Now that March Madness has concluded (did you have KU winning it all in your bracket? My wife Pamela did!), perhaps this word from a famous basketball coach still might resonate --
“It’s not about having the will to win.
It’s about having the will to prepare to win.”
Bobby Knight, Indiana Hoosiers
No one wins anything that truly matters without preparing to win. Excellent parenting requires preparation. Productive financial investments require preparation. A wonderfully nurturing marriage relationship requires preparation.
WHAT ABOUT WORSHIP?
I believe the same principle is in play when it comes to worshipping the Lord. It’s not simply about worshipping. Life-giving, meaningful worship can be more readily experienced when one prepares to come into the Lord’s presence (with others) ready to worship.
It’s about having the will to prepare to worship.
I’m confident you understand. Too often in my own life, especially when our kids where small and getting them out the door on Sunday morning and arriving at the church parking lot (in a decent frame of mind) was truly a challenge. Putting on a smile as you come through the door. Finding a place to sit (perhaps a few minutes late). Then, attempting to merge into the worship music. All the while, feeling “not really there.”
Is there a better way? Should I just rush into a worship setting, or would encountering the Lord meaningfully be better served with some advance preparation?
PREPARING FOR PALM SUNDAY, GOOD FRIDAY, and EASTER SUNDAY
May I offer you a couple of ways to prepare to worship during the upcoming Holy Week? It will involve a few decisions, and some follow through.
First, decide to build into your schedule over the next 10 days at least 30 minutes of quiet time with the Lord. Yep…every day. Put it in your calendar, set a daily alarm, choose a place where you can be alone, and meet with the Spirit and the Word.
Second, decide to read one of the New Testament gospel accounts (either Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John). I’d suggest Luke, since that’s where we’ll be in worship on Palm Sunday morning here at the Free Church. As the Spirit to speak to you as you read the chapters. If you can, read the whole book in one setting…and then do it again. Or divide it up (Luke has 24 chapters/10 days = 2-3 chapters a day). By the Saturday before Easter, you’ll land in the chapters on the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
If you don’t like reading, listen to a Gospel with an audio Bible (www.biblegateway.com is a place where you can do this).
Third, pray about inviting someone to our Holy Week worship services (Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and/or Easter Sunday), and use the printed invitation available at our Free Church Welcome Center.
Finally, out of your devotional time, write down what the Holy Spirit has said to you through the chapters of your reading. You might be surprised at how often you “heard” the Spirit’s “voice” emphasize a truth that you need to hear.
Go ahead. Have the will to prepare to worship.
It just might be life-changing.
