It is the week before Christmas and the final days of Advent are upon us. I attended my church’s three Advent services and was especially moved by the carols and lessons service during the second week of Advent. Carols were sung by soloists, young children, and the congregation. Between these familiar tunes were six Scripture readings that weaved through God promises found in the Old and New Testament. The following week, my Bible Study group dove deeply into lesson readings looking for hidden treasures. Although the years have crept upon me and my colleagues, there is still a burning desire to seek God’s eternal truths.
Occasionally, I read an article or editorial that stuns me either positively or negatively. Three days ago, I read one. Baroness Camilla Cavendish, a Financial Times writer, wrote an editorial titled The restorative power of ritual should not be underestimated: You don’t have to believe in the afterlife to feel the beneficial effects of a religious service, at Christmas or otherwise (Financial Times, December 15, 2023). What concerned me is that Cavendish advocates attending church for selfish, individualistic, and non-faith related reasons. Her message is: go to a religious service solely so that you can personally benefit.
According to her, here are the benefits from church services:
- Angst reduction. Instead of downloading mindfulness apps, setting goals, writing journals, joining a gym. or speaking to a therapist, go to a church service as “religious faith bolsters mental health.”
- Religious services (“ritual, music”) help wellbeing. The British Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life stated that “individuals with religious affiliations … report significantly higher psychological wellbeing than atheists: 70 per cent to 49 per cent.”
- Satisfied lives. Americans who attend a weekly religious service are more “satisfied with their lives, than are those who earn over $100,000 a year … less likely to have ever been diagnosed with depression.”
Cavendish cites research conducted by Dr Chaeyoon Lim’s, Professor of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin, that suggests that “churchgoers happiness is the network of friends they make there, which presumably contributes to a sense of security and belonging.” One study on depression found that older Europeans who joined a religious organization had improved mental health compared to those who joined secular clubs or volunteered at nonprofits.
Cavendish readily admits that she is a rationalist who doesn’t believe in the afterlife. She knows others who share her views, but still attend church. “But I do sometimes get, in the glimmer of a candle or a soaring plainchant under ancient arches, a sense of connection to something other.” She believes that it is church that makes people happier rather than happier people go to church. Although religious organization “dwell on our flaws,” they tend to do this less often. Unlike secular wellness organizations, religious organizations are “not selling a utopia that is bound to disappoint.”
She points out that there are healthier religious organizations, such as the Seventh-day Adventists and Mormons, who live longer because they shun unhealthy behaviors such as smoking and drinking alcohol. These conservative religious organizations live simpler lives and are less materialistic, which improves wellbeing.
Cavendish concludes: “This Christmas, I am not going to ditch the mindfulness. But I will welcome the chance to go to a church where I can put away my phone, reflect on the weeks past, get my thoughts in order and think about people beyond myself. Oh, and sing.”
Every Christmas Eve Service that I attended over the years was full of people I had never seen at my church. Most Christian churches open their doors to all and welcome everyone, regardless of their beliefs or character. The week after Christmas, the church members who regularly attend services come back for worship services, although the pews are emptier than on Christmas Eve. The Church calendar continues with its rituals, music, and sacraments. The Christian worship focus is on the Trinity, not the humans who attend services. Christian worship is not self-worship, such as healthier diets, longer life, or better mental health, but the worship of the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. When bread and wine are served at church, it is a sign of God’s grace given to humanity who desperately need redemption. This meal is a gift paid through sacrifice. It is not earned by our participation.
I go to the gym to exercise which has been proven to make me healthier, along with healthy food and adequate sleep. I am not depressed, but if I developed signs of depression, I would seek a physician. I volunteer at nonprofits to use my God-given gifts to uplift my community. While there are theological reasons to do all these activities, none of these reasons is why I go to church services, especially during Advent. I go there to worship a deity far greater than myself. The focus of Christian worship is not on me.
The English word advent is derived from the Latin adventus which means “coming.” During the Advent season, Christians prepare themselves for the coming of Jesus Christ into a dark world crying out for a messiah. During Christmas Eve services, Christian’s light candles together to welcome the one who brings light into a sinful world. The candles are not lit for those in the church, but for the One who promised to come again. Cavendish hints that she has “a sense of connection to something other.” Perhaps the Spirit is welcoming her to a life of faith in something other than herself or those around her. My prayer is that she turns her focus from worshipping self-help towards the One who was born on Christmas Day.
