Rich Lindberg on Preparing for Worship

It is amazing how fast Saturday rolls around each week. For me, that means thinking about church the next morning. That means I need to prepare myself for church. How do I do that?

Preparation for worship is commanded in Scripture and in the Westminster standards. In Exodus 19 God commanded Moses to get the people ready for their encounter with Him at Mt. Sinai. Our Standards encourage believers to prepare our hearts and order our common affairs beforehand to keep the day holy (WCF 21.8). Keeping this in mind is one way that I prepare for worship.

Prayer is another way I prepare. I pray for Darin (or Sam) asking God to send His Spirit upon him in order that the preaching of God’s Word will come with power upon us. I pray for Becky and her musicians that God will help them to lead us in praise to God. I pray that the Spirit will use the Word of God and the Sacrament to strengthen us in our faith.

Another way I prepare is to try to get to church early enough to sit down, quiet myself and pray before the service starts. This means getting up early enough to shower, eat, read Scripture and dress to arrive on time, especially if I am a greeter. I do this in order not to have to rush around at the last minute. Even when we had two small children, Linda and I always managed to make it to church for Sunday School before the worship service. 

Preparing for worship honors God, as Hebrews 12:28 reminds us:

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…

Preparation means I take God seriously. He is my priority. He is why I show up at Iron Works on the Lord’s Day.