Why Sunday?

Acts 20:7, I Corinthians 16:2, I Peter 1:3

If Saturday is the sabbath, why do we worship on Sunday?  Have you ever wondered that?  Perhaps the greatest example of this controversy in our modern era is the division between the Seventh Day Adventists and every other “Christian” denomination.  So, why do we worship on Sunday?  

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Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight. 

Acts 20:7

On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. 

I Corinthians 16:2

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

1 Peter 1:3

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There is not a direct commandment to worship on the first day of the week.  There is no verse that says “Thou shalt worship on Sunday”.  Actually, the early church gathered together daily. However, Acts 20:7 says that the disciples gathered on the first day of the week to break bread.  Perhaps this was THE day that the church in Troas (western Turkey) met, or perhaps this is significant only as an identifier because of the events that would follow (a miracle).  However, it is on clue that the early church met on Sunday.

Another verse that points to Sunday as a day of worship is I Corinthians 16:2. Paul is taking a collection for the suffering saints in Jerusalem  It would appear that Sunday was a designated day of worship for the church in Corinth (southern Greece) as well.  They were taking up their offerings on Sunday.  This was not a normal offering to store up money for a later use, but a specific act of benevolence. Paul writes to them and is aware that they gathered on Sunday.

Finally, the greatest reason why we gather on Sunday is tied to the greatest event that Christians celebrate.  Peter, though not mentioning Sunday, or the first day of the week, writes “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”.  Why do most Christians today gather on Sunday?  Because that is the day Jesus rose from the dead.  Our gathering on Sunday is a constant reminder of the hope we have “through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead”.  

There is nothing mystical about meeting on Sunday.  As a matter of fact, when the church only gathers on Sunday it tends to reflect a spiritual decline in their zeal for the Lord.  The more passionate the church is, the more often they meet together for worship and prayer.  What we should not from the examples in the Bible though is that Sunday was an intentional day of gathering for worship.  I will mention in closing that the disciples were gathered together on the first day of the week after Jesus had been crucified and it was Sunday in which Jesus appeared in the upper room to them (John 20:19).

Father, we thank you for the resurrection of Jesus from the dead and the victory we have through His victory.  May we not simply gather on Sundays, but may it be a day of memorial and celebration of His victory over death, hell, and the grave.  May we also realize that Sunday is not the only day we need to sanctify for worship, prayer, and Your word, but may we sanctify every day for You.