Christmas Day.—Christmas is preeminently a Church Festival, and observed on December 25th. On this day the Church celebrates with joy, gladness and exultation the Nativity of her Lord, who became Incarnate (i.e., took our nature upon Him) and was born of a pure Virgin. As the angels at His Birth, so mankind ever since has hailed the Day of His Nativity with exceeding great joy. The Puritans strove with all their ardor to destroy it, but happily did not succeed. The argument used against it, that the Birthday of the Child Jesus is not known, and, therefore, cannot be preserved, does not prevail against the universal longing to celebrate in some way this great event. We are not surprised, therefore, to find that from the very earliest period Christmas was observed. St. Chrysostom, in the fourth century, speaks of it as being even then of great antiquity. In one of his Epistles he mentions that Julius I, about A.D. 350, had caused strict inquiry to be made and had confirmed the observance of Christmas on December 25th.
Christmas has always been observed with several celebrations of the Holy Eucharist, three at least taking place; one at midnight, another at early dawn and the third at midday. The growing devotion of the {55} American Church has demanded this celebration of Christmas and, therefore, at the last revision of the Prayer Book a second Collect, Epistle and Gospel for this day was inserted. It is customary to decorate our churches on Christmas with evergreen as symbolical of the eternal nature of our Lord; to deck the Altar with white symbol of joy and purity, and in some places with lighted candles to typify our Lord as the Light of the world.
Church.—The word used in Holy Scripture for Church is ecclesia, from the Greek word ek-kaleo, meaning to call out. An ecclesia, therefore, is a body called out. The Rev. Francis J. Hall has given the following explanation, "The Church is called the ecclesia because her membership consists of those who are called of God, and adopted as His children and heirs of everlasting life. The name teaches that the origin of the church was due, not to any human act of organization, but to Divine operations and a Divine ingathering of the elect. The mark by which the elect are distinguished in Holy Scripture is membership of the Church by Baptism, although ultimate salvation requires further conditions." The use of the term ecclesia came originally from the calling out of Israel from Egypt; "out of Egypt have I called my Son;" this is the first use of the word. The true conception of the Church is a body called out from the world, and set apart to the service of God, as such it is called the Kingdom of God, over which God reigns and in which they who are called serve Him. (See UNITY, CHURCH; KINGDOM OF GOD; CHURCH CATHOLIC; also ANGLICAN CHURCH). {56}
Church Building Fund.—A very important and helpful organization exists in the American Church known as "The American Church Building Fund Commission." It was established October 25th, 1880, by the General Convention and consists of all the Bishops, and one clergyman and one layman from each Diocese and Missionary Jurisdiction appointed by the Bishop thereof, and of twenty members-at-large appointed by the Presiding Bishop. Its object is to create by an annual offering from every congregation, as recommended by the General Convention, and by individual gifts, a Fund of One Million Dollars, portions of the principal to be loaned, and of the interest given, to aid the building of churches wherever needed. In order to hold property and carry on the work of loaning money on mortgage in a safe and legal manner, it was necessary to organize a corporation and this was done under the laws of the State of New York, the title of the organization being that given above. This commission is one of the most efficient agencies in Church extension; many a mission through its aid being enabled to erect a House of Worship, which otherwise would have had to give up in despair and abandon all hopes of having the Church's worship and administration of the Sacraments.
Church Catholic, The.—The kingdom of Christ, partly visible here on earth, partly invisible behind the veil. The Church Catholic embraces three great divisions:
I. THE CHURCH MILITANT, here on earth, struggling, fighting (which militant means) against sin to overcome it. {57}
II. THE CHURCH EXPECTANT where the soul abides after death in a state of expectancy of the final Resurrection; called, also, the INTERMEDIATE STATE (which see).
III. THE CHURCH TRIUMPHANT in Heaven where the soul reunited to the body has its perfect consummation and bliss in God's eternal and everlasting glory.
Church Chronology.—Under this head may be given certain dates and events which may be regarded as "Turning Points" in the history of the Christian Church: