Growing in Gladness on Sunday...

David was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22).  He wrote, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go into the house of the Lord’” (Psalm 122:1).  What about you and me?  Do you enjoy meeting with your fellow Christians for Bible study, worship, and fellowship?  What about Sunday afternoon and Wednesday evening?  What about other events and activities when we meet?

Many Christians just “go to church.”  They find no real joy and meaning in meeting with their fellow Christian brothers and sisters.  Others start out well enough, but quit before long.  Some people won’t even try.

God expects His children to come together.  Do we not realized just how blessed we are?  Are we not encouraged and challenged when we gather together?  What can we do to help ourselves and others to find joy and meaning through worship?

When you read Hebrews 10:23-25 in the Bible you find that; 1) God commands that His church meet regularly,  2) Meeting together keeps us spiritually healthy, 3) Meeting together keeps us strong and encouraged, 4) Every church meeting has its purpose: encouragement and the strengthening of our faith, and 5) We honor God when we meet together.

So how can we learn to enjoy our assembling together and reap the wonderful benefits of Bible study, worship, and fellowship?  I’ll share a few of suggestions that I hope will help us all.  First, we must PREPARE FOR WORSHIP.  Sunday mornings can be rushed and stressful or planned and peaceful.  When we prepare for the day ahead, we find that the Lord’s Day can be a blessing to us and to God.  I remember my mother preparing our family for worship.  Our preparation began on Saturday evening before bedtime.  She came into our room and had us lay out the clothes we were going to wear to church the next day.  She had us place our personal Bibles next to our clothes.  On Sunday morning she allowed us to sleep in later than usual.  This allowed her time to prepare a light breakfast for our family and ready herself for worship in peace before 3 boys and an older sister…well let’s say, made life a little more complicated.  Children need breakfast in order to learn and grow.  I remember my mom, dressed already and my dad sitting in his chair reading as I walked into the kitchen to eat breakfast on Sunday morning.  After breakfast we would get dressed and after a motherly inspection leave the house for Bible class and worship.  Cindi and I chose to follow a similar Sunday morning pattern for our family.  I have found that my children, now grown are following a similar pattern for their family.

How about you and your family?  Create your own pattern of preparation and see if your Sunday mornings can be a wonderful experience for your family.

Now that we have considered preparation as a key to a better worship experience, what else can we do?  We should BE MINDFUL OF OTHERS who are present with us in the assembly.  We are not alone.  When someone arrives late or leaves early (especially during the hymn of invitation) or when someone fails to silence their phone, these distractions often hinder worship.  Of course, there are times when arriving late or leaving early is our only option.  And certainly forgetting to silence our phones before worship is just a sign of being a human being.  However, these distractions should be the exception and not the rule for us.  Jesus taught every Christian to love one another as He loves (John 13:34-15).  And so we understand when a fellow brother or sister in Christ shows their humanity.  And when we show our humanity, we hope that our fellow Christians understand us.  Decide now that you will do everything within your power to arrive early for worship and stay until the final “amen” is said, that you will even stay a few minutes longer to meet and greet your Christian brethren and our guests.  Decide that you will make it a habit to silence your phone long before the service begins.  Let’s not be in such of a hurry in worship and fellowship.  Let’s relax, breathe slowly and deeply, and take the time that is needed for God’s rich blessings to flow over us, around us, through us, and from us.  Try something different this Sunday.  Prepare.  Consider others.  Slow down.  Stop and smell the roses.  See how it goes.

More suggestions to follow…