Preparing for Sunday--Practical Counsel for Worshippers

Posted by: Immanuel Bible Church • BLOG »

During a Sunday evening service sometime back I taught practical application of the seriousness of corporate worship and the resulting preparation it should impress upon us. I received a great deal of positive feedback and was encouraged to pass it on. So, here it is. In reflecting on Hebrews 12:18-29, it is obvious that God considers corporate worship a serious matter, not the game that the modern church often plays. For you have not come to a mountain that may be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word should be spoken to them. For they could not bear the command, “IF EVEN A BEAST TOUCHES THE MOUNTAIN, IT WILL BE STONED.” And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, “I AM FULL OF FEAR AND TREMBLING.” But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel. See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less shall we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven. And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “YET ONCE MORE I WILL SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH, BUT ALSO THE HEAVEN.” And this expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, in order that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire. If God, Who is “a consuming fire”, receives worship (indeed He seeks it! – Jn 4:23) from sinners like you and me, should we not be more serious in how we approach Him? If worship demands reverence and awe, should we not prepare to meet our God? It is questions like these that have led me to form the following practical suggestions in preparing for Sunday worship. I have included practical, mundane preparations that free up more time for personal, heart and soul preparation. May the application of this counsel lead you into a deeper, more God-centered, and heartfelt worship experience. I. SATURDAY EVENING A. Practical Preparations 1. Prepare Sunday’s meals a. Breakfast made and table set - simple self-serve breakfasts such as muffins or fruit bread, yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, etc. b. Noon meal planned and prepared when possible 2. Gas up the car (this was important when we lived in Missouri and had a 40 minute drive to church) 3. Pick out clothes and take care of needed ironing 4. Find Bibles (and shoes!) and lay them out, pack diaper bag 5. Set aside your offering (2 Cor. 9:7) 6. Teachers: make final lesson preparations 7. Have children take baths 8. Get to bed early a. Avoid late night Saturday activities as much as possible b. Avoid television, video games, and fluffy books. Avoid anything that trivializes or tends to put your mind in neutral. God’s thoughts are deep (Ps 92:5). The purpose of these practical preparations is to prevent potential distractions and decrease the tension level in the home, which often results in irritations and conflicts. B. Personal Preparations 1. Delight in the Word a. Read Psalm 32 or 51 and spend time in confession b. Read some Scripture about worship (E.g. Heb 12:18-29; Ps 95-100) c. For communion Sundays: read a Gospel account of the crucifixion d. For communion Sundays: resolve interpersonal conflicts, seek forgiveness where needed e. Read a chapter from a solid devotional book such as The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer. I define a devotional book as one that directs my thoughts to the character of God. 2. Devote yourself to PRAYER a. Worship service as a whole—that it would glorify God b. Service participants c. Ushers and Greeters d. Scripture readers e. Musicians, choir, and songleader f. Preacher g. Nursery workers h. Bible class teachers i. Visitors j. Unbelievers who may be present k. Teachers: pray for your students and fellow teachers 3. Discipline your mind with SONG a. Fill the house with good worshipful music b. Sing some hymns The purpose of these personal preparations is to sensitize your heart and mind to meet the Lord in corporate worship. The goal is to go to bed with the Lord on your mind. II. SUNDAY MORNING A. Practical Preparations 1. Get up early 2. Keep the television off (the latest news from CNN can wait). B. Personal Preparations 1. Delight in the Word – read a Psalm or two 2. Prayer a. Pray for yourself and your family. b. Pray for the worship service and all that will be present. 3. Song a. Use a tape or CD of hymns and praise songs as background music in your house. b. Listen to hymns and praise songs in the car on the way to church. 4. Get to church at least 15 minutes before the service begins. a. Take care of miscellaneous details. b. Give a word of encouragement to at least one other person. c. Take babies to the nursery and have other children use restrooms. d. Be seated in the sanctuary. Spend time looking up songs and Scripture and/or pray. 5. Worship the Lord with all your heart in the company of the redeemed (Ps 107:1-2). It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Thy name, O Most High; to declare Thy lovingkindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness by night, with the ten-stringed lute, and with the harp; with resounding music upon the lyre. For Thou, O LORD, hast made me glad by what Thou hast done, I will sing for joy at the works of Thy hands. How great are Thy works, O LORD! Thy thoughts are very deep (Psalm 92:1-5). God bless you as you prepare to worship God this Sunday, Pastor Paul (“Preparing for Sunday” is a chapter excerpt from the book Delight in the WORD, available online at www.timelesstexts.com; www.christianbook.com; www.amazon.com; www.barnesandnoble.com)

Paul Tautges Paul Tautges has served Immanuel Bible Church in Sheboygan, Wisconsin as pastor-teacher since 1992. He is also a biblical counselor certified with the National Association of Nouthetic Counselors and the author of Delight in the WORD, a collection of essays on common biblical counseling issues. Paul and his wife Karen have eight children.

Preparing for and Evaluating Sundays

By Bob Kauflin @ http://worshipmatters.com/

I received this question a while back:

Do you happen to have anything that you have given out to worship leaders as far as a check-list of items to review as they are preparing for a Sunday morning?

The simple answer to this would be “no.” However, a few years ago we put together ten questions for evaluating corporate worship, which might serve as a memory jogger.

1. Is our Savior's substitutionary sacrifice on the Cross clearly and repeatedly presented through song lyrics and exhortations as central to our worship and the means by which we approach God?

2. Is it evident to the church and guests that all we do is rooted in Scripture and in response to Scripture?

3. Do we devote sufficient time to preparation and practice prior to Sunday, and encouragement and evaluation after Sunday?

4. Is there a recognizable theme for our corporate worship which is clearly communicated and grounded in objective truth about God?

5. Are we listening for and responsive to the spontaneous direction of the Holy Spirit during corporate worship?

6. Do our spoken and musical transitions serve to connect different elements of corporate worship in a natural and meaningful way?

7. Has our song selection and presentation become predictable? Does our song repertoire reflect songs of different styles, emphases, and lengths?

8. Are the pastors and worship team an example to the church of passionate, expressive, and responsive worship?

9. Are we aware of and appropriately sensitive to guests who may not be familiar with our terminology, style and practice?

10. Does our description and expression of corporate worship reinforce the understanding that it complements, rather than replaces, a lifestyle of worship?

I could comment on any one of these, but that would be unwise...Let me just suggest that if you're a leader, I'd suggest you apply #3 immediately if you're not doing it already. Here's how it's worked for us.

We now have two meetings on Sunday mornings, at 9 and 11:30 AM. They each last about 90 minutes. Rehearsal typically takes place on Saturday night from 6:30-8:00. That way we can come in Sunday mornings at 8 for 30 minutes of tweaking. Practicing the night before has enabled us to keep things fresh in our minds for Sunday morning.

Our musicians meet on stage after our first meeting each Sunday to talk about what went well and what didn't. We've tried to cultivate a culture of humility and encouragement that enables people to point out where others did something right and eagerly receive input when they didn't do something well. I might comment on the drummer's tempo, a bad transition, or commend the group for following a change in the plan. No one is looking to "pin the blame" on anyone. We frequently laugh at how things didn't working out quite like we practiced, knowing that God is gracious to use idiots like us! We try to learn from our mistakes and repeat what we do right. There are times we're not quite sure what went wrong. But the cumulative effect of those evaluation times have been invaluable.

In addition our pastoral team reviews each Sunday on Wednesday mornings. We don't take a lot of time to nit-pick, but we do talk about what was effective and what wasn't. It's helped us be more aware of our responsibility to direct people's hearts and minds each Sunday to our glorious Savior.

What Are You Doing With Your Saturday Evenings?

Quoting John Henderson . . .

	When the Lord's Day arrives many if not all persons find it very difficult to discard all thought concerning secular affairs. To do this requires a mental discipline of which few possess, and in the experience of most Christians, the day is perhaps half gone before the mind becomes properly composed, to the exclusive consideration of such subjects as are proper to the Lord's Day. Hence the value of previous preparation. Hence the propriety of disposing of all business and business cares at as early an hour on the previous day as possible, so that when the Lord's Day arrives there may be no secular excitement to intrude into its sacred precincts. This view is recognized in Scripture. Neh 13:19: "And it came to pass that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the Sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the Sabbath." The propriety of preparation is particularly evident when we consider the sanctity and value of the day. It is our golden season for withdrawing from the world to worship God, our blessed opportunity for undisturbed consideration of the interests of our souls. [The Lord's Day] is a gift which rightfully improved will shower upon our lives the blessings with which God has crowned it. We need then all of its precious time, nor should we be willing to let aught of secular interest encroach upon it. Blessed season of rest, of spiritual profit and enjoyment, as its sacred hours draw near let us prepare for its coming; let us jealously guard its portals against intrusion; let us approach it as Moses drew near to the burning bush, for it is holy ground. [Exod 3:5; Acts 7:33]
From:	1877 Essay on The Sabbath, from the Encyclopedia Puritanica