Expert: Christopher Heren - 4/11/2011

Question
Well I read your answer about Sunday night service, you didn't really answer the man's question. My wife and I was wondering about this same topic.
So let's narrow it down to here in the United States after the Restoration movement or that time period before or after Civil War, I can't find no record of this topic. Also I know Paul spoke at night on one occasion recorded in the Bible.
So if you can answer thanks.

Answer
Hi Johnny,

I'm sorry if I didn't answer the man's question.  My specialty is not American Christian historical practices.  I'd recommend looking elsewhere than me for this question, though I can perhaps give some suggestions.

Some claim that the practice is older than the Reformation (though how wide-spread I don't know).  Some have argued that it was on the basis of St. Paul preaching at night in Acts (again, whether this was a service or just him speaking as the guest of an Agape meal is a matter of discussion).

What I think it gets down to is that the whole day of Sunday was reserved for worship.  Some in the morning worshiped, and others in the evening.  After the Civil War, it could have been that due to agricultural or work concerns, people worshiped at night.  It's not like there were unions back then to make sure things were closed on Sunday or workers could make it to services.  There were still children working at this time, so I don't think my suggestion is totally out of bounds.  All I know is that it is not a common practice where I am from across many different denominations...the closest is multiple Catholic Masses including "evening ones" on Sunday; but this is more due to the modern world and people's inability to always make it to Sunday morning Mass, and since Sunday is a "day of obligation," they need to go.

As to Paul preaching at night, I am of the opinion that this is at a later gathering called the Agape feast (which he later chides the Corinthians for in 1 Cor. for abusing).  Meeting for a meal after Synagogue for the guest preacher of the morning to preach was a very common Jewish practice (Christ does it throughout the Gospels).  However, the Jewish "night" on Sunday would have been Sunday at sundown, not "night" as we think of it.  The word in Greek (Acts 20:7) simply can be translated "middle of night," while it is often translated as "midnight" (and with good reason - see BDAG's entry on "mesonykton").  What likely happened is that at the later Agape meal of the late afternoon (because church would be very long in the morning, devoted to reading Scripture, prayer, Eucharist, and extensive preaching) Paul spoke and would just not stop!!!  This doesn't mean they met at night as in a service, but that they were in the later Agape meal where he preached again...the question is whether at Acts 20:7 the words "break bread" indicate Eucharist or simply Agape, and whether at this time the Eucharist was a later service in the day from morning prayers on the Lord's Day.

I'm sorry if I have missed the point of your question; perhaps there is no one right answer, or even a connected answer across the different time periods.  I've seen a lot of talk about this on Puritan posts, and that's about it...so as I said, I'm not familiar in the different church traditions (Lutheran, Catholic, Orthodox, or even non-denominational) I have been in contact with doing this.  I'd recommend researching if this is a Puritan thing.

Cheers,

Chris