Today we remember and commemorate the faithful servant of God, Justin, a martyr for his faith, who is now known simply as Justin Martyr. He was a layman and one of the first Christian defenders of the faith, known as an “apologist” from the Greek word “apologia” which means, “defense” not, “Saying you are sorry.” If you have never read the writings of Justin Martyr, I think you will find them quite fascinating. In his writings, among many other interesting things, he records what is one of the most ancient descriptions of the Christian worship service. It is remarkably similar to the basics of what we are still doing to this day, with the celebration of the Lord’s Supper at the center of the Christian worship service.

Justin was born into a pagan family at Flavia Neopolis, or Nablus, in Palestine. At the age of thirty, he became a Christian and traveled to debate pagan philosophers, eventually going to Rome. There he was denounced and tried with Charita, Chariton, Euelpistus, Hierox, Liberianus, and Paeon. They were scourged and beheaded. Jus­tin, also called “the Philosopher,” was the first layman to serve as an apologist. His works include Apologies for the Christian Religion and Dialogue with the Jew Trypho. The records of Justin’s trial are extant. (Source) More information about Justin and his writings is available here. Here is how Justin described what Christians do on Sundays:

“On the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons. And they who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who succors [give assistance to] the orphans and widows, and those who, through sickness or any other cause are in want, and those who are in bonds, and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need. But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Savior on the same day rose from the dead.”