Worship: Parents and Families Together

Occasionally, well-meaning parents will ask why our congregation doesn't hold the children's education component of our ministry during the worship hour.  From a convenience 

 and time perspective it would make some sense to have both occur during the same hour.  However, we define worship as "being with Jesus" while primarily the Education Hour spends time "talking about Jesus."  As a result, we don't want to short-change our children or adult teachers by teaching them about Jesus at the expense of being with Jesus.

It is true that some parts of the regular worship service are difficult for younger children to understand. However, worship is something that children can grow into.  As children spend time with their parents praying, singing, listening to the Bible readings, sermons, children's lessons, and as they attend communion and are given a special blessing they participate in one of the few multi-generational experiences left in our culture.  

I find it interesting that recent studies have confirmed that families attending worship together is a healthier expression of worship.  Statistics show that when children attend an education hour while the rest of the community is in worship, they will be much more likely to never attend worship services as adults. 

Worshipping together as parents and children can be difficult sometimes. But the blessings are innumerable!

In Christ,

Pastor David Dressler

Issues: What's up with the Co-exist Bumper Stickers?

Several summers ago I spent a week with my youngest daughter in Southern California hiking in the Sierras and seeing the tourist spots in Los Angeles.  I noticed that the closer we got to the Sierra Trailheads and also to the trendier sections of Los Angeles the more frequently we encountered Co-exist bumper stickers.  

 Although I agree that people of all races, nationalities, religions and genders should love, honour and respect one another, I don't believe that the capacity to do so exists within many of the pictured religions, nor within the secular humanist framework that lies behind the creation and production of the bumper sticker.  

The sticker was submitted by Piotr Miodozeniec for an art contest sponsored by an organization in Jerusalem called the Museum on the Seam - A Socio-Political Contemporary Art Museum.  The museum curator, Raphie Etgar, correctly states "What is happening today in various parts of the world is a cycle that cannot be broken without brave and inspired leaders who must solve the problems with generosity, mutual understanding and non-violent thinking. What we need today in many places is more consideration, kindness, modesty and love." (http://www.coexistence.art.museum/coex/pages/curator.asp)

 However, the problem as I see it, is that the capacity for the needed generosity, kindness, modesty and love, is not found within humanity outside of the work of the Triune God who has revealed Himself as our Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier.  We have come to know this level of love only through Jesus Christ our Redeemer who is God come in the flesh.  Through Christ, the law of sin and death which characterizes many of the pictured religions, is cancelled, and thus providing a basis for a true and lasting peace, first with God, and then also with one another.

Blessings,

Pastor David Dressler

A Parents Christmas Dilemna: Santa Claus or Not?!

My wife grew up celebrating St. Nicholas Day in her family.  Every December 6th the children would be treated to candy and chocolates and a gift.  That left my in-laws free to celebrate Jesus' birth on Christmas (Christ's-Mass)  Eve and Christmas Day.  However, for myself and many of my friends the Christmas season was a strange mix of Christian celebration and Santa-stuff.  As hard as our family tried to distinguish between Christmas fantasy and the real Christmas story of Jesus and his birth, the growling secularization of the Christmas season, has made the challenge even more difficult for today's Christian parents.

Often the challenge is made even more difficult than necessary as parents are presented with a "take-it-or-leave-it" attitude to Christmas.  Many are told that Santa Claus, Christmas Trees and Yule Logs should be forbidden within Christian homes.  Consider, however, that it may be possible to recover some of the Christian festivals and traditions in an appropriate way, which will keep Christ central to the celebration, and at the same time give appropriate attention to the secondary characters of the season.

Saint Nicholas (Santa Niklaus) is a case in point.  Our culture has turned a real-historical man of the ancient Christian Church into a "god".  At Christmas time people sing songs about "Santa's" (Saint's) "Omnipresence" as he supposedly gives presents all over the world to every boy and girl all on the same night (December 24th).  As well, the mythical "Santa"  has "Omniscience" as he apparently knows whether any boy or girl has been naughty or nice and actually keeps a complete list for each person. Additional stories give "Santa" the eternal qualities and the "Omni-powerful" qualities that also belong only to the Divine.  No wonder many Christians show great concern about our current "Santa" culture.

 
Christian parents who want to avoid the gross idolatry of our culture towards "Santa Claus" can correct many of the abuses by acknowledging that there was a real "SAiNT(A) niKLAUS".  He lived approximately 270 - 340 AD and was the Christian Bishop of Myra in present-day Turkey.  His feast-day is December 6th  and is celebrated the world-over by the giving of gifts and candy especially to children.

Legendary stories support his generous-giving nature as a Christian minister while history records that Saint Niklaus was one of the Christian bishops gathered for the Council of Nicaea during one of the most serious gatherings of theologians ever recorded.  The Christian Nicaean Creed is the result of that historic gathering which defended the faith against the ancient heresy of Arianism. Niklaus would be horrified to learn that many people have elevated him to "god-head" status since he himself spent much of his life defending the orthodox Christian teaching that there is only one God in three persons - God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.  In fact, Saint Niklaus is even reputed to have punched someone who taught otherwise!  

While promoting the false stories about "Santa Claus" may create later doubt for the average child about the veracity of the rest of the Christmas story, acknowledging that there really was a "Saint Niklaus" who believed and worshiped Jesus Christ, supports a healthy celebration of Christmas.  

May God bless your Christmas celebration this year!

In Christ,

Pastor David Dressler