Christmas Is Optional

Looks like some of the bigbox churches, like their retailing counterparts, have decided that it's better to close on Christmas than deal with all of the hassle of trying to get shift coverage for their sales associates - er ... I mean church staff. Cincinnati-based outfits like Crossroads (right around the corner from Sam's Club) are among those who have elected to forgo services.

Heck, I'm just some retrograde Catholic - a believer in all of those crazy spiritual antiques like sacraments, liturgy, and grace. I've never taken a shine to these arena-sized megachurches with their coffee stands and over-earnest Jesus rock with the dry ice and laser lights.

So maybe I'm old fashioned thinking that any Christians might be reasonably expected to darken the door of their worship-house on December 25th and spend a few moments with their fellow faithful in contemplation of the birth of their redeemer. It seems to me that this isn't an unreasonable request given the orgy of commercial activity that otherwise surrounds the holiday. Aren't these megachurches tacitly acknowledging the primacy of that culture? In the long term will people eventually recognize the shoddiness of this substitute for worship (not to mention the traffic problems and wholesale pummeling of mom-and-pop parishes) just like the people of this neighborhood did when SuperTarget tried to stick 'em with their two-toned flavor of retail religion?

The tide may have already turned. The small but growing trend of microchurches might signal a return to the form of religion first known by the earliest Christians: A few followers gathering in somebody's home. In this case they aren't hiding from Romans - but from the crass glare of consumerism in a secular society.