AbideWithMe]

Most Evangelical Protestants do not recognize Lent, and do not do penance, since their sins, past, present, and future, are forgiven the instant they accept Jesus into their heart to be their personal Savior. Most Evangelical Protestants would consider acts of penance “works of man,” and therefore an insult to the Lord Jesus Who finished the work of salvation for all mankind on the cross.

I say “most” because there is a large number of Evangelical Protestant denominations, and it is possible that some Evangelical Protestant denoms DO recognize Lent and Do encourage acts of penance. But these would be “fringe” Evangelical denominations, and would be regarded with suspicion by most Evangelical Protestants. . The majority of Evangelical Protestants do not recognize Lent and do not perform acts of penance.

Many mainline (older denominations) Protestants do recognize Lent, but these denominations are dwindling in numbers in the United States. Evangelical Protestantism is the largest and fastest-growing group of Protestants in the U.S.

There are a number of Evangelical churches that are semi-liturgical. They’re in between mainline churches and really modern “God forbid that we look and sound like a church because that wouldn’t be cool” Evangelical churches. I’m thankful I grew up in an older, partly liturgical Methodist-based Evangelical church, with Advent and Lenten observance. It made for a richer, more memorable youthful religious experience.

We didn’t do actual penance for Lent; it is more a time to deny ourselves something.

I mis-spelled “Fastnacht Day” earlier. Sorry to any Pennsylvania Dutchmen, if any should read this.

 

[klm120861]

The Protestant denom I came out of wouldn’t think of doing Lent. Too Catholic. They barely acknowledged Holy Thursday and Good Friday existed. There were no services. That, also, was “too Catholic”. Same for Advent. The “Christmas Season” began the first Sunday of Advent and ended the fourth Sunday of Advent. And there was no Epiphany, either.
Kris

 

[Bob_Crowley]

After reading some of these responses, what seems clear to me echoes my old PROTESTANT pastor’s comment, “When it comes to theology, Protestants couldn’t agree how far to spit.”

Christmas celebrations may be liturgical rather than theological, but there seems to be so many differences in Protestant churches, the same comment could be made about their liturgy, yet they all allegedly use the Bible as their guide.

 

[Cat]

After reading some of these responses, what seems clear to me echoes my old PROTESTANT pastor’s comment, “When it comes to theology, Protestants couldn’t agree how far to spit.”

Christmas celebrations may be liturgical rather than theological, but there seems to be so many differences in Protestant churches, the same comment could be made about their liturgy, yet they all allegedly use the Bible as their guide.

Yes, they all use the Bible as their guide, and as a result, almost all recognize the incredible importance of the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ and the miraculous circumstances surrounding His birth. There are Protestant sects that do not recognize that Jesus was born of a virgin, and that He is fully God and fully Man, and many of these denoms no longer use the Bible as their guide. (Also, many Protestants no longer recognize these denoms as “Christian.”)

Yes, the actual “celebration” or “form” of the beliefs varies from Protestant denom to Protestant denom. But the same thing is true in Catholic parishes.

Some parishes have a midnight Mass and some don’t. Some have a Family Mass and some don’t. Some have lots of glorious music and some are quite subdued. Some have a plethora of parties and socials and concerts leading up to Christmas, or following Christmas, while others continue parish life as usual during the holidays. Some do Angel Trees or some other special holiday charity, while others don’t. Some put up a creche, others don’t.

I just don’t think we should use Christmas as an opportunity to emphasize the differences between us all. To me, Christmas is one of the few times a year when all Christians are united in beliefs.

 

[Usbek_de_Perse]

Wait a sec, wait a sec, wait a sec!

I was under the impression that a Roman Catholic fulfilled his/her obligation by attending either on Christmas Eve (the mid-night mass) or on Christmas Day.

So tell me if I am wrong, please. I would imagine that most Protestants do go to church on Christmas Eve, though often it is for a pageant that takes place in the late afternoon or early evening.

We Anglicans have services on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day. But (at my parish) we don’t have a parking lot.

Really? I didn’t know that! I thought they would be at church like us!

 

[klm120861]

So tell me if I am wrong, please. I would imagine that most Protestants do go to church on Christmas Eve, though often it is for a pageant that takes place in the late afternoon or early evening.

It depends on the Protestant church. In the churches I was raised in, you only went to church on Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day if that day happened to be on a Sunday. Otherwise, the 4th Sunday of Advent was it.
Kris

 

[CaliLobo]

As a Korean Protestant, I can tell you that Korean Protestant churches definitely have services on Christmas Day. Actually, I find it disconcerting how many American Protestant churches don’t have Christmas Day services; I understand the “being with family” argument, but 1) some can’t be with their families and 2) why wouldn’t you wanna worship God on Christmas if you are a true Christian??