pilgrim people

We frankly can't get enough and love to hear the Word both morning and evening. Even though at times its hard to attend both with kids especially little kids I think we have to remind ourselves that God speaks to us when we do attend worship. This is a special day for our whole family to worship together and are called to do so even we don't like to.

I really enjoy going to both services. The hard part is convincing myself that I need to go to both. I haven't quite convinced myself that it's absolutely necessary. So when I am tired or warn out, I just simply say, "Next week, I'll go next week." Is there sufficient biblical warrant for the Christian to attend both services, or is it just really really wise to attend both. My laziness is exemplified in my comment, I should read Calvin or something regarding this before leaving a comment. My only thought is that maybe there are others who feel the same as me in our congregation, so I dare to leave a comment. :) I understand that I told the elders of Esco URC that I would regularly attend both services and I plan to, but my laziness could easily be remedied by a swift biblical kick in the pants. :)

Tricia,

Thanks for being honest (and brave!) in posting your comment. I think you are right; a lot of people probably feel the same as you, and probably wrestle with some of the same feelings of guilt.

As for biblical warrant, the authority lies not in the times we worship (for that is a circumstance, not an element), but in the elders who call the service. Christ has delegated his authority to the elders. God calls us to worship, therefore, through them.

The other thing to remember is that the evening service, like the morning, is the means of grace. Although the Lord's Supper is not served in the evening, the Word is still preached. It is still a Divine Service in which Christ is present with his people and the Holy Spirit is sanctifying us through the gospel. As God's means of grace, the evening service is good for our soul.

As Dr. Godfrey says, "The question should not be, 'Why two services on Sunday?' Rather, the question should be, 'Why not three or four?'"

I can't bring myself to pretend I naturally want to worship every chance I get. Morning comes more natural than evening, but I have had to force myself to get into the evening service. Now I am into the rhythm.

I know it's supposed to be impious to not always be wild about worship. Of course, ask my wife and kids and they will tell you I am a Nazi about the Sabbath, thus assuming a superior piety. It's weird to be viewed that way. I suppose my Calvinism runs so deep it cannot fathom the assumption of a superior piety. One might say that the accusation of superiority reveals something less than Calvinistic on the part of the accuser.

I have been using your series on Sabbath keeping to perusade my wife about just why I am a high-church Calvinist who "gets religion" on the Sabbath, etc. It's hard to deprogram the bad habits of a broad Evangelical who grew up plain vanilla Baptist, to convincve her that God calls us to his rest one day and his work the other six. I look forward to what you will do with the evening service as I am usually the only one going at night without lording it over them.

I wonder if Godfrey's line reveals a bit too much of what ailed Aaron's sons?

I recently purchased your "Called to Serve" and Horton is making that point. (He makes it in a lot of other places, too.)

I don't know, I get that worship nurtures the soul, but Godfrey's line makes me want to say, "...but not the way the sarx assumes."

...It has parallels to that Americanism, "If one is good, two is better." I wonder how much more American it is than Christian?

...OK, now I am done. Sorry.

Our family began attending both services a few months ago and my question to myself over and over again was, "Why didn't we do this sooner?" the answer is typical; "laziness," although in my mind I had perfectly good justifications..I'm worn out, the kids are tired and have school tomorrow etc. We have all learned so much from attending the evening "means of grace." especially the tired children, who are fine the next day with school! So much for my lame excuses that my kids see right through anyway! It has nourished our weary souls over and over.

I have always wondered if there was any connection between the cloud and fire which the Lord used to lead the people in the wilderness both day and night, and the advocacy of a morning and evening service. As well, as I know our church order requires the practice of two services and as I have taken vows to submit to them, that is enough for me, regardless of my own laziness in following through.

On another note, I think that I read somewhere that many in the historic church used to have their second service earlier in the day to mediate the laziness of their parishoners and to facillatate their agrarian context. Perhaps this could help to ameliorate the lack of attendance at the second service and the excuses that we make to ourselves.

Correction: "the cloud and fire which the Lord manifested himself as to lead the people in the wilderness day and night."

Zrim,

Thanks for your honesty. Bottom line is that no one will always feel wild about worship. Yet, our feelings aren't what get us into the car and on the road. The fact that God has promised to meet me in the verbal and visible Gospel does (which is something we can't get anywhere else).

Getting into an ordinary rhthym seems (like so many things in Reformed piety) to be the key. One of the points that I will be making later is that two services has the practical benefit of acting as bookends on the Lord's Day. It sure is a lot easier to observe the Lord's Day (instead of "the Lord's Morning") if one attends a service in the morning and another in the evening. I realize tha this is merely a pragmatic argument, but an important one nonetheless.

You said, ...It has parallels to that Americanism, "If one is good, two is better." I wonder how much more American it is than Christian? I see your point, but I am not sure that I agree. Two services on the Lord's Day has deep roots in the Reformed tradition going back to Dordt, Strassbourg, and Geneva. Very little "Americanism" there. It seems to me that a more parallel practice to Americanism is the all-too-common Saturday night service in American Evangelicalism. This is merely based on consumer-driven choice (meant to free one from those pesky guilty feelings one gets from not attending worship on the Lord's Day because it is the post-season in the NFL or the surf was just too good to go to church). You can't get more American than that!

Two services on the Lord's Day seems to be quite un-American in many ways: it is inconvenient, and it reminds us that the KoG is not a democracy, but a kingdom ruled by a king who calls us.

Mike,

I think me missed each other. Let me try and clarify. You mentioned Godfrey's statement: "The question should not be, 'Why two services on Sunday?' Rather, the question should be, 'Why not three or four?'"

I think my "two is better than one" you read too literally. (I wasn't criticising the bookends notion. In fact, I am trying to champion that and look forward to what you do withit.) Rather, I used that phrase figuratively to make a point about Godfrey's line. The point is that Americanism wants to overdue what is ordained for our good. If it helps, "If two is good, why not three or four?" Well, because God has not seemed to call us multiple times on His Day.

So, I look forward to your bookends argument because it will do two things: correct our more lapsed notions that keep us home at night, and two, give sobriety to those notions that have us tempted toward super-saintiless. Both laze and zeal need to be corrected. (Sorry, Dr. Godfrey, you are tops, but the quip still strikes me as that which ailed Aaron's sons.)

P.S. Good point about the Saturday night preparation phenomenon. What's next, a Monday morning briefing to go over the previous day's highlights?

Zrim,

"What's next, a Monday morning briefing to go over the previous day's highlights?"

I think full-blown cyber-worship will be next. Why go to church at all if you can worship from the convenience of your own home or Blackberry?

The church I attended focuses on the christian in the morning service encouragement, warning and teaching etc. While the evening service is focused more at the sinner were all of the sermon is given over to the preaching of the saving gospel of our Lord.

Oh wasn't it at the evening services the Lord revealed his presense.

Lord Bless