"From Sabbath to Sunday: The Origins of Christian Morning Worship"

The beautiful and serene interior of a church adorned with stained glass windows and wooden pews, ready for Sunday services.

Sunday morning worship for Christians began to develop in the early centuries of the Church, rooted in the significance of Jesus Christ’s resurrection. While early Christians initially continued observing the Jewish Sabbath on Saturday, they began to gather on the first day of the week—Sunday—because of the belief that Jesus rose from the dead on that day. This shift from Saturday to Sunday worship reflected a desire to honor Christ’s resurrection and distinguish Christian practices from Jewish traditions.

In the New Testament, there are several references to Christians gathering on Sunday. For instance, in Acts 20:7, the Apostle Paul and other believers met on the first day of the week to break bread and listen to Paul’s teaching. Additionally, 1 Corinthians 16:2 mentions a collection being taken up on the first day of the week, further indicating that Sunday gatherings were part of the early Christian tradition.

However, this practice wasn’t immediately universal. It was a gradual development, influenced by both theological and social factors. Early Christians did not initially separate from the Jewish Sabbath but began incorporating Sunday worship as a special observance of Christ’s resurrection. Over time, as Christianity grew and spread, Sunday became the primary day for Christian worship.

In AD 321, the Roman Emperor Constantine played a key role in making Sunday worship widespread when he declared Sunday a day of rest, aligning with Christian practices. This formal recognition provided a foundation for the church’s worship on Sundays. By the second century, church fathers like Justin Martyr wrote about Sunday worship in their works, describing how Christians gathered to hear Scripture, pray, and celebrate the Eucharist.

Thus, Sunday morning worship became a central feature of Christian practice, symbolizing Christ's resurrection and the Christian faith's distinctive identity.