Churches cancelling church services on Sunday because it's Christmas Day

[bluebell]

57 minutes ago, JAHS said:

We have an unusual situation where our ward is "nested" with another ward. We each have our own sacrament meeting but then meet together for the second hour.
On Christmas we will meet together for Sacrament meeting only. Bring extra bread!

My parents' building houses three wards and they all decided to meet together for their Christmas meeting.  It's going to be crowded.  Are we doing sacrament for it?  I can't remember if they usually do sacrament for the Christmas meeting or not.

[JAHS]

4 minutes ago, bluebell said:

My parents' building houses three wards and they all decided to meet together for their Christmas meeting.  It's going to be crowded.  Are we doing sacrament for it?  I can't remember if they usually do sacrament for the Christmas meeting or not.

We will do the Sacrament. Our problem is that we have very few Aaronic priesthood boys so it's mostly the older men doing it.

[Dario_M]

Well. I had contact with my church today and i have heard that we do have a church service on sunday. But then only one hour. Insted of two.

Isn't that amazing? ✝️

[Dario_M]

6 minutes ago, JAHS said:

We will do the Sacrament. Our problem is that we have very few Aaronic priesthood boys so it's mostly the older men doing it.

Well...whatever. is that such a problem then if some old man are doing it? The bread and water will be blessed anyway then. So that is all that matters right? ✝️

Edited December 21, 2022 by Dario_M

[Scott Lloyd]

15 hours ago, bluebell said:

My parents' building houses three wards and they all decided to meet together for their Christmas meeting.  It's going to be crowded.  Are we doing sacrament for it?  I can't remember if they usually do sacrament for the Christmas meeting or not.

Crowded attendance or not, administration of the sacrament is the principal reason for holding sacrament meeting in the first place (as we are routinely reminded by our bishopric each week in our meeting) and canceling the administration of the sacrament would, of course, defeat that purpose. 

Edited December 22, 2022 by Scott Lloyd

[Hamba Tuhan]

15 hours ago, bluebell said:

My parents' building houses three wards and they all decided to meet together for their Christmas meeting.  It's going to be crowded. 

We are meeting with the ward we share a building with too. In our case, it won't be crowded. Many members have already left the city and won't be back till sometime in January.

Quote

Are we doing sacrament for it?  I can't remember if they usually do sacrament for the Christmas meeting or not.

It's still sacrament meeting. In our case, the rest of the service will follow our traditional Christmas Day pattern: narration/quotes from scriptures/prophets plus heaps of congregational singing.

[Scott Lloyd]

15 hours ago, JAHS said:

We will do the Sacrament. Our problem is that we have very few Aaronic priesthood boys so it's mostly the older men doing it.

Why would that be regarded as a problem? In our ward, we often — if not typically — have one or more Melchizedek Priesthood holders administering at the sacrament table or even passing the sacrament due to the paucity of youthful Aaronic Priesthood holders in our ward. I think it sets a good example for the youth. 

[The Nehor]

On 12/18/2022 at 4:39 PM, MiserereNobis said:

I go to midnight mass (in traditional Catholicism, it is literally at midnight. Most non-traditional Catholic parishes will have midnight mass at 9:00 or 10:00 instead). I like the symbolism -- in the middle of the dark night, light enters the world, and the season changes from anticipatory advent to celebratory Christmas.

(and then Christmas morning can still be PJs until noon, because midnight mass fulfills the holy day of obligation requirement for Christmas)

When I was on my mission in England there was a VERY unofficial tradition of going to Midnight Mass on Christmas morning at the nearest Catholic Church.

[Scott Lloyd]

Thought this might have some relevance to the thread topic:

 

https://babylonbee.com/news/church-honors-birth-jesus-canceling-worship-service/?fbclid=IwAR3s4c-_8XZN1N0kVwvVUaT_J3U7KGV4PLsrYuyL1uRMrRrzT6Vu4H3Up_0&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

[Scott Lloyd]

9 hours ago, The Nehor said:

When I was on my mission in England there was a VERY unofficial tradition of going to Midnight Mass on Christmas morning at the nearest Catholic Church.

On my second Christmas Day in Sweden, we attended the traditional julotta at a cathedral of the Church of Sweden (Lutheran) in Stockholm. 
 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julotta

Edited December 23, 2022 by Scott Lloyd

[JLHPROF]

8 hours ago, The Nehor said:

When I was on my mission in England there was a VERY unofficial tradition of going to Midnight Mass on Christmas morning at the nearest Catholic Church.

Nobody does Christmas like the English (I might be biased on this).
I came across this recently - 

 

25th CHRISTMAS Day In LONDON The Church Bells throughout the city commenced chanting for meeting at half past ten we met with the saints at Father Corner Room Georges Row 24, at 11. o-clock & we tought the saints some plain principles, which had a good effect, we took our Christmas dinner with Br Morgan he had his family at home with him the Dinner consisted of Baked Mutton, Goose, Rabit Pies, Minced Pies, & Plum Pudding & bread & cheese, Porter & water. We spent the evening at Mr Albums in conversing about the things of God, we returned home, after sitting an hour with the family we retired to rest. This is the first Christmas I ever spent in England, whare I shall be next Christmas day the Lord ownly knows, & what a year to come will bring forth we cannot tell, But may the Lord preserve my life, my wife & child in peace I pray & enable all the Saints to be esstablished in righteousness. Christmas is considerd the greatest of all days in England.”

Wilford Woodruff Journal December 25, 1840

[Saint Bonaventure]

I'm glad my LDS friends hold services on Christmas Day when it falls on a Sunday. Catholics go to Mass on Christmas day, or Christmas Eve, regardless of the day of the week.

On Christmas Eve, my parish has a 5:00 PM Mass and a 7:30 PM Mass in Spanish.

Christmas morning, there is the Midnight Mass and Mass at 9:00 AM (the regular time).

I'm planning on Midnight Mass, and that's the one where we have the most visitors from other churches and faiths. 

[Saint Bonaventure]

Double post....

Edited December 23, 2022 by Saint Bonaventure
Double post

[Scott Lloyd]

7 minutes ago, Saint Bonaventure said:

I'm glad my LDS friends hold services on Christmas Day when it falls on a Sunday. Catholics go to Mass on Christmas day, or Christmas Eve, regardless of the day of the week.

On Christmas Eve, my parish has a 5:00 PM Mass and a 7:30 PM Mass in Spanish.

Christmas morning, there is the Midnight Mass and Mass at 9:00 AM (the regular time).

I'm planning on Midnight Mass, and that's the one where we have the most visitors from other churches and faiths. 

We’ve been reaching out to folks from other faiths this year, hoping some will join us for our ward’s one-hour sacrament meeting. We’re even offering a live-stream link!

I found out today I’ll be singing in a small-group ensemble at our meeting on Christmas Day, if any of you would like to come and hear us😉

Edited December 23, 2022 by Scott Lloyd

[Saint Bonaventure]

6 minutes ago, Scott Lloyd said:

We’ve been reaching out to folks from other faiths this year, hoping some will join us for our ward’s one-hour sacrament meeting. We’re even offering a live-stream link!

I found out today I’ll be singing in a small-group ensemble at our meeting on Christmas Day, if any of you would like to come and hear us😉

That's great. What will you be singing?

[Scott Lloyd]

21 hours ago, Saint Bonaventure said:

That's great. What will you be singing?

It’s a Christmas hymn called “Far, Far Away on Judaea’s Plains.” I doubt you’re acquainted with it; I think it’s indigenous to our church. 

Edited December 24, 2022 by Scott Lloyd

[Calm]

18 minutes ago, Scott Lloyd said:

It’s a Christmas carol called “Far, Far Away on Judaea’s Plains.” I doubt you’re acquainted with it; I think it’s indigenous to our church. 

From wiki:

Quote

Far, Far, Away on Judea's Plains" was originally written for an 1869 Christmas program in St. George, Utah, when John Menzies Macfarlane desired a new song for his choir.[1][2]

"Far, Far, Away on Judea's Plains" was first published in the Juvenile Instructor on December 15, 1889.[1] The hymn has since become one of the few hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to become accepted in the broader Christian community

 

[Scott Lloyd]

4 minutes ago, Calm said:

From wiki:

 

Yes, that comports with what I remember. 

[bluebell]

On 12/22/2022 at 2:16 AM, Scott Lloyd said:

Crowded attendance or not, administration of the sacrament is the principal reason for holding sacrament meeting in the first place (as we are routinely reminded by our bishopric each week in our meeting) and canceling the administration of the sacrament would, of course, defeat that purpose. 

Yet we cancel the administration of the sacrament during stake conferences, so precedent is there.

I have no idea if we are having the sacrament or not tomorrow. I don’t remember what the announcement said about it. I just wouldn’t be surprised either way, especially since our program in my area on Sunday is being advertised as a community Christmas program. 

[Scott Lloyd]

4 hours ago, bluebell said:

Yet we cancel the administration of the sacrament during stake conferences, so precedent is there.

I have no idea if we are having the sacrament or not tomorrow. I don’t remember what the announcement said about it. I just wouldn’t be surprised either way, especially since our program in my area on Sunday is being advertised as a community Christmas program. 

Stake conference is not sacrament meeting, which is held for the express purpose of administering and partaking of the sacrament, hence the name of the meeting, and hence my bishopric’s routine statement from the pulpit each week just before the administration of the sacrament: “And now we come to the reason for why we are here.”

Since stake conference has never had that express purpose, what goes on at stake conference is not a precedent for what happens in sacrament meeting.

This is the first I’ve encountered there even being the question of whether the sacrament would be canceled at sacrament meeting, for any reason. The thought strikes me as bizarre. 
 

But I would like to ask a favor: If your ward ends up not administering the sacrament during tomorrow’s sacrament meeting, would you report that here? Not because I’m trying to win an argument, but because I’m genuinely curious as to whether such a thing would occur. No need to report if the contrary occurs; I’ll just assume your ward administered the sacrament as usual. 
 

Incidentally, stake conference in our stake this year fell on Easter Sunday. Because they felt it would be so important on the day we observe the Resurrection and Atonement of our Lord, our stake presidency gave one-day-only authorization for priesthood holders to administer and pass the sacrament in their own homes that day and to take it to stake members who did not have priesthood holders in their homes. 

Edited December 24, 2022 by Scott Lloyd

[bluebell]

2 hours ago, Scott Lloyd said:

Stake conference is not sacrament meeting, which is held for the express purpose of administering and partaking of the sacrament, hence the name of the meeting, and hence my bishopric’s routine statement from the pulpit each week just before the administration of the sacrament: “And now we come to the reason for why we are here.”

Since stake conference has never had that express purpose, what goes on at stake conference is not a precedent for what happens in sacrament meeting.

This is the first I’ve encountered there even being the question of whether the sacrament would be canceled at sacrament meeting, for any reason. The thought strikes me as bizarre. 
 

But I would like to ask a favor: If your ward ends up not administering the sacrament during tomorrow’s sacrament meeting, would you report that here? Not because I’m trying to win an argument, but because I’m genuinely curious as to whether such a thing would occur. No need to report if the contrary occurs; I’ll just assume your ward administered the sacrament as usual. 
 

Incidentally, stake conference in our stake this year fell on Easter Sunday. Because they felt it would be so important on the day we observe the Resurrection and Atonement of our Lord, our stake presidency gave one-day-only authorization for priesthood holders to administer and pass the sacrament in their own homes that day and to take it to stake members who did not have priesthood holders in their homes. 

I’m out of town so I’m not sure I’ll know. But I did find it interesting that they are advertising the meeting as a Christmas program and not a sacrament meeting.

Like I said, I wouldn’t be surprised if they administered the sacrament, I just couldn’t remember if they normally did or not. 

[Scott Lloyd]

1 hour ago, bluebell said:

I’m out of town so I’m not sure I’ll know. But I did find it interesting that they are advertising the meeting as a Christmas program and not a sacrament meeting.

Like I said, I wouldn’t be surprised if they administered the sacrament, I just couldn’t remember if they normally did or not. 

If your ward is like mine, they are directing the publicity largely to people who might not be members of the Church and thus might not be familiar with the term “sacrament meeting” and so for the purpose of the publicity they are using non-esoteric terminology such as Christmas program or Christmas worship service. Doesn’t mean it’s not a sacrament meeting or that the sacrament will not be administered and passed during it. 
 

[Pyreaux]

In Louisiana, we get just a sacrament meeting, with a sacrament, and a choir with permission to run long since there is no second meeting..

[bluebell]

18 minutes ago, Scott Lloyd said:

If your ward is like mine, they are directing the publicity largely to people who might not be members of the Church and thus might not be familiar with the term “sacrament meeting” and so for the purpose of the publicity they are using non-esoteric terminology such as Christmas program or Christmas worship service. Doesn’t mean it’s not a sacrament meeting or that the sacrament will not be administered and passed during it. 
 

Whether it’s a sacrament meeting or not, I’m fine with whatever. 

[Kenngo1969]

On 12/23/2022 at 4:17 PM, Saint Bonaventure said:

Double post....

If it's worth saying, it's worth saying twice!