Yet another Easter question

[Reformedfellow]

Attend or not...

 

[Tripel]

I'm trying to put myself in your situation, and I sympathize with your dilemma.

If you do not have any other options, and your conscience is telling you that both are wrong, I'd think you'd still want to go with the "wrong" that involves singing hymns about Christ and hearing his Word preached. Despite your beliefs about the errors of an Easter service, surely there is some good in you attending worship. God knows your heart.

 

[NaphtaliPress]

If all we are talking about is a service where the pastor has chosen to preach on Christ's Resurrection with some accompanying choices of songs, that would seem a light grief compared to not going to services at all. You are not participating in what you perceive as a sinful accommodation by simply being where your duty requires you. That others have made that far less the joy it should be is not your fault. On the otherhand if things are over the top or if your church is highly liturgical about this, or even verging on the idolatrous, simply find a local Reformed church that is not and visit that day.

 

[JonathanHunt]

It is the Lord's Day before it is anything else. Unless things are really dire, go to church. You are not under obligation to arrive early or stay afterwards, but I believe that the path of peace is to go. The Lord knows your heart.

 

[Jack K]

I faced something like this several years ago when I was part of a church I generally liked (and the best I could find within reasonable distance) that had the tradition of doing a patriotic service around the Fourth of July. In that case, they actually sang hymns of praise to America. In my mind, they violated "Worship the Lord, and him only."

I still attended but sat out parts of the service. My rationale was that you can't just back out of church life, especially its worship services, just because such worship is imperfect. But I attended with a bad attitude and I'm not sure, now, that it was the right call.

I mention this to point out to you that at least your church intends to worship the risen Christ. There's much good in that, even if some bad is mixed in. If you do decide to attend services, I encourage you to prepare yourself and to try to attend with a glad and appreciative heart.

 

[dudley]

It is ultimately between you and God on this one!

If you do decide to attend services, I encourage you to prepare yourself and to try to attend with a glad and appreciative heart.

Thanks for sharing about your past Jack,
As I'm sure you can attest, given your experience, that it's such a fine line (what you are suggesting). We meditate in family worship every time before Church, thanking God for the chance to go worship Him, and going with gladness, gratefulness, and preparedness (especially if they are serving from the Lord's table).
But it's hard to be glad and joyful when your heart is burdened with something, like the Patriotic service, that is idolatry. The message and focus is always on the risen Christ, granted, but the very "holy day" itself stems from paganism, Ishtar, and is then filtered through Rome. This is what I can't get out of my mind and it totally shakes my focus from my ability to worship God rightly. April and December man, they are a total killjoy. Rome's influence on protestantism rages on. Semper reformanda!

---------- Post added at 08:04 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:02 AM ----------

As you can see, we struggle with this. We need prayers brethren. Got to get our eyes on the Christ, and off the other junk!

---------- Post added at 08:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:04 AM ----------

I do admit, part of the problem DOES lay with me (a heart issue) hence my post, and humble request for prayers and advice. Thanks for the responses. It has helped.
I am struggling with how to get over the issue of fulfilling my duty to attend worship (and absolute desire to be there to worship) and the feeling that if I go I am somehow giving in, showing acceptance of it.

I know our puritan fathers rejected the Christmass, and Easter. Are there any recommended published works one could read to perhaps gently and lovingly encourage others to read to shed more light on this issue? In Japan, as everywhere else in the world, Christmass and Easter are a HUGE deal in the protestant Churches.

I would agree with Chris Coldwell when he said “If all we are talking about is a service where the pastor has chosen to preach on Christ's Resurrection with some accompanying choices of songs, that would seem a light grief compared to not going to services at all.”

I also agree with Jack K when he said “I mention this to point out to you that at least your church intends to worship the risen Christ. There's much good in that” and I also however agree with you when you said “Rome's influence on Protestantism rages on. Semper reformanda!” I too am very cautious about any ritualistic services that in any way resemble Roman Catholicism. Ultimately it is your well formed conscience in unison with God that make the right decision. I would say pray and talk to god about it, it is ultimately between you and God on this one!

 

[Jackie Kaulitz]

Dear Colin, I feel 100% the same way as you, if not more so.

I choose not to attend on Christmas Day and if it is a "season" I chose not to attend that season. In my conscience, I cannot sin against the Lord. I would rather be by myself at home with the Lord, worshipping Him by myself, than participating in what I see (to each his own) as a pagan ritual. Others may not feel convicted over this issue, but my conscience burns fiercly, as if someone asked me to worship another god. If I burn in my conscience, I cannot do it because attendance could not be worshipful when I'm burning looking at all the decorations. I do not believe I can stand there and worship God, while to the world and everyone around me, I give off the appearance of approving of this pagan celebration. I feel like my participation and presence itself is against my Lord. I cannot sing many of the baby exhalting songs because it also feels too close to baby worship (but that's just me). For me, it is too much of the Catholic's focus on mother and baby in a form of goddess worship. Or like Osiris, Isis and Tammuz.

If Easter includes any ceremony or tainting of the day, I also skip that. However, this year, my pastor assured me that there would be no "easter" at all and I thank God that my pastor calls it "Resurrection Day" instead of "Easter!" Thanks be to God for teaching my pastor this truth!

I will pray for guidance for you. But I feel if you cannot attend in good conscience without "burning" and like me, your inner conscience is screaming "pagan ritual", I think we must not attend. But that's just me! God bless!