Tomorrow is the Lord’s Day, a day of worship and rejoicing, a day of rest and fellowship, a day in which our souls delight in the eternal and unchanging peace which we have in our Savior Jesus Christ. Most of us are accustomed to preparing for specific days each week. If you are going on a trip, you might pack your bag the night before. If you are going to work early in the morning, you probably set out your clothes and set an alarm on the prior evening. We look ahead and prepare for those kinds of activities, but do we look ahead and prepare for the Lord’s Day? Do we feel the need for preparation, or is it enough simply to show up and follow along with the liturgy?
I know many of you do prepare by reading the Scriptures and looking at the songs we will hear and offer in our morning and evening worship. This is a great way to prepare our minds to be more engaged. You may pray on Saturday evening or Sunday morning about the Lord’s Day assemblies. This is a great way to prepare our souls for worship and is a blessing and help to your pastor and elders as we also pray and prepare. You may reflect on the Lord’s Table, remembering Christ’s sacrifice for us and examining your heart and the past week in order to more deliberately confess and repent sin in your life. You could also review the five membership vows which you made before God and the congregation when you became a member of ROPC and reaffirm your commitment to them, or you might review your catechism which is designed to help us learn, recite, and review the glorious truths of God’s Word and contains helps to preparing our hearts for worship (cf. WLC 117, 121, 157, 160, 171-172). You might pray with your spouse and children and encourage them to go to God’s house with joy. You might read a spiritual book or classic sermon to help tune your heart to heaven’s glory.
However you prepare for the Lord’s Day, it is worth taking the time to do so, even if it is only a few minutes on Saturday evening or Sunday morning. You will find worship deeper, fellowship sweeter, and praise and prayer more personal when your mind and soul are in order and ready to engage in the exercises of the day. May God bless us, teach us, and help us to give the Lord’s Day the time, attention, and preparation it deserves. --JME
