PREPARING TO WORSHIP
What
does it take to get a church service ready?
For instance, the musical portions of the service don’t just
happen. The songs the congregation will
sing must be picked out to match the theme or subject of the service. Those need to be communicated to the instrumentalists
so they can practice. If there is to be
special music, it needs to be rehearsed, sound checks done, etc.
The
sermon takes preparation. The late Bro.
Don DeWelt of Ozark Christian College suggested blocking out around 18 or more
hours for study, writing, and rehearsal.
I have heard others suggest upwards of 40 hours of prep time for a good
sermon. The Scriptures chosen need to be
thoroughly and accurately studied.
Appropriate and meaningful sermon illustrations need to be chosen. Rehearsal needs to done to keep the preacher
from heading down any “rabbit trails” during the presentation.
There
are numerous, some would consider trivial, details to be considered and
prepared for. For instance, bulletins or
programs need to be typed, copied, collated, folded, and ready for
distribution. If there are additions to
the service, preparations for them need to be made. Will there be Baptisms? The baptistery needs to be filled. Will communion be served? The bread and juice need to be prepared, and
additions made to the day’s program.
What do
you do to get ready to simply participate in a church service? I dare say most of us haven’t stopped to
consider the fact we need to be ready to take part in even if it’s just sitting
in a pew. The Biblical example of such a
preparation time is the Day of Preparation that preceded each Sabbath. Exodus 20:8-11 says, “Remember the Sabbath
day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall
labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your
God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your
male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who
is within your gates. For in six days
the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and
rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed
it.” (NJKV). To comply with this command,
a day of preparation was needed. There
are three parts of ourselves we need to make ready.
There
are physical preparations to be made.
While living in South Dakota I became good friends with a Seventh Day
Adventist minister serving in the same town.
One of the major differences between our churches was the fact the SDA
held to strictly remembering the Sabbath.
This included the admonition to do no work. He described for me his families preparation
on Friday for the Saturday Sabbath. His
wife would prepare their meals in advance so a minimum of effort would be
needed on Saturday. They would even
leave any clean-up to be done on Sunday, the day after the Sabbath. Do you consider this extreme, or is it an
extreme devotion to following the Lord and His Word.
A more
basic application of the principle of physically preparing for worship includes
two elements. First – get enough sleep
the night before. Can you really worship
when you spent to the wee hours of Sunday morning “Getting your Groove On”? Second – eat breakfast. Can you concentrate while your stomach is
growling “Feed Me”?
There
are emotional preparations to be made.
Matthew 5:23&24 says, “Therefore if you bring your gift to the
altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave
your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your
brother, and then come and offer your gift." (NKJV). Can you worship and be at peace with God
knowing someone, perhaps someone seated in the same sanctuary, has a grievance
against you. Hebrews 12:14 adds, “Pursue
peace with all men, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:”
(NKJV). Psalm 24:3-5 reads, “Who may
ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who
has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the Lord, And
righteousness from the God of his salvation.” (NKJV)
Finally
we need to prepare Spiritually for worship.
In Acts chapter 1 Jesus instructs his disciples to wait in Jerusalem for
the fulfillment of Gods’ promise to send a helper, a counselor, a comforter,
the Holy Spirit. They complied waiting
in the upper room. The Spirit would
later be poured out upon them. Psalm
46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God…” (NKJV). In otherwords, while you are praying, shut up
and listen as well.
I
challenge you for the next four Sundays, come prepared to worship. Clear any physical barriers that would effect
your ability to participate in worship.
Take an emotional inventory, and seek to make amends wherever possible. Finally, come in prayed up and with an open
mind and heart to receive the blessings of the Lord.
Dr. O
