Sullivan church of Christ – Sullivan, MO
Date: April 5, 2009
SHOULD THE LORD’S SUPPER BE OFFERED SUNDAY NIGHT?
Brother G.C. Brewer believed that the Lord’s Supper, if it is offered Sunday morning, should not be offered
Sunday night. He wrote:
I can speak for myself only. I do not desire to force anyone to conform to my idea about this Sunday-night communion, but neither
do I want brethren to force me to do that which is abhorrent to my soul. I will not participate in any such a secondhand, leftover,
side-line makeshift service. If I cannot be present at the regular, appointed hour and join the saints in remembering my Lord, then
my failure to be there is no sin. I am excused. If I could be there, but stay away for my own benefit, convenience, or pleasure, then
I have made the Lord second choice and his service subordinate to my business or pleasure, and therefore any pretense at
obedience would be hypocritical mockery. Please excuse me.
As great and as knowledgeable as brother Brewer was, and though disagreeing with him may put me in a bad
light, I do not concur with his view. Brewer did not bind his view on others, though he expressed his
judgment strongly. But, I have been told that some brethren years ago in the city of Indianapolis were so
strongly opposed to the Lord’s Supper being offered on Sunday night that they would go into the meeting
house on Sunday afternoon and throw out the emblems. Such is crankiness gone to seed!
The Lord commands Christians to partake of his Supper. When he instituted it, he said, “This do in
remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19; I Cor. 11:24-25). The early disciples broke bread regularly (Acts 2:42).
They met on the first day of the week to partake of the communion. Luke records, “And upon the first day of
the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the
morrow; and continued his speech until midnight” (Acts 20:7).
The day on which Christians are to eat of the Lord’s table is bound; i.e., it is to be on the first day of the
week. But the time of day to observe the communion of his body and blood is not bound. No man has the
right to bind where God has loosed nor to loose where God has bound (Gal. 1:6-9; Rev. 22:18-19). The time
of observance is left to the good judgment of each congregation, and, in particular, to the elders. They
should take into consideration what is best for the congregation, not being Lord’s over God’s heritage (I Pet.
5:1-3). They should consider when would be the most appropriate time for the congregation to observe the
Lord’s Supper.
Why is it appropriate to offer the Lord’s Supper on Sunday night? There may be some in the congregation
whose work prevents them from assembling on Sunday morning. They are unable to be present in order to
worship the Lord. Are they duty-bound to partake of the Lord’s Supper? YES. The Lord said, “This do . . .”
Now, if they desire to obey the Lord’s command, should we stand in their way by not offering the supper on
Sunday night? Absolutely not!
If the offering of the Lord’s Supper again on Sunday night is in the realm of judgment, why should the
church put a stumbling block before a brother by preventing his partaking of the communion? Paul wrote,
“Let us not therefore judge one another any more; but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block
or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way” (Rom. 14:13). If one feels as did Brewer about the Sunday
evening supper, let him refrain from eating. The church does not put a stumbling block before him because
he would not eat anyway.
On the first weekend of the new year we had quite a snowstorm which prevented many saints from
assembling on Sunday morning. But Sunday afternoon a good number were able to dig their way out and
make it to services Sunday night. According to the view of some, those who were unable to be there for the
morning worship, would have been exempt from taking the Lord’s Supper Sunday evening. I am not of that
number. Why should anyone look at the Lord’s Supper on Sunday night as “leftovers” but view other acts of
worship on Sunday night in a different light? The Lord’s Supper is not “leftovers” to those who were unable
to partake Sunday morning.
There is a tendency on the part of some members of the church to look upon Sunday evening worship as not
being as important as the Sunday morning worship. This is seen in the fact that some do not even bother
to return on Sunday night. It is depicted by the manner of dress by both brothers and sisters in Christ.
Coats and ties, skirts and dresses are seen on Sunday morning, but it is short sleeves and tie-less, T-
shirts and blue jeans on Sunday night. By the actions of some, Sunday evening worship is just a dress
down, makeshift affair.
The law of Moses required that Israel was to keep the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.
But if a man touched a dead body or had been on a journey, he was allowed to observe the Passover on the
fourteenth day of the second month (Num. 9:1-14). If a man, however, who was clean or had not been on a
journey, had failed to keep the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month, he was to be cut off from
the people. The Lord’s Supper is not parallel in all respects to the Passover of the Old Testament, but it
seems reasonable that the allowance for some to have observed the Passover in the second month would be
somewhat parallel to a Christian’s partaking of the Lord’s Supper on Sunday evening, because he was
unable to be present for the morning worship.
Keep in mind that the abuse of a scriptural practice does not make the practice wrong. The fact that some
stay up late partying Saturday night and sleep in on Sunday morning does not justify the offering of the
supper on Sunday evening. The fact that some prefer to travel on Sunday morning rather than to assemble
with the saints does not justify offering the supper on Sunday night. The fact that some may go fishing,
golfing, camping, etc., and do not get back until Sunday night does not justify offering the Lord’s Supper on
Sunday night. But the abuse of a principle or practice does not make the principle or practice wrong. The
abuse is wrong.
If we are going to gear our worship to help the faithful, then, we should not put a stumbling block in their
way of being able to observe the Lord’s Supper as he has commanded.
— Ben Vick (1999)
— “The Informer,” Weekly Bulletin of the Shelbyville Road church of Christ, Indianapolis, IN,
February 21, 1999