Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Oct/76

Contributor - Will Kroon

Title - The Sunday Evening

Topic - Worship Service

Some time ago a few members in our congregation took the time to spell out what they considered to be the strong points of our congregation. To my surprise I noticed that they included the Sunday Evening Service as one of the congregation's assets. They felt that the Sunday Evening Service has a purpose and serves a need in our congregation. Since this is also the case in many other congregations the editors have requested me to write an article for The Pioneer about "the second" service, which in our case is the Sunday Evening Service.

THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

There is a great deal of information available about the background of the "main" service or Sunday morning service. Scholars in the field of liturgy point out that our service of worship is a combination of the Jewish liturgy used in the Synagogue and the Christian liturgy of the service of Holy Communion. Aspects of both liturgies are to be found in the Christian liturgy today. Our morning worship goes back to the New Testament time when Jews and Christians were still able to worship together.

However little can be found about the ' background of the second service. We know that St. Augustine (354-430) was familiar with an afternoon service, but we do not know for sure when the idea of the "second" service originated. I am of the opinion that such a service also goes back to the Jewish services of the Synogogue. If my memory serves me right the Jews used the afternoon service for instruction. Even non-Jews could take part in the discussion about sacred matters. As far as I am able to determine the "second" service was not intended to duplicate the morning service but to do something extra which was not possible during the morning service. For instance during the time of the Reformation, John Calvin saw the purpose of the main service as 1. The preaching of the Word; 2. the offering of public prayers and 3. the administration of the sacraments. Catechetical instruction was given in the "second' service whether in the afternoon or evening.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF OUR EVENING SERVICE?

Any congregation that wants to im prove its evening service needs first of all to determine the purpose for holding a "second" service. That was clear during the time of John -Calvin. The purpose for that service was the giving of religious instruction. At that time the Church felt the need to give an orderly explanation of the great Truths of Scripture. But is this still the main expectation of our second service? I am no longer convinced that this is the case with many who attend. What do people expect?

1. Some expect a second morning service. For various reasons they are not able to attend the morning service and so they look for the main" service in the evening.

2. Others expect solid teaching. They want to hear the biblical doctrines of the Bible and what they mean to us today. What these persons often overlook is that such services are not appealing to children ana to those who have not received much biblical instruction.

3. A third group may want a service of worship where there is room for sharing experiences. They prefer informal services where there is more participation from those who are present. There seems to have been such an informality when the first New Testament Churches were organized. However, even in New Testament times these informal services tended to become chaotic as time went on the freedom to speak during services had to be restricted.

4. Last of all there are those who feel that the second service should be used for reaching out. Indeed, some congregations go all out in order to attract strangers - many from other congregations. Once they have these strangers they try to keep them and their services are geared to that end. For instance there is an emphasis on greeting each other, on shaking hands, and on fellowship afterwards. Such a plan for the evening service works well when there are many strangers at an evening service. But will it serve the needs of the people in a congregation who know each other already and who attract no strangers?

LET US PRAY AND WORK FOR A SOLUTION

The Sunday Evening Service will present a challenge to many a congregation. There are always opportunities to be faced, needs to be met. There is a need for inspiration, for guidance and for belonging to the family of God.

I am of the opinion that it would be great if a congregation would be willing to face the question: What is the purpose of our "second" service? What need do we try to meet? Do we try to reach out to the non-churched, do we cater to the family, or do we seek to equip those who are already committed to the Church. If the congregation knows what it tries to accomplish it can pray for direction Once the purpose for the evening service is established the congregation is on the way in reaching that purpose.

I hasten to add that the needs of the congregation change from Time to time. Therefore, the purpose of the evening service may change too. A congregation needs to be flexible enough to make that possible. When a congregation is open to God, sensitive to the leading of the Spirit and keenly aware of the needs of people there will automatically be a great variety of evening services. As I mentioned earlier the original intent of the second service was to teach the fundamentals of the Christian faith. I still feel that there is a great need for this. It is our duty to pass on what God has to say about sin, salvation, forgiveness, and about living the Christian life. Yet, I realize that these things can also be taught in small groups, where there is room for interaction.

Right from the very beginning the second service was also intended to reach out to outsiders To put it differently, there was an attempt to meet with those persons who were not yet fully committed to the Lord. That is the reason why I feel a real need to be open to those who are still non-members of the Church. a congregation ought to offer opportunities for the people in the congregation to invite friends, neignbours and guests to a "second" service. It is therefore challenging to try to organize a service of worship that is both inspiring and yet simple enough that an unchurched person can understand the message. Let us not overlook the fact that the early Church dared to leave out of the liturgy (during special services) prayers and those parts of the service for which the unbelievers were not yet ready.

To go to another extreme I also feel that at certain times of the year it ought to be possible that the dedicated have the freedom and the opportunity to express their commitment. When the Spirit is moving in the congregation, such as during Holy Week, at the beginning of a new season, or at other occasions, it can be very uplifting to all present when young and old have an opportunity to make their convictions known in one way or the other. We have had a very moving service during a Saturday evening lay witness session.

POINTS TO KEEP IN MIND

In case I will be misunderstood I would like to make it perfectly clear that I am not in favor of change for the sake of change. I believe in a service of worship that is dignified on the one hand but which on the other hand is flexible enough to meet the changing needs of the time. With this in mind I would like to stress these two points:

1. There is a need to stress the familiar. Generally speaking people are afraid of that which is not familiar. They get upset when too many things are introduced that are not familiar. Radical experiments are doomed to fail, for they make people feel ill at ease. All people have a need for peace and security. Yet, I hasten to add that a living Church also believes in being on the move, in living, in growth. That means that even the most conservative individual, who is spiritually alive, has a natural desire to grow and hear something new. Every person wants a new suit when he no longer feels comfortable in the old one. However, changes in worship are more important than changing clothes, for they will effect many persons. A changing in a service or the purpose of-a service ought to be a result of an inner growth or an inward conviction. When these are present a congregation naturally takes steps in faith.

2. People have a need to belong. Regardless who we are, we all have a need to belong to a living fellowship. No one wants to live and die in complete isolation from God or people who care. Therefore make fellowship possible in the Church! However, I should add that people love their individual freedom too. They feel uncomfortable if one tries to force them into a common mold. they would like to belong and yet be free to be themselves so that they can develop their own spiritual gifts in a natural way. What I am attempting to convey is that a congregation should try to meet the human need for belonging and for freedom to serve one's Lord in a way that comes natural. Since the evening service is generally more flexible than the morning service more attention can be given to these human needs.

WHAT WE HAVE DONE

Some of the most rewarding evening services we have held were those with maximum participation and involvement from the congregation. Here I am thinking -of our song services, our youth services, our candle light services and others. A few months ago our women brought a powerful message through the play: "The Challenge of the Cross." Since the women knew they had a real message to present they felt ready to invite others to the evening service.

Many of our services are teaching or preaching services and many of them on the Heidelberg catechism - even though the catechism may not be mentioned specifically. occasionally there is a pulpit exchange with another pastor. Once a month the young people serve coffee after the evening service. If any of you feel like sharing something which was a real blessing to you, please do so.

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