The subject under consideration here is the hour of the observance of the Lords Supper. By hour we mean the time of the observance, not the day, as Acts 20:7 settles the day eternally. We will consider the hour acceptable by God for the observance of the Supper.

1. In the absence of a specified hour (time of the day), it seems that any hour contained in the twenty-four hours of the first day of each week would and must be acceptable.

2. To bind a specific hour to the exclusion of ail others is fallacy, to say the least. If we should adopt a specific hour to the exclusion of all others we would surely condemn those who partake of the Supper at a different hour of the day. Therefore, we must not bind tradition upon anyone who has different customs in this respect. The hour is purely a matter of expediency that may vary from congregation to congregation.

3. So, we must not become slaves to tradition. We must remind ourselves that we partake of the Lords Supper on a specified hour because we have by mutual consent agreed upon that hour, not because that hour has been determined by divine revelation. Since the hour is an expedient locally, the time of its observance may be changed by the membership any time.

Conclusion:

The Day Is Specific (Acts 20:7). The day specified is the first day of the week (Sunday).

The hour is not specific; therefore the hour is left to the judgment of the local leadership or elders.

TRUTH MAGAZINE, XVI: 33, p. 13
June 22, 1972