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In his book, The Pentecostal Minister, author William Poteet reported that in 1903 the Russian Tsar noticed a sentry standing guard on the Kremlin grounds with nothing nearby to protect. When the Tsar inquired, he discovered that in 1776 Catherine the Great had posted a guard there because the first flower of Spring had appeared and she didn't want the flower to be trampled underfoot. Spring turned to Summer and the flower died, but no one thought to relieve the guard. For the next 127 years, the sentries stood guard even though the reason for the posting no longer existed.
Few governments or organizations have more or older traditions than the Lord's church. Some of those traditions, however, seem to be "written in stone," no longer recognized as traditions but treated as inviolable rules - "This is how the church does it."
An example can be found in the weekly schedule followed by many churches - a Sunday morning service, often a Sunday afternoon or evening service and then a mid-week service. Though that tradition is actually less than 200 years old, church leaders risk criticism and revolt if that schedule is modified, often being accused of losing their zeal for Jesus because they discontinue one of these services.
Let's consider the history. For the first 300 years or so of church history, there was no such thing as a "Sunday morning worship service." Sundays were a workday, not a holiday, in the Roman Empire. Because of that, the early Christians often met at night - either very early in the morning before sunrise, or after dark when the workday had ended. Remember the Acts 20 story of Eutychus falling asleep in church and tumbling from an upper story window? (Is this a good time to note that even the Apostle Paul could put people to sleep with his sermons?) Poor Eutychus had a good reason for falling asleep; most people were home in bed at that hour!
It wasn't until the 6th Century, after the Roman Empire recognized Christianity as a legal religion and the Roman Catholic Church gained a respected role in society, that Sunday morning services became the norm. The majority of people gravitated to worshipping on Sunday - the first day of the week (and the day Jesus was resurrected and the day the church began at Pentecost) as the day of worship. Mid-morning, after cows were milked and chores were done, became the most convenient and preferred time to gather. Protestant churches later continued this practice.
In rural America, as the country expanded westward, churches often met only once a month because of the distances to be travelled and the availability of a circuit-riding preacher. Since much time and trouble was involved in attending church, our ancestors made the most of the day, having a Sunday morning service, dinner on the grounds with an extended time of fellowship, and then another late afternoon or early evening service before returning to their homes. Later, with the advent of gas and electric lights, Sunday evening became a way to reach out to the community with special services like "Singspirations" and "Revival Hours." Sunday evening services can still be useful, but when was the last time you were excited because you worshipped with the lights on?
Midweek services were, at first, illegal. In Scotland, those who didn't like the State (Anglican) Church met in homes during the week for hymn singing, Bible reading and prayer, calling their meetings "Conventicles" from a word meaning "coming together." Because they met to avoid the State church, King Charles II and Parliament passed a law in 1664 making such meetings illegal and ruling that no gatherings could be held without clergy present. Five years later Parliament repealed the law and midweek services continued. Many people felt the need for services beyond Sunday morning to help them grow in Christ.
Let's summarize: Our "normal" schedule of Sunday and midweek services developed out of convenience and a desire to have extra time for Christians to study and fellowship together. While there's nothing wrong with that tradition, it should be recognized for what it is. In John 4:23 (NIV), Jesus told the Samaritan woman that the place (and time?) of worship wasn't the important part. "...a time is coming and has now come," Jesus said, "when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks." Authenticity dwarfs tradition.