As my boys have been preparing for college athletics, it has been interesting to notice a change in their preparation. Now, they begin preparing for games the day before. Not just getting their gear together and making sure their uniform has been washed, but also carb-loading their meals, getting a good night’s sleep, and watching film of themselves and their opponent. They do this to put themselves in the best possible position to succeed. I think this is a good illustration for our corporate worship. If we want to be in a position to grow in our walk, encourage other believers, and make God look as good as He is every Sunday, we should do all we can to remove distractions that keep us from these things.
This means that the preparation for worship should begin on Saturday. All too often, we run ourselves ragged on Saturday. We have chores to complete, recreation to participate in, and ball games to watch. We go to bed late with our minds on the things of this world, and our hearts are not prepared for worship together on Sunday. How would your worship on Sunday change if you began to prepare Saturday night? You looked over the text that you know we are going to cover together. You spend time in prayer asking God to clear your mind of unnecessary burdens so that you can focus on Him. And you go to bed at a decent hour. I would propose that you would struggle much less with staying awake and would receive a much greater blessing and challenge from our corporate worship.
Sunday morning should also be marked by intentional preparation to worship. Inevitably, Sunday morning is when I struggle to wake up. It’s the morning when I can’t find that matching sock. Something breaks. If it can go wrong, it seems to go wrong on a Sunday. This means that I should be intentional about my preparation on Sunday. For me, it means I look over my Sunday outfit on Saturday night to make sure I have it all together. It means that I set a couple of alarms so that I am out of bed. It means I have a pen and paper handy so I can write down everything that comes to mind that I need to get done, so I can put it out of my mind.
The ride to church looks different as I seek to remove distractions every Sunday. Sunday morning is not a morning for my sports radio. This is the morning I listen to music filled with scripture to prepare my heart for what I will hear and do. As I listen, I begin to pray for the different members of our church family that God brings to my mind. The result is a heart prepared to worship. When I sit in the auditorium, I turn my phone to silent and put it away (unless I am recording a backup of the sermon). Social media can wait. I am in God’s presence. I again have a pen and a sheet of paper handy so that the distracting thoughts of tasks that need to be accomplished can be recorded as they come to mind and then immediately set aside.
Preparation for worship begins on Saturday and extends through the service itself. Your preparation will probably look a little different from mine. But if you don’t prepare yourself, don’t be surprised when you get little out of worship. I would encourage husbands and fathers to lead in this, and wives and mothers to walk in lockstep with them. Try it this week and see if it makes a difference.