Remember that you are glorifying God, but in worship, God is doing something in you and your family that will last for all eternity.  Brothers and sisters, take heart, Christ is being formed in you.  Let me tell you what that means practically.  It means that God is shaping you and your family.  No, you will not be perfect this side of eternity, but from the inside out, you will grow more and more Christ-like – and so will your family.  

I love to see families walking through the doors of the auditorium on Lord’s Day morning.  I see each of them as a living stone coming together to form a living temple in order to worship the living God.  They were once like the dry bones of Ezekiel’s vision scattered about in the valley of the shadow of death.  But now, by God’s sovereign grace, they have spiritual muscle, saintly sinew, and a renewed and healthy heart beats within each breast.  These belong to Christ and they are glorious to behold.

However, I am under no false impressions.  I realize that these beautiful families have their mornings – even on the Lord’s Day.  In other words, there are some Lord’s Days that these same folk might describe their trip to church using the language of Ezekiel thirty-seven, “There was a noise, and behold a rattling; and the bones came together”!  Especially on mornings like these, it is important for us to keep a checklist of things we must not forget when we go to worship.  So, let me give you five crucial things to remember when going to church – no matter what the morning may be like.

First, remember that worship is not about you, but it calls for your full participation.  Likely, every believer would give this a vigorous “amen!”  On difficult mornings, the one thing you are thinking about is yourself and your family – and not all of it good.  For instance, on the way to church maybe your heart is still stewing about the kid’s bad behavior and perhaps their hearts are stewing about yours.  What a great opportunity to bring the gospel to bear on the life of the family!

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