Introduction
Is Sunday the Lord’s Day, or only the Lord’s morning? For many believers, gathering twice on Sunday is simply how they were raised, while others wonder whether an evening service is worth the trouble. In this episode, Pastor Jim Butler, Dr. Richard Barcellos, and Pastor David Charles consider why morning and evening worship has long marked the Lord’s Day, from the pattern of the morning and evening sacrifices to the simple joy of ending the day among God’s people. Their conversation is less about a rule to keep than a gift to receive, and a reminder that trusting and obeying God in this often proves to be a delight rather than a burden.
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Transcript
Keywords: two church services, the Lord’s Day, Sabbath observance, morning and evening worship, biblical precedent, corporate worship, means of grace, cultural influence, trust and obey
Speakers: Pastor Jim Butler, Dr. Richard Barcellos, Pastor David Charles
The Question
Pastor Jim Butler: We’re running out of time, so I’ll do one last question. There are still a few more, and I’m sure Wim will carry them over to the next session. This one falls under the category of worship and church life. In terms of practical Christianity, as individuals, as families, and as churches, why have two church services on a Sunday? What’s the rationale? In our churches we have a morning and an evening service, because four might be too much.
Dr. Richard Barcellos: And there are two Testaments.
Biblical Precedent: Morning and Evening Sacrifices
Pastor David Charles: I would say this. We’ve always had two services. Right now we do what’s called back-to-back, so we still have a morning and an evening service. That’s because people travel a long distance, and much of the time on the Lord’s Day, even after the second service, people are still together, and it’s a wonderful time. But it’s anchored in Scripture itself, in the morning and evening sacrifices. We find that carried over. Remember Acts, I think it’s 4, where the apostles were on their way to pray at the hour of prayer, which was sometime in mid-afternoon. And it’s the Lord’s Day. What else would you want to do other than to be with God’s people in his worship? So there are multiple layers to it, but I think there’s scriptural precedent.
The Lord’s Day, Not the Lord’s Morning
Pastor Jim Butler: Yes. I think the identifier is that it’s the Lord’s Day, not the Lord’s morning. And practically, it helps us to keep, or to observe, the Sabbath, which I know some people think is Judaizing. But granting that chapter 22 of our confession is accurate, it’s a practical benefit and help to keep the day. The few times we’ve had to cancel because of snow, which thankfully we don’t get a lot of here, I’ve always felt weird on Sunday night not being in church at the time when I’m usually in church. I know that’s probably not the best rationale. I just felt weird.
Dr. Richard Barcellos: Apart from that, you are weird.
Pastor Jim Butler: I am weird. But I like Turretin and some of the older writers on this. When there’s not a regard for the Lord’s Day, religion doesn’t usually flourish. It doesn’t go well. And I think there’s a gradual diminishing of the day when a service is excised or replaced with other things that aren’t bad in themselves, a discipleship group, or getting together to eat and study a book. You could do those on other days. Corporate worship and the means of grace need to take priority on the Lord’s Day.
Sabbath and Its Influence on the Culture
Pastor David Charles: There’s a weariness and a longing on the part of a lot of Christians, because if you’re old enough, you recognize that Christianity’s influence on the culture has really diminished. And as simple as it is, we could have a great influence on the culture, because it used to be that even if you were a pagan and didn’t go to church, you still had to close down the shop.
Pastor Jim Butler: That’s right.
Pastor David Charles: The shop was closed. So even there, something transcendent was invading the culture. I think there’s a way we could have a really important, salutary influence on the culture simply by being obedient. And I’ll say this too: there are times I wake up on Sunday morning tired, or even before the prayer meeting. But you know what? I’ve never ended the Lord’s Day with God’s people with anything other than joy and refreshment.
Dr. Richard Barcellos: Man, I wish I hadn’t come.
Pastor Jim Butler: Yes, it’s never happened. You can be a bit sluggish in the morning and you get revitalized. That’s the revival I believe in, the revival of the means of grace, that God blesses to encourage the soul. It’s practically beneficial. You mentioned that four services would be too many, but one is great. I’m not against churches that, for whatever reason, only have one service, but we get to do this twice. We get to enjoy the morning and evening sacrifice, as it were.
A Personal Testimony: Trust and Obey
Pastor David Charles: When I was a child, we were Pentecostal, and my mom would make us go to both services. Good for her. I wish I could have a little time with my mom, who’s in glory now, to say, “Mom, thank you. Thank you.” The only regret I have about the Sabbath is how many years I didn’t make good use of it. That’s the one thing I wish I could go back and change. I would certainly keep the Sabbath joyfully. It’s not a burden. It really is a delight. And I don’t think we’re saying that just because we’re pastors, because…
Pastor Jim Butler: No.
Pastor David Charles: The truth is, we’re pretty busy and laden down with a lot of things. But if I can tell you a personal story, for eighteen years I was bivocational. People would ask me, “How do you do both?” And sometimes I look back and wonder the same thing. But I can honestly say it was because I kept the Sabbath. Having that one day, even though it was quite a busy day, changed me in ways that are wonderful. It’s like the question of money and the tithe. I had a friend who would say, “I’ve learned I can live much better on 90% trusting God than not trusting God with 100%.” The Sabbath is the same kind of principle. Just trust God. Do what he says. Trust him. Obey him.
Dr. Richard Barcellos: Yes.
Pastor David Charles: There’s no other way to be happy in Jesus.
Pastor Jim Butler: Which is true.
Dr. Richard Barcellos: I used to not like that, but it’s true. Trust and obey.
Closing
Pastor Jim Butler: There are two more minutes. Any other thoughts on the second service, or on the two services?
Pastor David Charles: No.
Pastor Jim Butler: Well, good. I thank you both for being here. First and foremost, we have great expectations for our conference this Friday and Saturday, on Chapter 3 of our Confession of Faith, on God’s decree. And thank you for participating in the podcast. I’m thankful you’re staying at my place. So let’s go eat.
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