Posted on 12/21/2005 10:56:38 AM PST by sionnsar
I've never heard the term before, K, so I can only guess. There might be two things for such a committee to address: How many services and when (most likely for Christmas and Easter)? And the "production" of various aspects of the services: soloist or group performances, for example. Or, if one is a particular NY church, clown masses.
It does sound horrid.
Truthfully, a ten p.m. service for Christmas lasts until midnight, and I might well have called such a service their "midnight service."... but a eucharistic celebration seems like it must be a radical departure from past yearsm and not at all what I was referring to...
Good friend of Bishop Barnum...does that count even though I'm Lutheran?
The Episcopal Church has always been more liturgical than more Evangelical churches, so it would make sense that they would observe Sunday and Christmas with divine service regardless. Having listened on the radio once to a sermon "Christmas is a devil's holiday," I'm not surprised if some Evangelical churches don't think it a big deal if there is no service on Christmas Sunday -- they'd probably think it a faintly Papist practice to worried about something like "fulfilling one's Sunday obligation."
:)
Every Episcopal Church I have ever attended holds a 10/11pm Holy Eucharist service on December 24 and a Eucharist service on December 25 in the morning. Truthfully, December 25 is the Feast Day and church commitment would say it's more important to go on Christmas morning rather than the night before. However, as a choir singer I confess I've always been at Midnight Mass and I've never made it on December 25. Usually after all the late night of heavy singing and fellowship afterwards I'm not decompressed and ready to fall asleep until after 2am.
I usually don't get home until 1 to 1:30, to get up again about 8:30, so I'm dragging on Christmas Day. But our Christmas Day turnout is rather smaller.
In all fairness to Osteen, his church will be having whatever it is they call it on Christmas. According to their website, Osteen won't be there. I presume he will still be on his ski vacation in Vail.
Back before queers and liberals ruled the church, there were always services on Christmas, regardless of what day it fell on.
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