a feeling of loss
Christmas fell on a sunday this year.
meaning that sunday mass was not just any mass... it was Christ-mass.
yet, some churches did not have "services!?!?!"
i use the term services because i cannot imagine a roman catholic church cancelling mass on a sunday much less a holy day such as Christmas.
protestants are guilty of showing up on christmas eve in huge droves but ignoring church on christmas day... but this year, Christmas day was a SUNDAY.
i went to church with my grandma and was astounded that only a dozen or so people showed up.
what... the.....?????
i am not perfect.
i miss the occasional mass. not many. but a few.
i try to live my life in such a way that i observe the sabbath...
but when Christian church opt out of observing the sabbath!!!
in order to provide family time????
we've lost something fundamental.
a quote to think about:
some 'mega-churches' decided to hand out dvds rather than hold services:
"This has to be the most trite, hypocritical, shallow, impersonall bullshit I've heard come out of those horrible places. And this by pseudo-religious organizations (those damn things aren't "churches," they're malls that sell Jesus), after all the ridiculous whining over secular businesses and public schools not giving Christmas special recognition."
or consider this
"I see this in many ways as a capitulation to narcissism, the self-centered, me-first, I'm going to put me and my immediate family first agenda of the larger culture," said Ben Witherington III, professor of New Testament interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Ky. "If Christianity is an evangelistic religion, then what kind of message is this sending to the larger culture - that worship is an optional extra?"
worship is a fundamental part of being a Christian.
church is not a convenience.
it is not a one size fits all.
it should not be scheduled around football games or play second fiddle to our busy lives.
we, as Christians, are responsible for making the sabbath an integral part of our very being.
if we don't make it a priority, no one else will.
if we treat church as a chore or inconvenience, how rich will our faith life be?
posted by the divine miss b @ 8:25 PM
7 Comments:
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
as far as being married to a denomination, well stated. as i say in my profile, i am in a state of flux between anglicanism and roman catholicism. i see them as mother- daughter religions. so much in common... yet a few striking differences. one is the roman desire to be considered the only valid form of christianity. there's a joke about going past the various 'rooms' (denominations/religions) in heaven. as they pass a room, st. peter has the deceased person remove their shoes & tiptoe quietly. he asks why the need to sneak by that room. st. peter, "that's where we keep the roman catholics. they think they are alone up here." heh. as far as the 'cost' of cathedrals and the incredible artwork contained therein, churches are earthly expressions of the infinite beauty of faith. there are gorgeous mosques, temples, and other places of worship. there are small temples of mud too. man finds solace in erecting places of worship. does the Roman Catholic church simply cater to the rich? no. before bono, Pope John Paul was calling for debt relief in Africa. The Vatican has opposed torture, the death penalty, and has sought the road of peace. yes, it has also condoned and has been used as a means to these practices. religion is corrupted by the corruptibility of man. religion can be worn like a war banner (charlemagne) or like a simple garment that clothes the poor & feeds the famished (Mother Theresa.)
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Post a Comment
<< Home