1 Corinthians 16:1-5 Sunday Worship

1 Corinthians 16:1-4 NIV
Paul instructed the Corinthians to set aside an offering to be used for the mission of the church on the first day of every week, on Sunday. They brought their offerings when they gathered together on Sunday to break bread and to remember all that Jesus had done for them.

More than once, I have heard the excuse not to come to worship because worshipping on Sunday is a man-made ritual taken from a pagan custom of worshipping the sun. We worship the Son, not the sun, and He was indeed risen on the first day of the week, Sunday. Excuses like this in no one way justify anyone gathering with members of the Body of Christ to hear the Word, to join in the breaking of the bread, or to fellowship with other believers.

We know that the Sabbath, the day of rest, is Saturday. But, the gathering of Jesus' followers happens on Sunday. This "ritual" was not created decades later by an institutional church. It began on the day that Jesus was resurrected when he went to the disciples who were gathered together in fear in that room behind locked doors. Those first disciples continued to gather together for worship on the first day of the week, on Sunday, in remembrance of the Lord's first appearance to them after his crucifixion.

"On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight." (Acts 20:7)

Only one or two hours on Sunday to celebrate what our Lord has done for us? Rejoice! for the Lord is risen! Rejoice too that, most probably, none of your pastors have the habit of preaching 'till midnight, unless of course the service doesn't begin until 11 p.m..

God's Peace - Pr. J

Acts 20:7-12 Preaching Till Midnight

Acts 20:7-12 NIV
When my sons were young teens, they would attend the Lutheran Church that we belonged to on Sunday mornings with me. In the evening the oldest son and sometimes the younger would attend Worship at a Non-denominational Church where some of their friends attended. I think they preferred the music and the fact you didn't have to try to follow a bulletin or any order of Worship. They weren't old enough to drive so I would drop them off and pick them up. (Yes, I did attend with them on a couple of occasions.) The problem was that one could never tell how long the services would last or when to pick them up. More than once, I found myself waiting in the parking lot until close to midnight. They did not have stained glass windows so I could see inside the church through the clear panes. The front pews on those late nights usually had children sleeping on them. On one occasion, at least, the children resting in the pews were my sons.

Many Lutherans have a pretty low tolerance for a service that last longer than hour. I have found that my own tolerance for sitting in the pew for long periods is directly related to how well the preacher can proclaim the Gospel. Does he/she actually know the Law and Gospel? Does he/she actually believe it?

Paul could be a little long-winded. In fact, I am amazed at how long-winded even some of his letters were in light of the fact that there were no typewriters or computers. On one particular Sunday, Paul was preaching in an upper room where a young man was apparently sitting on the third-story window ledge. About midnight, this young man fell asleep and fell out of the window. Don't worry. He lived. They went back upstairs; broke bread and Paul continued to preach until daylight.

Seem a little extreme? When one is hungry for the Word and another is eager to share it so as to make disciples nothing is too extreme. Go and make disciples...

God's Peace - Pr. J