It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night.
Psalm 92:1–2 (ESV)
Evening Worship: Lord’s Day, 6:00 PM
A Whole Day for the Lord
At Seven Springs, we gather for worship in the morning and again in the evening because we believe the Lord’s Day is a whole day set apart for the Lord. It is not merely the Lord’s hour or the Lord’s morning, but the Lord’s Day. From creation, God set apart one day in seven as holy (Genesis 2:2–3; Exodus 20:8–11). After the resurrection of Christ, the first day of the week became the distinctive day of Christian worship, the day Scripture calls “the Lord’s Day” (Revelation 1:10).
The Westminster Confession describes the Christian Sabbath this way:
This Sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord, when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering of their common affairs beforehand, do not only observe an holy rest, all the day, from their own works, words, and thoughts about their worldly employments and recreations, but also are taken up, the whole time, in the public and private exercises of his worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy.
Westminster Confession of Faith 21.8
The Lord’s Day is therefore not simply a time to attend a service. It is a day in which ordinary work and recreation give way, as far as possible, to worship, rest, fellowship, mercy, and delight in God.
The Pattern of the Apostolic Church
The New Testament repeatedly draws our attention to the first day of the week.
Christ rose from the dead on the first day and appeared to His gathered disciples that same evening (John 20:19). A week later, when the disciples were again gathered together, Christ appeared among them once more (John 20:26). The early Christians gathered on the first day of the week to break bread and hear the preaching of the Word (Acts 20:7), and Paul instructed the churches to set aside their gifts on that day (1 Corinthians 16:2). At Troas, that Lord’s Day gathering continued into the evening as Paul preached until midnight (Acts 20:7–11). The point is not that every Christian service must last until midnight, but that the apostolic church did not treat the Lord’s Day as a brief religious appointment squeezed into an otherwise ordinary day.
From the beginning, the first day of the week belonged in a particular way to the risen Christ and to the worship of His people.
Morning and Evening
Morning and evening worship help us order the entire Lord’s Day around God.
This rhythm also has deep biblical roots. Under the old covenant, worship was offered before the Lord morning and evening (Exodus 29:38–42; Numbers 28:1–8). The Psalms likewise speak of declaring God’s steadfast love “in the morning” and His faithfulness “by night” (Psalm 92:1–2). The Christian Church has therefore long found it fitting to begin and end the Lord’s Day gathered before God.
Our morning and evening services function like bookends to the day. Between them, there is time for rest, hospitality, family worship, Christian fellowship, works of mercy, and reflecting upon the Word. Then, as the day draws toward its close, we gather again to hear God speak and to offer Him our praise.
Is Evening Worship Required?
We do not believe that attending a second service earns God’s favor, nor do we want the Lord’s Day to become a burdensome checklist. Jesus reminds us that “the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).
At the same time, because the whole day belongs to the Lord, we believe gathering again for evening worship is a particularly fitting and valuable way to sanctify it. It gives us another opportunity to hear the Word, sing God’s praise, pray together, enjoy the communion of the saints, and turn our hearts away from the distractions of the coming week. Rather than viewing evening worship as an extra obligation, we want to receive it as a second meal for beggars and pilgrims, another opportunity to be fed before beginning another week in the world.
What Is the Evening Service Like?
Our evening service is somewhat simpler and shorter than the morning service, but it is still a full service of Christian worship. We sing, confess our faith, pray together, read the Scriptures, hear the Word preached, and receive God’s blessing. The evening sermon normally follows a different portion or book of Scripture from the morning sermon, allowing the congregation to be instructed more broadly in the whole counsel of God. The atmosphere is often quieter and more intimate than the morning service, making it a restful way to close the Lord’s Day together.
If you have never attended evening worship, we warmly invite you to join us.
Making Good Use of the Lord’s Day
The hours between morning and evening worship need not be filled with activity. The Lord’s Day should have a different character from the rest of the week.
Some simple ways to enjoy it include preparing meals and clothing ahead of time on Saturday, discussing the morning sermon over lunch, resting, reading Scripture or Christian books, practicing hospitality, visiting someone who is sick or lonely, enjoying time with family and other believers, and preparing your heart to gather again for evening worship.
The goal is not to make Sunday oppressive, but to receive the day as God intended it: a weekly gift of worship, rest, fellowship, and delight in Him.