Holiday Service at expense of Lord's day evening service

[Ethan]

So it has been determined that our regular Lord's day evening service will be cancelled to accommodate holiday services for all major holidays this year. I've fought it in speech and in writing with leadership but to no avail. Do I have an obligation to attend these services even though their existence means the cancellation of Lord's day evening worship?

 

[retroGRAD3]

Are you able to provide some more details? Like are we talking about Christmas and Easter? Or, are you talking about even things like Independence Day?
Also, what exactly are they doing to accommodate the holidays?

Simple answer would be to find another church for those specific services and visit that church for the day.

 

[Joshua]

Tell me we’re under judgment without telling me we’re under judgment.

 

[Jeri Tanner]

So it has been determined that our regular Lord's day evening service will be cancelled to accommodate holiday services for all major holidays this year. I've fought it in speech and in writing with leadership but to no avail. Do I have an obligation to attend these services even though their existence means the cancellation of Lord's day evening worship?

So it's no longer a stated worship service (just to be clear)?

 

[Ethan]

Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Lord’s day services will be canceled to accommodate for holiday services instead. We have evening services every Sunday normally. I will certainly be attending another churches evening Lord’s day service on the holidays. I just wonder if I’m obligated to attend the holiday service at my own church even though they’re canceling the Lord’s day service for it. It would seem like attending would be supporting their decision.

 

[Rome2Geneva]

Will the evening services not include all the essentials of Lord's Day worship? Will there not be Scripture read, psalms and hymns sing, sermon preached?

Is the Christmas and Easter services going to be the same as a normal evening service but with an emphasis on the Birth/Resurrection? If so I guess I don't see what the issue is.

 

[Ethan]

Will the evening services not include all the essentials of Lord's Day worship? Will there not be Scripture read, psalms and hymns sing, sermon preached?

Is the Christmas and Easter services going to be the same as a normal evening service but with an emphasis on the Birth/Resurrection? If so I guess I don't see what the issue is.

It will, it just won’t be on the Lord’s day, and as a result there won’t be an evening service on the Lord’s day.

 

[reformed grit]

Cry, cry - the closest conservative Presbyterian (PCA) church to where I was completely cancelled Sunday evening services each year to host a Super Bowl party.

 

[JH]

If you are convinced by the word of God that it is unlawful, then you are obligated to abstain from attending such holidays services as far as I'm concerned. Fear God; that is, esteem the smiles and frowns of God to be of more value than the smiles and frowns of men.

 

[Romans922]

@Ethan I would say make your consistory aware of your views, that it would break liberty of conscience to attend at those times, that you are not seeking to be divisive but for conscience sake not to leave the church (membership) but asking if it would be okay to worship with another congregation that Lord's day evening would be wise. That way you are being submissive, and open.

Brother, come and visit us in Grandview. We will welcome you and then send you back...LOL We don't celebrate man-made days.

So it has been determined that our regular Lord's day evening service will be cancelled to accommodate holiday services for all major holidays this year. I've fought it in speech and in writing with leadership but to no avail. Do I have an obligation to attend these services even though their existence means the cancellation of Lord's day evening worship?

You nor they can bind your conscience nor be led to implicit faith.

 

[Ethan]

@Ethan I would say make your consistory aware of your views, that it would break liberty of conscience to attend at those times, that you are not seeking to be divisive but for conscience sake not to leave the church (membership) but asking if it would be okay to worship with another congregation that Lord's day evening would be wise. That way you are being submissive, and open.

Brother, come and visit us in Grandview. We will welcome you and then send you back...LOL We don't celebrate man-made days.



You nor they can bind your conscience nor be led to implicit faith.

I’ve made my views known to them repeatedly. I wrote as well but was providentially hindered from attending consistory last night to hear the verdict in person but will be meeting again next week with them to further discuss the results, which was the decision to move forward with their original plan.
I may very well visit you, and that’s a great point, I will ask ask them if it’s okay to worship elsewhere that evening.

 

[Romans922]

I may very well visit you, and that’s a great point, I will ask ask them if it’s okay to worship elsewhere that evening.

Just commit to it. That way we can meet each other.

 

[Ethan]

Just commit to it. That way we can meet each other.

I’ll plan on it!

 

[Romans922]

The Lord willing of course.

 

[Edward]

Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Lord’s day services will be canceled to accommodate for holiday services instead.

So, to be clear, they cancel either the November 20 or 27 evening service and have one on Thanksgiving evening instead of watching football?

And on years when December 25 falls on a Sunday, are they going to cancel the evening service and have a specially called service at the same time in the evening?

And finally, can you give me the chapter and verse in scriptures where an evening service is decreed?

 

[Edward]

I will ask ask them if it’s okay to worship elsewhere that evening.

Maybe cut out a few steps and ask for a letter of transfer to Rev. Barnes church instead.

 

[Ethan]

So, to be clear, they cancel either the November 20 or 27 evening service and have one on Thanksgiving evening instead of watching football?

And on years when December 25 falls on a Sunday, are they going to cancel the evening service and have a specially called service at the same time in the evening?

And finally, can you give me the chapter and verse in scriptures where an evening service is decreed?

1. Yes
2. No
3. See my attached letter if actually interested. The purpose of this thread isn’t to argue my point, it’s for advice.

 

[Ethan]

Maybe cut out a few steps and ask for a letter of transfer to Rev. Barnes church instead.

I’m not schismatic.

 

[Edward]

The purpose of this thread isn’t to argue my point, it’s for advice.

I’m not schismatic.

Being schismatic would be making it a wedge issue in your church. Although schisms can be a good thing.

Advice: either submit to the elders, or take it down the road.

 

[Taylor]

Advice: either submit to the elders, or take it down the road.

Brother, with respect, this seems like a false dichotomy. There’s no other possible option?

 

[Edward]

See my attached letter

A well written letter, but it makes no case for a separate evening service. It seems to argue, instead, for a single, all day, service.

No one here should argue against corporate worship on the Lord's Day. Few, if any, would argue against the benefits of a second service on the Lord's Day. But there is no separate mandate for that. And the pastor may well not have time to craft three sermons for a single week.

 

[Edward]

rother, with respect, this seems like a false dichotomy. There’s no other possible option?

The case has been aruged. A written brief submitted. A decision rendered. There are three options. Submit to the ruling, peacefully separate (the two I recommended) or keep fighting (which I don't recommend). Of course there are a variety of courses of action under the keep fighting option - guerilla warfare, which would be truely schismatic, or bringing charges against the elders which would surely create a messy split.

You have suggested that there are other possible options - instead of challenging me to think them up, perhaps you could cut to the chase, and supply some for further discussion. It could be that I've missed something obvuous. But I'm not up for the Socratic method this evening.

 

[Ethan]

No one here should argue against corporate worship on the Lord's Day. Few, if any, would argue against the benefits of a second service on the Lord's Day. But there is no separate mandate for that. And the pastor may well not have time to craft three sermons for a single week.

To be clear, my point is that if we don’t have time for three services then we shouldn’t have the non Lord’s day service.

 

[NaphtaliPress]

If it were me, keep making your view known regularly; get it on the record you are free to attend elsewhere those Lord's Day evenings and that attendance at the superstitious services that violate your conscience will not be mandated and maybe in time with appropriately persistent witness change will come, at least that Lord's Day services are no longer suspended.

 

[Grant]

And finally, can you give me the chapter and verse in scriptures where an evening service is decreed?

Edward,

I am sure your aware of the problems with biblicism as it relates to things such as infant baptism and the Trinity…. So why do you apply that here?

As an aside the below is a helpful article to understanding the nature of “good and necessary “ consequences as it relates to those who hold that Public worship should occur twice on the Lord’s Day.

A Case for Evening Worship | Gospel Reformation Network

The evening service has fallen on hard times, indeed. In fact, it is now unusual for churches to hold two worship services on the Lord’s Day.[1] Even where two…

gospelreformation.net

 

[Jake]

My church has not done this as a formal practice, but we often end up not having Lord's Day services around holidays. Oftentimes the reason given is that folks are travelling and attendance wouldn't be high or we wouldn't have the right people to put on the service (e.g., pastor is out of town and harder to get supply preaching in the evening or can't find enough of the other people who assist). It ends up being a Session decision about a month prior every time. We do have 2 non-Lord's day "holiday" services per year I do not attend as well.

I've just made my views known, and I know there are some on the Session who agree with my view of having Lord's Day evening services every week, but they are overruled. There are 3 Reformed churches (2 PCA and 1 OPC) about 45 minutes away in a different direction each that are committed to 52 Lord's Day evening services per year so we will attend one of those if our church cancels.