Ansley Zecckine – The Corsair
There’s a certain masquerade of rules that people paint upon the faces of Christians; in fact, even some Christians make a habit of it. In their minds they believe that one must attend every church service, every Sunday school class, and participate in every church outing or function because that’s what a “good Christian” does. With this is the idea that every place in America should be closed on Sundays and on Christmas. Well I have great news to share; they’re all wrong.
There was a time when I had a similar attitude and I would actually feel a sense of guilt for those times when I didn’t go to church but did something else instead. Most often, I would be talking to a friend who needed to talk to me or, on occasion, I’d be involved with work. There are, however, no justified grounds for such feelings of guilt, which can invade and hinder our lives from being lived to the fullest.
Case and point from the Bible: Jesus Christ. He’s the reason we have church today, and yet ironically almost all of his recorded acts were done outside of “church.” The Sermon on the Mount, the Feeding of the Four-thousand, the Feeding of the Five-thousand, and the Feeding of the Six-thousand (if He had done that), are just a few examples.
In addition, his ministry wasn’t limited to just six days a week; he did heal a man on the Sabbath. His answer to the Jews who questioned him on the matter was, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.”
Jesus lived his life full of compassion for people, a compassion that resulted in acts of service. Mark 10:45 says, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
I realize that some people offer such great and needed services to our community that they have to work on Sundays and even on Christmas. Nobody should feel guilty about that though; they should all feel blessed, because they are living what Christmas is about.
Do I have a story to share that goes a long with this? Why yes I do indeed, two in fact, and I’m very glad you asked. A friend of mine from church, Mary Ard, is involved in healthcare and she actually volunteered to work on Christmas. When asked why, she said that the sick don’t stop being sick on Christmas; those that need help, still need help. She decided to serve.
The Sunday right after Christmas, another story unfolded in the middle of our church service. The man who goes by the name, “Animal,” was having trouble breathing, and it was so bad that an ambulance was called to bring help. In the end, not only did an ambulance come, along with other personnel, but a LifeFlight helicopter arrived on the scene to get this man to the hospital as fast as possible.
In their efforts they may have very well saved his life, because I was able to talk to him face-to-face at church again that same night.
So to those men and women out there who spent their Christmas in service to the community, and to those who do it from Sunday to Sunday, I say God bless you, for you don’t just celebrate Christmas, you live Christmas. Have a great new year!