Evening Worship vs. Everything Else

When I was much younger Southern Baptists had a Convention-wide promotion – “Church, the Sunday Night Place.” Suffice it to say that the emphasis ended about as quickly as the understanding that Elvis Presley was not going to be performing an in-person concert of “Christian” songs at the local Church.

Sunday evening hasn’t been very popular with Church-going people for a long time. I am sure I don’t know why. It can’t be the great programming on TV – because there is so little great programming on TV.  It can’t be dinning and dancing under the stars at your local dance hall – they’re still hung-over from Saturday night. It can’t be enjoying the rising of the moon on a starry night at the park – the muggers are too thick on the streets – and the park is probably closed anyway.

Many would say – “We don’t need Church on Sunday night. We get plenty on Sunday morning. We went twice this past month, and we’re going to get there at least once this month.”

Wouldn’t it be a bummer if God actually wanted you in Church at night?  Surely you can figure a way to ignore these words from Psalm 134:

Now praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord who stand in the Lord’s house at night! Lift up your hands (look out, Baptists) in the holy place, and praise the Lord! May the Lord, Maker of Heaven and Earth, bless you from Zion.