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.

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).

Read More