Worship and Sacred Actions Throughout the Year in Plymouth Brethren Assemblies
The (Plymouth) Brethren, in the tradition of free-church Protestantism, have historically been adverse to practices such as the Christian year that they cannot justify with a direct appeal to Scripture. They have given minimal recognition to Christmas and Easter as Christian holidays and have observed these days more for their evangelistic potential than as a celebration of the lordship of Christ over time. The reason that since many unbelieving persons in North America still have some consciousness of the importance of going to church on these holidays, Christmas and Easter are opportune times to preach the gospel themes of Incarnation and Crucifixion/Resurrection to a larger-than-normal audience. But, for the most part, the Christian year is completely ignored by the Brethren.