There is no better day for Christmas than a Sunday. For those of us who believe Jesus Christ is the Messiah, Sunday is the Lord’s Day. It is the day of the week in the life of the believer for us to worship God with His people, the Church.
The majority of churches in America will conduct worship services. For pastors, the church leaders who attend, and the laypersons who come to our churches on Christmas Day… expect much from your church on Christmas Sunday.
1. Celebrate Jesus’ Birthday: Remind people this is the day we join millions of Christians globally in celebrating Jesus’ birthday. Even though the service will also have reflective moments, the overall intent of the service needs to be joyful and celebratory.
2. Sing Christmas Carols and Christmas Music: Please know, many people that do not know Christ will be guests of your church members. Many of them will know Christmas carols, so sing them, and sing them traditionally. This will help them identify with the day. Additionally, Christmas songs evoke personal emotion and Christmas memories.
3. Emphasize Baptisms: Christmas Day can be a wonderful time for people to follow Christ in baptism. Families are together and a Christmas memory can be created.
4. Conduct Communion: Practicing communion, the Lord’s Supper, is a tremendous way to share the gospel story and commemorate Jesus’ death until He comes. Before you do this, the powerful set-up is the story of the gospel and the need for Christ for those who do not know Him personally. At the end of the Christmas worship service, extend a public invitation to follow Jesus Christ.
At times, we encourage families to take the Lord’s Supper together. After I explain the gospel and the elements of the Lord’s Supper, I encourage only those who know Christ to participate. Then we ask families to go to one of our many stations to be served, then find a place at the altar area or go back to their seats to take the elements together. If possible, have someone in each group pray for their family. If someone appears to be alone, encourage families to invite them to join their family for the Lord’s Supper. People will love this experience as they share it together.
5.Flow, Hook, and Moment: In any worship service, but especially Christmas Day, the flow of the service is important. When the worship flow is strong, create a hook, something the people can remember. A hook can be a strong testimony, a powerful song, the experience of the Lord’s Supper, a video with children, or many other things. When the flow is strong, the hook is set, then we pray for that God moment they will never forget. Only God gives the moments, not us.
6. Promise Your People Beforehand the Christmas Service Will be Less Than One Hour: In our worship planning, we scheduled our service to be fifty to fifty-five minutes in length from beginning to end. Our desire will be fifty minutes. Provide yourself latitude so the service does not appear to be rushed.
We will also offer Christmas Eve services, but we are designing our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services as distinct and different services. If people only come to one by their choice, we urge them to come on Christmas Day because it is the Lord’s Day. We design our Christmas Eve services to be thirty-five to thirty-eight minutes in length. We will receive an offering for our Ministry Budget and other items in all services. Giving is part of worship for Christ followers, even on Christmas weekend.
7. Encourage People to Come Dressed How They Would Dress for Christmas: If this is extreme casual, come. If it is formal, come. If it is somewhere in between these two, come. If family tradition is to wear pajamas all day, I think we can all agree that’s a tradition best left at home.
8. Celebrate Those Present and Seize the Moment: Do not bemoan those who are not there or mention their absence other than being out of town with family.
9. Remember to be Sensitive to All People: Your services will be full of hurting people. Christmas is a sad time for some who are going through their first Christmas without one or both of their parents, a spouse, grandparent, child, or a close and influential person in their life. It can be a sad time for families who are without a job, have limited resources, or are living on the edge within their own family relationships. There is also a group that is very miserable, only there to fulfill the desire of a family member. Be sensitive because Christmas is not always a happy day for everyone. A pastor’s prayer time that day can help deal with the recognition of these personal challenges, praying for God’s strength and power to get them through the day.
10. Determine to be a Testimony: Challenge your members and attenders to be a testimony to their family by being part of worship on Christmas Day. Encourage them to adjust their traditional schedules to accommodate for this special day. We are Christians. We worship the Lord on Sundays. Invite your family members or friends who may be in your home for Christmas to join you. Do not let people in your home keep you from coming if they do not want to come, and do not minimize the dynamic personal experience you will have when you come. It will be special. There is nothing like worship with God’s people to set the day in order for Christmas, the day we celebrate Jesus coming to this earth to save us from our sins.
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