Sunday Night Service

[Romans922]

What was the origin of the Sunday night service, when there was a Sunday morning service; and why would it still be applicable to us today or is it?

Is there a Biblical call to this? Is it just so we can be 'more holy?'

And for that matter, Wednesday night services?

For being a day of rest, I always feel uplifted and encouraged but also drained at the end of the day after attending in the morning, going home, and returning at night. Am I just not holy???

[Edited on 9-12-2006 by Romans922]

 

[VirginiaHuguenot]

This thread might be helpful. Basically, the Fourth Commandment, as expounded by the Westminster Standards (WCF 21.8; WLC 116-117), requires that the entire Lord's Day be set apart for public and private worship (and works of necessity and mercy), and Scripture gives us a clear example of this when Paul preached until midnight (Acts 20.7). The Christian Sabbath is not over after the morning service, it's duration is that of a full day.

It is a day of rest, and that includes physical rest, but it primarily means ceasing from our own works and pleasures so that we may devote ourselves to finding our rest in Christ (Heb. 4.9).

 

[Romans922]

Well, I didn't mean we should rest or that the Sabbath is over after morning worship, but just because Paul preached until midnight, does this mean we should have two public worship services on the Sabbath every week? And if public worship takes up most of the day, where is the time for physical rest, family, and private worship times?

Also, anyone know anything on the history of this. When did two public worship services on the Sabbath begin and why?

[Edited on 9-12-2006 by Romans922]

 

[VirginiaHuguenot]

Not "just because." Paul's preaching until midnight is an illustration of the principle taught in the Fourth Commandment and the Westminster Standards that the entire day is to be set apart for the Lord. It is up to the local session to apply this principle appropriately, but historically, based on Apostolic example, wise men throughout the Church's history have recognized that one service is generally insufficient to promote the sanctification of the entire day. Human nature being what it is, if we are not going about the business of the Lord, we are more prone towards indolence and the like, rather than the sanctification of the whole day.

The real question is, historically, when did Sabbath-keeping degrade from two services to one? The articles that I cited in the other thread speak to this and deplore the breaking of a pattern of morning and evening worship that harkens back to the Old Testament.

[Edited on 9-12-2006 by VirginiaHuguenot]

 

[Romans922]

Well was Paul's illustration of two services in a day?

Note: I am not disagreeing with you, I am just ignorant and without some time currently.

[Edited on 9-12-2006 by Romans922]

 

[VirginiaHuguenot]

Originally posted by Romans922
Well was Paul's illustration of two services in a day?

Note: I am not disagreeing with you, I am just ignorant and without some time currently.

[Edited on 9-12-2006 by Romans922]

Matthew Henry says:

He continued it till midnight; perhaps they met in the evening for privacy, or in conformity to the example of the disciples who came together on the first Christian sabbath in the evening. It is probable he had preached to them in the morning, and yet thus lengthened out his evening sermon even till midnight;

[Edited on 9-12-2006 by VirginiaHuguenot]

 

[Romans922]

Gotta love Matt. Henry!

 

[VirginiaHuguenot]

Also note that Acts 20.7 is a Westminster proof text against the sin of "being weary" of Sabbath sanctification:

Question 119. What are the sins forbidden in the fourth commandment?

Answer. The sins forbidden in the fourth commandment are, all omissions of the duties required, [Ezek 22:26] all careless, negligent, and unprofitable performing of them, and being weary of them; [Acts 20:7,9; Ezek 33:30-32; Amos 8:5; Mal 1:13] all profaning the day by idleness, and doing that which is in itself sinful; [Ezek 23:38] and by all needless works, words, and thoughts, about our worldly employments and recreations. [Jer 17:24,27; Isa 58:13]

 

[jaybird0827]

I have another question. When did the evening service begin to degenerate into becoming "somewhat less formal" or "somewhat more casual" than the morning service?

Pattern observed over the course of years:
That which is done in Sunday School eventually finds its way to the evening service.
That which is done in the evening service eventually finds its way to the morning service.

 

[VirginiaHuguenot]

Originally posted by jaybird0827
I have another question. When did the evening service begin to degenerate into becoming "somewhat less formal" or "somewhat more casual" than the morning service?

Pattern observed over the course of years:
That which is done in Sunday School eventually finds its way to the evening service.
That which is done in the evening service eventually finds its way to the morning service.

These are two good observations, Jay. I think they speak to human nature being like water which always seeks out the path of least resistance.

For some good discussion of the trend that you referenced concerning Sabbath school, I recommend reading a chapter called "The Eclipse of Family Worship in Modern America" in Family Worship: Biblical Basis, Historical Reality, Current Need by Kerry Ptacek. What is true of the eclipse of family is true of the eclipse of public worship (which ought to be preferred even over private).

 

[VirginiaHuguenot]

The Evening Service

June 30, 2003 AM
By Rev. Dr. Robert S. Rayburn
From: Biblical Worship

In previous columns, in discussing the worship we offer to God we have primarily considered questions about the contents, the order, and the ceremonial regulation of the morning worship service. But what of the evening service and all the more in our day when the evening service is rapidly disappearing from the Sunday schedule of the Christian Church? This is a great change and, in my view, a most unfortunate one.
...
Are there reasons for the church to meet twice on the Lord´s Day? Well, there must be, for the church has done so virtually without exception throughout her history....The arguments for a second Lord´s Day service, that is, an evening service, include these:

First, provision was made in the liturgical regulation of the tabernacle and temple for both morning and evening sacrifices and these were explicitly required to be continued on the Sabbath day (Numbers 28:1-10). Second, Psalm 92, which is explicitly identified as a psalm "œFor the Sabbath Day," reads, "œIt is good"¦to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night" (cf. Ps. 134:1). Third, in the New Testament we have record of evening worship on the Christian Sabbath, that is Sunday (Acts 20:7) and we have it in a book that very clearly intends to set before us facts representative of the life of early Christianity. Interestingly, what might be called the first Sunday "œservice" of the new epoch took place at night when the Lord on Easter evening met his disciples gathered in a room in Jerusalem. Fourth, just as morning has a special significance in the history of salvation (e.g. our Savior rose from the dead in the morning), so many events have sanctified the evening (e.g. the Savior´s birth, the transfiguration, the struggle in Gethsemane, etc.). There is something appropriate in the church worshipping at the time that recollects such sacred and important events. Fifth, there is the consistent witness of the Christian tradition, from early Christianity, to English Puritanism and Scottish Presbyterianism´s "œafternoon" service, to Anglican evensong. Sixth, there are a variety of practical considerations that, together, strongly recommend the practice of an evening worship service on the Sabbath Day.

For example, such a service provides another opportunity for ministers to preach and teach the Word of God. All the more in our day, when the church is not as biblically literate as it once was, reducing the number of times Christians hear the Word read and taught is hardly a recipe for spiritual prosperity or renewal. I give my own testimony as a preacher that, were it not for the evening service "“ a well attended evening service for which I am very grateful "“ there are a many parts of the Bible the congregation would never have had taught to it and many biblical themes that would never have been taught so comprehensively were I limited to a single sermon each week. A long series on the Bible´s doctrine of affliction, or biblical ethics, or nearly two years in Samuel would be impossible to justify were only the Sunday morning sermon available to the preacher.

Further, the evening service provides a helpful structure to support the sanctification of the Lord´s Day. Christians universally find it much easier to keep the Lord´s Day holy and make proper use of its time if the hours following the morning worship are an interval between two services. Then there is a limited amount of time in the middle of the day to put to proper use before it is time to return to church. The definite structure of the day lends itself to obedience and to a wise use of the day.

In those churches where the Christian family is home from church at 11:00 a.m. or 1:00 p.m., with the remainder of the day to its end stretching before them and with no occasion to return to church, the sanctification of the day is provided no support and now depends entirely on the determined exercise of the will. We are finding in American evangelicalism that this is a recipe for disaster so far as the holiness of the Sabbath day is concerned. But, if keeping the Sabbath holy is one of the great engines of Christian faith, holiness and joy, as the Bible teaches that it is, the loss of the Sabbath in the evangelical church is no small thing.

Furthermore, there is a character to the evening that lends to worship a particular character. Generations of Christians have known this from hallowed experience. The English poet, Meredith, has a line, "œthe largeness of the evening earth." G.K. Chesterton, commenting on that line, wrote, "œThe sensation that the cosmos has all its windows open is very characteristic of evening"¦" The special character of evening hymns bears witness to the particular set of holy thoughts that crowd the soul in the evening hours. Christian worship on the Lord´s Day evening gains a special character from the hour.

God´s people through the ages have prized the second service. Christian children growing up with Sunday evenings at church remember them with a special fondness. Most Christians, I suppose, have the memory of a special spiritual atmosphere that attached to evening worship. We are, after all, talking about only another hour or two out of the entire week. Surely we should have a good reason, a very good reason, why we would not make a special effort to be in God´s house, to sing his praise and hear his Word, twice on the Lord´s holy Day. A day devoted to his worship and to the refreshment of our souls in him, surely is very naturally a day that begins and ends in God´s house, among God´s people, with his Word in our ears and his praise in our hearts.

[Edited on 9-12-2006 by VirginiaHuguenot]

 

[Kevin]

My understanding of historical development of multiple services is that there are 2 seperate & distinct historical paterns.

The first is from the early post-apostolic period. This practice grew into the "office of hours". This was a direct result of trying to mimic OT temple practices. This also grew up with monasticism. So you basicly had a class of clergy that self-consciously attempted to organise their communal life in such a way that some group of priests were always praying.



As protestants we a very unfamiliar with this tradition yet we retain some memory of it in the use of terms such as "vespers" & "matins" that have entered the general lexicon.

The second is post/early-reformation. In this case the reformed clergy were concerned that laymen learn as much "sound" doctrine as possible to prevent a relapse into romanism. The solution was the "lecture sermon" this was a simple service with little or no singing & only a brief opening prayer. This service lasted aprox one hour and ended just before the morning worship. The sevice was almost entirely devoted to an exposition of the scripture or some "head of doctrine".

The parishoners would arrive as the "lecture" was progressing, with a ever increasing audience until the bells rang the last time and the "proper" worship sevice began.

The practise in Scotland & Geneva was to have the Lecture prior to the service, in the low countries the practice was to have it after.

Evening services as such are a relativly new inovation. Prior to the advent of electicity lighting a sanctuary was very expensive and only done rarely. Outside of monastaries you had the problem of people seeing to travel to & from the villiage church.

If my memory serves evening services became widespread as an evangelistic tool because churches were often the first buildings to be lighted after dark. This is also the source of the common evangelical practice of making sunday night the "outreach service".

 

[VirginiaHuguenot]

Hughes Oliphant Old discusses the continuity of the pattern of morning and evening worship that existed in the transition from Jewish ("By long Jewish tradition the Shema was recited every morning and evening, 'when you lie down and when you rise.' p. 35) to Christian Sabbatarianism in The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures in the Worship of the Christian Church, Vol. I:

p. 223:

179. Just when the Church began to hold its principal service on the Lord's Day morning is not clear. The meeting in the Upper Room on the evening of the first Easter Sunday may have included the sharing of the Supper. One might regard that meeting as the first Lord's Day service. More than likely the first Lord's Day morning service would not have been held until after the Christians had been expelled from the synagogue.

p. 293:

We have echoes of both in the New Testament. First, there are the evening appearances reported in both Luke and John: at Emmaus Jesus made himself known in the breaking of bread (Luke 24: 13-35); in Jerusalem he appeared to the disciples on the evening of the first day of the week (Luke 24: 36-43; John 20:19-23); then he came to the disciples precisely a week later (John 20:26-29). Second, there are the morning appearances reported in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-18). Jesus appeared to the women, Peter, and Mary Magdalene. Both in regard to the morning and the evening the Gospels make a point of telling us that it was on the first day of the week that Jesus took the initiative and met with the disciples. The implication seems to be that both the morning and the evening Lord's Day services were of dominical institution.

Old also makes reference to Pliny's letter to Trajan (112 AD) which recounts the practice of the Christians to assembly for worship on the Lord's Day morning, to depart, and then to assemble again for the Lord's Supper.

W. Rordorf, The History of the Day of Rest and Worship in the Earliest Centuries of the Christian Church, pp. 236-237:

We are, therefore, almost compelled to conclude that there was a direct connection between these (post-resurrection) meals on the one hand and the breaking of bread on the other. There does exist, then, good reason for supposing that in the primitive community the breaking of bread, for which no definite date is mentioned in Acts 2:42, 46 took place weekly on Sunday evening.

J.I. Packer goes on to describe how the Puritans carried on this practice of consecrating the whole day unto the Lord:

(b) Public worship must be centeral on the Lord's Day. The day must be built round public worship, morning and afternoon or evening ('the publike exercises are twice at the least to be used every Sabbath').25 Private devotions must take second place to this, if one or the other for any reason has to go.

25. Richard Greenham, Works (1611), p. 208.

 

[Kevin]

Andrew, just a question, is the Sabbath is for Gods people as individuals, families, & as the church? All 3 equally? One more than the others?

What I am wondering about is how would the Lords day "look" if we devoted as much effort to family & individual obsevance/celebration as we do to the organised church.

An other issue that is overlooked in every discussion of the topic that I have read is the vast difference in our modern denominational church from the older parish model. Most modern consevative reformed congregations draw members from a wide area. Often members could live as far apart as an hour or more.

The modern practice of driving to "our" church, often 30 min or more away, two times in one day seems at odds any idea of "rest".

 

[VirginiaHuguenot]

Originally posted by Kevin
Andrew, just a question, is the Sabbath is for Gods people as individuals, families, & as the church? All 3 equally? One more than the others?

I believe it is primarily a day for God's people to assemble to worship the Lord (see the article I cited previously on this subject). However, it is the duty of families and individuals to worship God on this day as well as the Confession states:

6. Neither prayer, nor any other part of religious worship, is now, under the gospel, either tied unto, or made more acceptable by any place in which it is performed, or towards which it is directed:a but God is to be worshipped everywhereb in spirit and truth;c as in private familiesd daily,e and in secret each one by himself,f so more solemnly in the public assemblies, which are not carelessly or willfully to be neglected or forsaken, when God, by his Word or providence, calleth thereunto.g

a. John 4:21. "¢ b. Mal 1:11; 1 Tim 2:8. "¢ c. John 4:23-24. "¢ d. Deut 6:6-7; 2 Sam 6:18, 20; Job 1:5; Jer 10:25; Acts 10:2; 1 Pet 3:7. "¢ e. Mat 6:11. "¢ f. Mat 6:6; Eph 6:18. "¢ g. Isa 56:6-7; Prov 1:20-21, 24; 8:34; Luke 4:16; Acts 2:42; 13:42; Heb 10:25.

7. As it is of the law of nature that, in general, a due proportion of time be set apart for the worship of God; so, in his Word, by a positive, moral, and perpetual commandment, binding all men in all ages, he hath particularly appointed one day in seven for a Sabbath, to be kept holy unto him:a which, from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, was the last day of the week; and, from the resurrection of Christ, was changed into the first day of the week,b which in Scripture is called the Lord's day,c and is to be continued to the end of the world, as the Christian Sabbath.d

a. Exod 20:8, 10-11; Isa 56:2, 4, 6-7. "¢ b. Gen 2:2-3; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor 16:1-2. "¢ c. Rev 1:10. "¢ d. Exod 20:8, 10 with Mat 5:17-18.

8. This Sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord, when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering of their common affairs beforehand, do not only observe an holy rest all the day from their own works, words, and thoughts, about their worldly employments and recreations;a but also are taken up the whole time in the public and private exercises of his worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy.b

a. Exod 20:8; 16:23, 25-26, 29-30; 31:15-17; Isa 58:13; Neh 13:15-22. "¢ b. Isa 58:13; Mat 12:1-13.

Also, see J.I. Packer:

The Spheres of Worship

There are, said the Puritans, three spheres of Christian worship: public, in the local church; domestic, in the family circle; private, in the closet. Of these three, public worship is the most important. David Clarkson was entirely typical when, preaching on Psalm 87:2 under the title 'Public worship to be preferred before private,'' he argued from Scripture that 'the Lord is more glorified by public worship,' `'there is more of the Lord's presence in public worship,' 'here are the clearest manifestations of God',' 'there is more spiritual advantage to be got in the use of public ordinances,' and 'public worship is more edifying.' [21] Strikingly, yet characteristically (for many others made the same point), he reminds us that public worship is 'the nearest resemblance of heaven that earth knows: for in heaven, so far as the Scripture describes it to us...all the worship of that glorious company is public....They make one glorious congregation and so jointly together sing the praises of him that sits on the throne, and the praises of the Lamb, and continue employed in this public worship to eternity.' [22] Similarly, Swinnock insists that on the Lord's Day church must come first, and everything else be built round it. 'Esteem the public ordinances the chief work of the day, and let thy secret and private duties be so managed that thy soul may be prepared for them, and profited by them.' [23]

But family worship was also, to the Puritans, vitally important. Every home should be a church, with the head of the house as its minister. Daily and indeed twice daily, the Puritans recommended, the family as a family should hear the Word read, and pray to God. Sunday by Sunday, the family should seek to pool the profiting of its members from the public ordinances; day by day, its members should seek to encourage each other in the way of God. Parents must teach their children the Scriptures; all members of the household must be given time and a place to pray. Thus, informally, but conscientiously, the worship and service of God in the home must be carried on.

What I am wondering about is how would the Lords day "look" if we devoted as much effort to family & individual obsevance/celebration as we do to the organised church.

I think the Lord's Day, properly sanctified, would look something like this (Westminster Directory of Public Worship):

Of the Sanctification of the Lord's Day

THE Lord's day ought to be so remembered before-hand, as that all worldly business of our ordinary callings may be so ordered, and so timely and seasonably laid aside, as they may not be impediments to the due sanctifying of the day when it comes.

The whole day is to be celebrated as holy to the Lord, both in publick and private, as being the Christian sabbath. To which end, it is requisite, that there be a holy cessation or resting all that day from all unnecessary labours; and an abstaining, not only from all sports and pastimes, but also from all worldly words and thoughts.

That the diet on that day be so ordered, as that neither servants be unnecessarily detained from the publick worship of God, nor any other person hindered from the sanctifying that day. That there be private preparations of every person and family, by prayer for themselves, and for God's assistance of the minister, and for a blessing upon his ministry; and by such other holy exercises, as may further dispose them to a more comfortable communion with God in his public ordinances.

That all the people meet so timely for publick worship, that the whole congregation may be present at the beginning, and with one heart solemnly join together in all parts of the publick worship, and not depart till after the blessing.

That what time is vacant, between or after the solemn meetings of the congregation in publick, be spent in reading, meditation, repetition of sermons; especially by calling their families to an account of what they have heard, and catechising of them, holy conferences, prayer for a blessing upon the publick ordinances, singing of psalms, visiting the sick, relieving the poor, and such like duties of piety, charity, and mercy, accounting the sabbath a delight.

An other issue that is overlooked in every discussion of the topic that I have read is the vast difference in our modern denominational church from the older parish model. Most modern consevative reformed congregations draw members from a wide area. Often members could live as far apart as an hour or more.

The modern practice of driving to "our" church, often 30 min or more away, two times in one day seems at odds any idea of "rest".

This is a good point, and it is what I had in mind when I have previously alluded to the discretionary wisdom of the local session in setting forth the church's schedule for the Lord's Day. I think our society is so reliant on cars and so spread out that this poses challenges on many levels for the assembly and community of the saints. In a more godly age, Reformed churches would be closer together. As it is, people often have to search far and wide to find a faithful church, which means driving along a highway and passing lots of unfaithful churches to arrive at a faithful congregation. It is particularly hard on the elderly and disabled who live far from church and often have trouble driving at night. This is a reason why some feel compelled to use public transportation on the Lord's Day (there is another thread on that subject). And yes, this extra travelling (stretching the definition of a 'Sabbath's day journey') does impede on our rest. It also affects midweek gatherings of the saints. I much prefer the parish model to what we have in America today but we have what we have so we have to deal with it. Public worship is so important that our attitude towards it ought be like the Psalmist in Psalm 84. So some sessions take account of these legitimate physical hardships and have an afternoon service instead of an evening service. Some churches have fellowship meals in-between services so that we can both maximize fellowship and make things easier for families who might be travelling a lot. Some families even host other families or individuals overnight if necessary. Our church does or has done many of these things to deal with the needs of those affected by this situation. The hardships presented by our society in this regard actually present the church with a great opportunity for hospitality and charity, if the church rises to the occasion.

[Edited on 9-12-2006 by VirginiaHuguenot]

 

[Kevin]

Andrew, You can never go wrong by citing the WDPW!

Some observations from over the years;

One congregation in our presb. has a morning worship, followed by a meal, followed by a second service. The congregation is made up largly by farmers who need to be home milking during the "traditional" evening service time.

Our former congregation (PCA) celebrated the Lords supper the 1st Sunday if every month. On those weeks we served a meal, not a potluck, allowing the day to be more "restfull" for the moms. The "we" being the deacons! Yes we could cook. After a time of fellowship/singing we went home-- no evening service.
We usually did the same thing anytime we had a baptism only the parents were the hosts.

An other church I know of a Reformed Baptist congregation has a morning service only folloew by a "lunch" then a long time of fellowship. They began this practice when they used a rented facility in the morning & then went to each others homes in the afternoon. Now they have a building but can not imagine giving up this time of eating/drinking/fellowship.

I believe that these examples are closer to the Apostolic practice then our drive-in 2x's a sunday--see ya next week style of observance.

 

[beej6]

I've wondered if there were more than one Reformed church in your community, do you ever get together for an evening service? I feel that we are isolated even from our Reformed brethren and that a common Sunday evening service would be an ideal way to fellowship.

 

[brymaes]

Originally posted by beej6
I've wondered if there were more than one Reformed church in your community, do you ever get together for an evening service? I feel that we are isolated even from our Reformed brethren and that a common Sunday evening service would be an ideal way to fellowship.

There is an OPC congregation about 30 miles from us and we are blessed to have joint services with them about once every quarter.