How to Prepare for Sunday Worship

Anticipating a hunting trip with my brothers, I have been doing a lot of preparation lately. We are updating a spreadsheet, buying supplies, counting calories, weighing our packs, and exercising to get in shape. Most people frequently do a lot of preparation for a variety of things in life that are important to them. But even among those who would count worship on the Lord’s Day as a priority, how many give much thought to preparation for worship?

Pastor Jason Helopoulos summarizes our response to a biblical understanding of worship, writing, “No experience on earth should delight the soul of the Christian more than corporate worship. It is the high point of our week and establishes the rhythm of our lives.” If hunting, geometry tests, birthdays, and countless other events are worthy of our careful preparation, how much more the worship of our awesome God and Savior. Consider preparing for the great calling and privilege of Lord’s Day worship in the following ways:

Prepare in Prayer

Pray for God’s blessing on you and all who worship. Pray that the various elements of the worship service would truly be God’s means of grace to His people. Above all, pray that He would be glorified. Pray for those who will lead in worship and for the pastor who will preach, that he would speak faithfully and clearly. Pray along with the teaching of the Westminster Shorter Catechism that as you and your church hear God’s Word preached, you would “receive it with faith and love, lay it up in [your] hearts, and practice it in [your] lives” (Q&A 90).

Prepare Through Contemplation

Take time to reflect on the duty and privilege of corporate worship. Think about what it means to come into the presence of the living God and hear His Word to you. If you are celebrating the Lord’s Supper, reflect on the meaning and blessing of the sacrament so that you would be better prepared to experience God’s grace through it. If your church shares the order of worship ahead of Sunday, take time to read through the songs to be sung and the Scriptures to be read and meditate on the truths they contain and the worship they call for. Think also about the fellow believers you will see and how you can live out the “one another” calls of the New Testament to serve the body of Christ through prayer, encouragement, and so on (1 Thess. 5:11; Heb. 10:24–25; James 5:16).

Prepare Your Family

You can help your family, especially your kids, prepare for Lord’s Day worship in age-appropriate ways. Help them to see the priority and joy of gathering with God’s people for worship in the way that you talk about it, prioritize it, and prepare for it. Having regular times of family worship or devotions throughout the week is not only a good way to disciple your family and worship together but also a great way to prepare for Lord’s Day worship. Times of reading God’s Word and singing His praise as a family demonstrate to your kids the centrality of worship in the life of a Christian and culminate in the joy of worshipping with the whole church on the Lord’s Day.

Prepare by Planning

The way we schedule our days relates significantly to how we prepare for many different events in life, and such planning can similarly help us to prepare for Lord’s Day worship. Working diligently in the six days that God has given for our ordinary labors (Ex. 20:9) frees up the Lord’s Day for unhurried, undistracted worship and for edifying fellowship. As you would before an important test, an athletic contest, or travel, get good rest on Saturday night, as you are able. Arriving on time and well rested for worship facilitates attentive, heartfelt worship of our great God.

If worship is our highest calling and privilege, and we are to “offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe” (Heb. 12:28) to His glory and our spiritual good, we ought to give thought to how we prepare for it.