If you ever want to know if your church is making a difference in your community, look around during Christmas. Last year my family and I were trying to figure out where to go for Christmas Eve services. My wife was working a half day in Sacramento and we thought we might attend our old church, Bayside in Granite Bay. I have been to one service since they finished the church building, we went to Bayside when they met at a high school gym. I looked online and found out their early evening services were 'sold out', that is to say that they had passed out all the free tickets to those services. I searched around to find another service and we attended the Bayside of Roseville that evening. It was a great service.
I always chuckle when I think of selling out a church service. In a day when most churches are struggling to keep their parishioners, let alone growing their church, when you are selling out services, you must be doing something right. Bayside Woodland is growing at a rapid pace right now and it is doing wonderful things in our area. My wife traded a Sunday off this weekend and we were all able to attend the 10:45 service today. It felt great to have the whole family in church together, my wife's parents were also there.
I hope one day Bayside Woodland will have to hand out tickets to manage the crowds for Christmas services, but as for this year, there will be an open seat for anyone who wants to come and hear the message of grace, hope and forgiveness that is the celebration of Christmas.
My wife will be working a half day again this Christmas Eve. She and her parents have never been to a service in the main Granite Bay Bayside, so I went online and I have 6 tickets to the 4:00pm Christmas Eve service. Tickets for church, go figure.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
This is kinda far out there, but your post put me in mind of some thoughts I had on the drive home from work.
I was thinking how hollow the Chirstmas season feels to me. I'm an unbeliever, but I celebrate as a secular holiday like everyone else.
My childhood memories of Christmas are very fond, and what I remember most is the religious aspects. For instance, the nativity is still my favorite story in the Bible.
So here is my question to you. Does secular christmas ever stand in the way of you experiencing Christmas as a religious holiday? Do you ever wish Chirstmas was solely a Chirstian holiday?
Like i said, kinda out there...
Hey Jeff, what's a blog for if for not getting 'out there' from time to time?
As a Christian, and a bad one at that, I don't get worked up over the secularization of the holidays. If nonbelievers want to think of Santa Clause and sing Jingle Bells, in stead of Jesus Christ and Silent Night, more power to them. Don’t get me wrong, I would love everyone to have a personal relationship with Christ, I just understand there will always be folks who don’t believe in the gift of Christ’s forgiveness and grace. I don't want the secular seperationist police taking Christ out of Christmas as much as I would protest banning Santa and Rudolph from the public square.
I have a very unique view on this, I am speaking only for myself here, but if there were no secular participation at Christmas like Santa, much like the Easter Bunny at Easter, the holiday would be gradually whittled away by the secular world. The Holy Day, would become a holiday and eventually just a religious holiday (observed) on our calendars. After a while there would be no time off, and December 25 would be replaced by Winter Day or some other such nonsense.
Jeff, I mean no offense when I wish you a very merry Christmas. And will take none if you wish me a happy holiday.
PS. I hope Santa is good to you this year.
I didn't think of it that way. I guess I'm kind of a puritan.
anyway, I came across your blog in the Bee's blogwatch.
http://www.ipsosacto.com/bw?bwid=157&orderby=&pubdate=2006-12-24
Post a Comment