The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

Proverbs 18:17

There seems to be something of a kerfuffle amongst various churches about whether to hold a service on Christmas Day (which this year is a Sunday). Making the case for ‘closed on Christmas‘ is James Emery White:

To insist that we must meet on a Sunday – any Sunday – can be debated. Early church records show a preference for worship on the “Lord’s Day,” but only the 2nd century church manual – the Didache – directed Christians to meet at that time. No day was set aside in Gentile Christianity for worship until the time of Constantine and the institutionalization of the Church, but nowhere is it directly commanded in Scripture.

And in the Why You Should Go To Church This Christmas Sunday is Rod Dreher.

When I returned to Christianity as an adult, I was shocked to think about how churchgoing was optional at Christmas (our church had Christmas Eve services every year). It shouldn’t be that for any Christian: Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, or whatever. You should be in church on Christmas. This is non-negotiable. Christmas morning and Sunday morning are only in tension with one another because Christians have their priorities screwed up.

We’re meeting. Here’s my reasoning. What exactly am I cancelling Sunday worship for? To do what instead? If we need a break from church and from serving then we’ve probably constructed church a bit off. I could argue that in a culture where faith is privatized we won’t witness to them by not meeting but to be honest I don’t think anyone will notice. What I do think is we won’t help our own people understand that faith should not be privatized, should not be relegated behind whatever personal comfort or tradition, and absolutely should not elevate the idol of the nuclear family above that of worshipping as a community at least once a week wherever possible. We won’t challenge the idols of the culture by taking a pass. Tougher days are likely ahead for Christians in the West and learning even in small and relatively low-cost ways of choosing Christ over culture might help build a more resilient faith.

We’re meeting on Sunday, so should you.