So, in 2011, Christmas Day will be on a Sunday. This will present a lot of churches with a dilemma. Most folks in the US like to celebrate Christmas Day at home, with their families, around the Christmas tree, opening gifts. They probably wake up late, and gather around the tree in their pajamas. It's their family tradition, that they do every year.
What will your church do?
- Hold service, as usual, and minister to the people who come, even though the crowd may be vastly reduced
- Cancel service, figuring most folks won't come, and not wanting to make people feel guilty about having to make the choice
- Alter your Sunday morning service plans - holding the service later than normal
- Some other idea that I haven't mentioned
It seems like a small question, but it gets at a lot of issues facing churches in today's society. How much is church an accommodation to peoples' lives, versus how much do they accommodate their lives to church? Does the day matter, whether it's Sunday or a holiday? Can't you have a Christmas-themed service some other day, and isn't it just as good?