Prepare for Worship
Stop.
How do you prepare yourself for worship? Whether you’re in person or online, how do you get ready to worship and praise God? Think about this or talk about it with someone. Consider ways you can ensure your heart and mind are in the right place to hear God’s words of comfort and challenge for you in worship.
Listen.
And they worshiped [Jesus], and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God. – Luke 24:52-53
Reflect.
At the very end of Luke’s gospel, we hear the story of the Ascension. Jesus teaches his disciples more about who he is and what the scriptures say, blesses them, and then begins to ascend bodily into heaven. After witnessing this powerful and mysterious event, the disciples return to Jerusalem with great hope and happiness. As part of their celebration, they can later be found constantly in the temple worshiping and praising God.
The disciples had been through a lot in the previous days. They’d seen Jesus received as a king, betrayed to his enemies, treated like a criminal, killed by a ruthless empire, and buried hastily. They’d heard mysterious news that he was no longer in his tomb, encountered Jesus in surprising and hard-to-believe ways, and been honored to hear his teaching that filled them with hope in God’s promise. Their emotions must have been all over the place.
And still, they came to the temple to bless God. That is: even with all they’d endured, and even without Jesus to teach them any longer, they were still ready to praise God and hear the scriptures taught. They wanted to be in the presence of their God, who is holy and wholly other, and offer their joys and sorrows and struggles to God in worship. Everything they’d been through only drew them closer to a worshipping community.
I’m not going to tell you that you always have to be happy and bubbly when you come to worship. You might be sad, angry, scared, confused, frustrated, or lonely – and all those things are okay. The point isn’t making yourself feel a certain way. The point is coming ready to be in relationship with your God. Sometimes that takes a little preparation. With everything going on in your life, you might need a moment to pause, breathe, and consider how worship is a different time and space. Even if you’re worshipping online at your own kitchen table, it’s still worth pausing before you hit play.
Ask yourself: am I ready to hear what God has for me today? What in my life do I need to set aside to hear that word? How can I set aside my expectations and simply bless God and be blessed by God? Ultimately, you want to build up the ritual and routine of worship so that you can see its value no matter how you feel from day to day. Give yourself space and time to prepare so that you, like the disciples, can be constantly in worship, ready to praise, learn, and receive strength for the week ahead.
Pray.
Jesus, your disciples kept coming back to the temple to hear God’s word. Keep me centered in the routine of worship, too. Show me how to ready and center myself to hear your word and join with the community of believers. Thank you for the opportunity to worship you every week, every day, every minute. Amen.
Carry On.
What do you think makes a worship service most important? How has that changed through your life? Find someone to talk to about worship. Learn about their traditions, preferences, and experiences. How does it help you reflect on your worship life?