How to Prepare to Gather as the Church

At Harmony, the ministry of the Scriptures is central to everything we do…particularly in our Sunday morning gatherings. Sunday mornings are our chance to come together in solidarity, show our city that we worship a risen Christ and are subservient to His word.

For the majority of people, even ourselves at times, church is not the priority of the week. Too often school, work, sports, and other activities take precedence over gathering as the Church. They make the mistake of letting their time be ordered by the world, which views the weekends as a time to relax, to play sports, to stay up late and sleep in. For Christ-followers, however, Sunday should be the most important day of the week. You should try to schedule your work, activities, get-togethers, and vacations around church. You should live by the principle that Sunday morning starts Saturday night.

Here are some ways that we can prepare our hearts and minds for hearing the Word of Jesus on Sunday mornings:

• Make it a habit to be home on Saturday night.
• Be careful not to do, watch, or read anything that will cause lingering distractions in your mind the next day.
• Get things ready on Saturday night to alleviate the typical Sunday morning rush (lay out clothes, set the table, write the offering check, stock the diaper bag, etc).
• Get a good night’s sleep so you can be sharp and energetic to worship and serve God. It’s hard to listen when you’re nodding off.
• Eat a simple but adequate breakfast that will hold you until lunch. It’s difficult to hear over the grumbling of your stomach.
• Work together with the other members of your family to get ready, and to establish and maintain a godly atmosphere on the way to church. Listen to music, sing, and pray together.
• Arrive at church ten minutes early instead of ten minutes late so you have enough time to find a parking spot, drop the kids off in the nursery or their Sunday school classes, get a cup of coffee, visit with your friends, and find a seat.

What are some other things that we as the people of Jesus can do to prepare our hearts and minds for Him?