And On The 7th Day

Everybody stayed home?

CNN.com - Some megachurches closing on Christmas - Dec 6, 2005: "Even though the holiday falls this year on a Sunday, when churches normally host thousands for worship, pastors are canceling services, anticipating low attendance on what they call a family day.

Critics within the evangelical community, more accustomed to doing battle with department stores and public schools over keeping religion in Christmas, are stunned by the shutdown."

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"The churches closing on Christmas plan multiple services in the days leading up to the holiday, including on Christmas Eve.

Most normally do not hold Christmas Day services, preferring instead to mark the holiday in the days and night before.

But Sunday worship has been a Christian practice since ancient times.

Cally Parkinson, a spokeswoman for Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, said church leaders decided that organizing services on a Christmas Sunday would not be the most effective use of staff and volunteer resources.

The last time Christmas fell on a Sunday was 1994, and only a small number of people showed up to pray, she said.

"If our target and our mission is to reach the unchurched, basically the people who don't go to church, how likely is it that they'll be going to church on Christmas morning?" she said."

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"The closures stand in stark contrast to Roman Catholic parishes, which will see some of their largest crowds of the year on Christmas, and mainline Protestant congregations such as the Episcopal, Methodist and Lutheran churches, where Sunday services are rarely if ever canceled."

Kind of like the religion I remember. Since the whole purpose of Christmas is supposed to be about celebrating the birth of Christ even though it might be the wrong date (Saturnalia being a pagan holiday ocurring at a convenient time to distract the masses), what is the purpose of canceling a regularly scheduled worship?

You either believe or you don't, it is kind of like the post office; through thick or thin, rain or shine, hell or high water, just because the day is incovenient shouldn't change the devotion.

Fair weather Christians, who woulda thunk it?