We are like lawn mowers, we need to prime the pump before we engage in what we were created to do.
Embedded in the stringency of the 4th commandment is the glorious (and much needed) work of foresight. We are to "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy."
The first word of the command reminds us that we need to be on the lookout for the Lord's Day. That's because we tend to be forgetful people. We get caught up in all of our regular affairs--house cores, work, play, bill paying, sleep, etc., etc, etc. As a result, Sunday seems to sneak up on us, and we end up entering into worship cold.
If you are honest, you will admit that worship often feels stale. That's not because the format is dry or because the songs are un-sing-able. It is because we often go to church without ever having even thought about the Lord. We simply have not prepared to encounter God.
The remedy for this sickness lies in the command to remember the Sabbath day.
Most people look forward to the weekend (e.g. TGIF). But that's usually because they are focused on recreational activities. But as the people of God, our orientation is to be, not towards a day of play, but towards the day of worship--i.e. the Lord's Day.
Throughout the week we are to consider the fact that, in a matter of a few days, we will be coming before a holy and infinite God. We are to consider the fact that we will be meeting and communing with the One who created the week we are living.
On Wednesday the sobering fact that we will have to give account of our week-- our work, play, and our rest-- should be reverberating in our minds.
On Friday we should remember that we need to get all our chores & errands done and out of the way in the next two days so that we have the whole day Sunday to worship him.
On Saturday we should remember that God was gracious to us last Sunday, and will again be merciful to us tomorrow.
Moreover, some time on Saturday should be given to special preparation. In the history of the church, especially during the Puritan age, saints would lay aside some time on the Sabbath eve to reflect, pray, and meditate on the week gone past and the upcoming day.
As the sun set or after they had cleaned up the dinner dishes, they would truly ready themselves for worship. That way, when they woke up the next morning, their spirits were already soaring. They would be like sports players before a game, anxious to begin what they had been looking forward to all week.
I know one family who would put in a tape while they were making dinner each Saturday night. Listening to that teaching was their way of orienting themselves. Through that message they would begin to think about what was going to happen when they woke up the next morning.
Offering the Lord heartfelt and meaningful worship means we must prime our hearts. As a pastor, my life is naturally oriented around the Lord's day. All week is spent getting ready for it. But that kind of mindset is to characterize all of us as Christians.
Though we do not need to prepare sermons, prayers, & such we do need to prepare for the sermons, prayers, & such. We need to prepare for worship.
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