First Apology

Justin Martyr (ca 100-165)

“Sunday, indeed, is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, inasmuch as it is the first day on which God, transforming the darkness and matter, created the universe; and on the same day our Saviour Jesus Christ rose from the dead. For they crucified Him on the day before Saturday; and on the day after, which is Sunday, He appeared to His apostles and disciples, and taught them these things which we have transmitted to you also for your earnest consideration.”

Sunday was considered the day of new beginnings by the early Christians. They moved their worship to that day in order to capture both God’s original design for the world and His redemptive work in our Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, obviously, the focus of Sunday for the first Christians was on the Lord and His creating and re-creating power. This also comports with God’s purpose in giving a day of rest to His people in Exodus 20:11.

How does your church encourage its members to use Sunday as a day for focusing entirely on the Lord’s creative and re-creative power and promise?