Lord's Day

Definition and Meaning

The Lord's Day (Korean juil, 主日), meaning "the day of the Lord," is the term used in Protestantism for Sunday. The Gospels record that Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the first day of the week, and Christians gather on this day for worship in commemoration of that event. Setting apart the Lord's Day and keeping it holy is called Lord's Day observance (juil seongsu, 主日聖守).

Biblical and Historical Background

The expression "the Lord's day" appears in Revelation 1:10. Acts 20:7 records that believers came together "upon the first day of the week" to break bread. First Corinthians 16:2 exhorts believers to set aside a collection (offering) on the first day of every week. On the basis of these passages, Sunday gatherings are generally understood to have been established from the time of the early church. In 321 the Roman emperor Constantine made Sunday a public day of rest.

Christian traditions differ in how they understand the relationship between the Old Testament Sabbath (Saturday) and the Lord's Day. The Westminster Confession of Faith regards the Lord's Day as "the Christian Sabbath." According to this understanding, the Sabbath commandment of the Ten Commandments carries over to the Lord's Day. Another view holds that the Lord's Day is a day commemorating the resurrection, distinct from the Sabbath. The Seventh-day Adventist Church keeps Saturday as the Sabbath. These questions are treated in detail in the article Sabbath and the Lord's Day.

Practice in the Korean Church

Korean churches organize the day around the Sunday morning worship service. This is followed by an afternoon or evening service, Sunday school, young adult ministry meetings, and small group meetings. Churches with large congregations hold several morning services, such as a first and a second service. The service includes a time for giving the offering.

Lord's Day observance has long been emphasized in the Korean church as a virtue of the Christian life. Traditionally, churches have taught that believers should refrain on the Lord's Day from their ordinary work, from buying and selling, and from taking examinations. Instead, they have encouraged believers to devote themselves to worship, fellowship, and service. This teaching is known to be applied relatively strictly in Presbyterian churches that follow the Westminster Confession of Faith, particularly in conservative denominations.

In recent years, some churches have provided Saturday services or online worship for members who find it difficult to gather on Sunday because of their work or other circumstances. Views on what Lord's Day observance requires vary among churches and among individual believers.

Denominations that closely follow the church calendar, such as the Anglican Church of Korea, give each Sunday a distinct name and order of worship according to the liturgical season. "The First Sunday of Advent" is one example. Easter is likewise observed on a Sunday each year.