Christmas, Walmart, and WIllow Creek

Recently, two stories made national news.

Two things in common, they were both about Christmas, and they both made people irate.

The first is Wal-mart's supposed directions to their employees, ordering them not to say. "Merry Christmas", to customers. A lot of national lashback, and denials, and changes of directions there. I guess a lot of believers shop at Wal-mart, while the atheists and agnostics and liberal episcopalians shop at Nordstroms.

The second article I received more emails on. That story concerned those mega-churches that have decided not to have "services" on Christmas Day. Seems a lot of people are up in arms, since these are, after all churches, and the celebration that particular day, is supposed to be about Jesus. To be honest, since these "mega-churches" are not in my denomination, I sort of passed it by, while preparing for a vespers service. Not my business, and my ravings won't get heard by Bill Hybels and other mega church pastors anyway.

The more I thought about it, the more I am glad with what we are doing. We aren't making a big changing or adapting the service on Sunday, Christmas Day. We are having a simple candlelight service, complete with kids playing piano and guitar while us older folk sing Christmas Carols, and hear the Gospel of Luke read. ( you know - the part in the Peanuts Christmas Carol). I don't want us to lose that which is in every Sunday Service, that Christ has come - for us. That God dwells among His people.

No need for fancy cantatas, for flying angels, for extra long sermons. No need for adding pressure to families already going nuts trying to find their pastor incredible presents ( just kidding). A time for reflection, a time for a bit of silence, a time to know the mercy and grace and peace of God.

A time to remember that the reason he came as a baby, was to die on the cross.

for us....

That is, of course, the best present of all.....