Saturday Night Worship

[heapshake]

Does anyone here have any opinions on Saturday night worship replacing Sunday worship? I read a blog post from Jay Guin about this.

Here are some quotes from the article

I just don’t see a “pattern” in the New Testament that insists that communion be taken only once a week and only on the first day of the week.

Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper on a Thursday night (the evening of the sixth day), one day before Passover, which was to be held the evening of a Sabbath, that is, a Friday. That’s right: Jesus took Passover a day early (since he would be in the grave Friday evening). And the Lord’s Supper was taken by Jesus and his apostles on a Thursday, not a Sunday (Jesus had other plans for Sunday.)

There is nothing at all in the scriptures that even hints that we must take communion on Sundays and only on Sundays — as reckoned by the Roman calendar. It’s just not there, not even in the silences.

Rather, the most likely interpretation is that the church gathered for common meals, and they took communion as part of those common meals. After all, bread and wine were standard fare at evening meals in the Roman Empire. Jesus consecrated these common, ordinary elements and turned them into something extraordinary and holy — just as he took ordinary people and made them extraordinary and holy.

Don’t dare take communion alone! Not because it’s sin but because communion is, by definition, about being together — not just physically in the same room, but accepting and loving and delighting in each other despite all your weaknesses, sins, and failures.

And Saturday evenings work just fine for that. In fact, it’s about time we stopped desecrating and began consecrating our Saturday nights.

Saturday Night Worship? | One In Jesus

I think the only time I've ever taken communion other than on a Sunday was at at Christmas Eve service, but I don't see anything wrong with it.

 

[rea98d]

For the most part I agree, but I do wish to offer one correction. The article you quoted stated "There is nothing at all in the scriptures that even hints that we must take communion on Sundays and only on Sundays — as reckoned by the Roman calendar. It’s just not there, not even in the silences."

That is not true. While it is true that there is no direct command to meet on Sunday for worship, Acts 20:7 gives an example of the beleivers meeting on Sunday for communion. That should at least meet the author's requirements of a "hint" about Sunday worship.

Also, I Corinthians 16:1-3 tells the beleivers to bring their financial gifts on the first day of the week. This verse presupposes that they were meeting on Sunday, and again disproves the authors statement that nothing even hints at Sunday worship. It is there, just in the examples, and not the commands.

Back to the original topic at hand, does any of this specifically prohibit worship and/or communion on other days of the week? No, it does not.

 

[Copperhead]

Let's step back a little and look at this.

When did, and still does, the day begin in the Jewish context? At sunset. So, the first day of the week clearly starts on Saturday evening. No conflict whatsoever with those that espouse a Sunday worship ideal. Saturday evening services should offend no one and are very much appropriate.

Also, we can glean some other nuggets from classic Judaism here. The Sabbath is obviously Saturday (Friday Eve to Saturday Eve), and there is not allowed to be cooking and other activity. The meal that is partaken of on Saturday evening and the activity associated with it, is called the Havdalah, or closing of the Sabbath. The meal is called the Lord's Supper! Isn't that interesting!

Now we take a look at a situation in the scriptures. Acts 20:7-12. Paul is going to be leaving the next day. The group is meeting on the "first of the week". Paul is speaking till midnight. Now it would not really be sound to think that he had spoken all day till midnight, but if the first of the week was Saturday evening, which it is in a Jewish context and Paul was a Jewish believer, and they had eaten the Havdalah meal, or Lord's Supper, that would explain why Paul spoke till midnight and Eutychus in the story became sleepy and fell out the upper window to his death. But that had a happy ending! Most of us tend to get sleepy after a decent meal in the evening. This makes more sense in the context of the passage than some idea that they met on Sunday morning and Paul talked for 24 hrs straight! But if they met at the "first of the week", or Saturday evening, and Paul spoke till midnight, I could see that being valid.

I am quite comfortable with Saturday evening services. They are scriptural and valid. They are equal in validity as Sunday morning services. No harm. No foul. Only in our western mindset of thinking that the day starts at midnight do we see the "first of the week" as being only Sunday morning. Sometimes it is productive and eliminates controversies, if we put ourselves into the scene of who, what, where, and when a passage is being written. Our traditions can be stumbling blocks sometimes.

 

[heapshake]

For the most part I agree, but I do wish to offer one correction. The article you quoted stated "There is nothing at all in the scriptures that even hints that we must take communion on Sundays and only on Sundays — as reckoned by the Roman calendar. It’s just not there, not even in the silences."

That is not true. While it is true that there is no direct command to meet on Sunday for worship, Acts 20:7 gives an example of the beleivers meeting on Sunday for communion. That should at least meet the author's requirements of a "hint" about Sunday worship.

Also, I Corinthians 16:1-3 tells the beleivers to bring their financial gifts on the first day of the week. This verse presupposes that they were meeting on Sunday, and again disproves the authors statement that nothing even hints at Sunday worship. It is there, just in the examples, and not the commands.

I think you are missing the "and only" part of his statement. I don't think he says the Bible doesn't show that early Christians didn't take communion (or worship in general) on Sunday. He says the Bible doesn't say (or hint) that is the only day one is allowed to do so.