And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. Acts 20:7
Did you ever notice that each day of the week seems to have its own special characteristic, depending on your environment and life circumstances? For example, for many working people, Monday is a tedious, back-to-work drag, while Friday is an uplifting boost because the week’s work is almost done, and Wednesday is a hopeful sign and is called humpday because the rest of the week is downhill. For many, Saturday is a day for activities, family, shopping, and other personal matters. And Sunday, as far as the world is concerned, is a day for sleeping in and then for whatever pleasures people can cram into it before facing the upcoming blue Monday. Is that how Christians should regard Sunday? It’s not how the first-century Christians regarded the first day of the week. Our text tells us that it was the day for the Christians in Troas to gather to break bread. They did not do this on any other day, because Paul and his companions waited for a week for this event. So it must be important.
Today’s text serves as a confirmation of the practice begun by the disciples after Pentecost. The feast that the Lord Jesus instituted at the Last Supper was carried out on the first day of each week. It was not the first Sunday of the month, or of the quarter, or of the year, as some denominations seem to think adequate. No, each first day of the week was special. The Christians gathered together, which was special in itself. And, following the instruction of the disciples based on their recollection of the Last Supper, they partook of the bread and the cup in remembrance of our Lord. They also heard ministry, as Paul took this occasion in Troas to preach to the saints. But the breaking of bread was the focal point, just as it is with us today. Even if a famous guest is on hand to speak, nothing is more important than the breaking of bread.
If we could take a peek back through time into the room where the Troas saints were gathered, what would we have seen that would be familiar, and what would we see that would be different? Of course, the folks wore different clothing back then, and they spoke a different language. Undoubtedly their seating arrangement would be different, and their hymns would be unfamiliar to us. But they would have bread from which each Christian would receive a morsel. In primarily Jewish Assemblies, it was most likely unleavened bread, but Gentile-dominated Assemblies would use a loaf much like we do. The cup would be fairly familiar, just a common vessel from which each saint would sip. I expect the worship from the men would differ only in language from what our brethren offer in worship today.
The essentials of what we do today on the first day of the week have not changed. Nor will they until our Lord comes. -Jim MacIntosh