Jacked from a pastor-friend's FB page:
One family spent time serving Christmas breakfast at a homeless shelter. Two other families brought praise and worship to a prison. One group of people invited unsaved members of their neighborhood and their own families to their house for prayer. And a Pastor and a couple of folks from his leadership staff spent the morning in the park handing out coats and clothes and ministering to the homeless. All of these individuals belonged to the same Church which cancelled their normal Sunday morning worship, with a challenge to make the Church mobile by spending time with people in real ways that tangibly exhibit the love of Christ on Christmas Day. I've seen some pastors and people blasting out other pastors for calling off regular Sunday Service in light of the Christmas holiday. Some of you may think it a travesty. You may not like me for it, but I say it's, in some ways, refreshing. Some of our "regular Sunday Services" need to be called off so we can worship Christ in ways that glorify Him through actually serving other people BEYOND THE FOUR WALLS.
Colossians 2:16-17 says this: "Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ."
I don't see any place in Scripture that even suggestively condemns Pastors and others for not going to a public worship service to commemorate Jesus' Birthday. So what gives you and I the right to do so? Some of you will question the motives of a pastor or a person who does NOT go to worship God on Christmas Sunday behind the four walls of a Church Building. I believe that there is another group who can rightfully question the motives of some who do. Here's my stance based on what I see in Scripture. If you want to use this special day to worship God in a traditional church service, PRAISE God! But don't condemn those who choose to worship and serve God in private with their families or in other places outside of the traditional four walls. And if you feel God leading you to worship in a less traditional way on Christmas, again, PRAISE God! But don't condemn those who choose to worship and serve God in the public place of traditional Church service. I think God is MUCH more concerned with the ATTITUDE and ACTIONS of our Worship and Service to His Son than He is of the ADDRESS where we do it. Furthermore, I guarantee you He'll be more upset with us failing to commemorate Jesus' life by the lives we live Monday-Saturday.
Some Pastors who cancelled worship for today did so because they celebrated in traditional worship yesterday, or because they celebrated in non-traditional ways with family and friends TODAY, and as a result, planted MORE SEEDS in those outside of Christ's family than some of those who worshiped on the traditional Sunday morning. Be careful who and how you judge. Just because you and I may be concerned about certain things, it doesn't mean that God is, and just because He speaks to you one way, doesn't mean He has to speak or lead others the same way.
