(#8)Preparing To Meet With God

"Preparation to meet with God" plays a major role in our 'worship times'. What then can we do in planning the the structure and content of the service to reflect and encourage us al to "prepare" our hearts for this meeting?

PRE-SERVICE:
A very important part of preparation should take place before people assemble. Though this cannot be directly planned into the service, pastors, worship leaders and others who teach in the church can provide emphasis and solid teaching on this point.

Consider also what materials and suggestions you can provide for private, family and small group devotions or worship times. In fact, this need should be an important part of choosing music to include in the church's "repertoire". Are you including things people can easily learn and use elsewhere? How easy is it for them (legally!) to get copies of the pieces? (Do you, for instance, have a main hymnbook and/or songbooks from which you draw many pieces?)

PRELUDE:
Before the "official" beginning of the service, you may provide a less formal time for "focusing". This may take the form of quiet reflection, perhaps with a musical background, or quiet songs. In other cases more "upbeat" songs --even a long "pre-service"-- may be helpful in Many of the things that happen during this time are much like those included in the main part of the service, though perhaps less structured.

OPENING SONGS, PRAYERS & SCRIPTURES:
Somewhere toward the beginning of the service (not necessarily at the very start) there is often a heavy emphasis on activities of preparation such as:

• humbling ourselves before God, bowing the knee, etc.
• confessing and repenting of sin (individually AND corporately)
• praying for God himself to humble us
• praying for God to (come and) cleanse us
• "casting down" or "breaking" idols to worship and love God alone

There is significant overlap among these categories, yet they are not identical. Since all of these are important, it is helpful for us by VARYING the way we look at the acts of preparation. How?

The variations may be suggested by a main Scripture for the day, such as the sermon text (or some parallel or related text).

• The "season" of the year may suggest a particular emphasis.
• The particular needs of the congregation may suggest extra attention on one 'act' or theme.
• What are the biggest obstacles we as a body need to remove from the way. Do we lack a strong sense being a people, of the importance of love to each other in the body, of breaking down walls between us, etc.? Perhaps we should include more times of corporate confession.
• We may find it helpful to keep a (written) record, so that we can deliberately vary the emphasis.

How do we introduce or "get into" these times? This too may, and probably should, vary somewhat, not simply to avoid getting in a rut, but to be able to encourge us to be as broad as Scripture itself in how we prepare.

Scriptures like these may themselves be read or sung. Songs and prayers based on them or reflecting similar ideas may also be used.

A "Call" to worship may accomplish this in various ways
Consider things like:

• A loud announcement of God's Coming --the 'trumpet' blast heralding the coming of the King. (There may sometimes be a strong emphasis on warning, sometimes more on promise.
• A direct command to prepare to meet and worship the King.
• An invitation to the Banquet. (Remember, entering the banquet ALSO requires 'making ourselves ready' [Rev 19:7-8], "wearing the proper attire" [Mt 22:11-13].)

For instance, a strong opening hymn or song(s) of praise may focus us on the King's worthiness to receive ALL riches, honor, etc.; the corresponding time of 'preparation' may focus on confessing how we horde or squander these things, or offer them to idols.

For times of confession and repentance, again, consider how to vary the approach. Providing a time for silent prayer, perhaps with a song that CALLS us to confess, can be very effective. But it should not be the only "form" you ever use.

Try the following
prayers
songs of meditation, confession, cleansing, etc.

Whatever role we may take, the sorts of preparation we need --the forgiveness, cleansing, humble(d) heart -- are not things we ourselves produce, but gifts of God, that flow from the Cross of Christ. Therefore asking God to turn our hearts to him, and focusing our thoughts on the Cross are keys to our preparation.

Thus, another very effective way for us to 'formally' prepare is to BEGIN with focusing our hearts directly on Christ Crucified. "songs [as well as prayers and scriptures] of the cross" show us the source of forgiveness, cleansing, indeed of every mercy we need and call us to repent and take a fresh hold on Christ.

**Warning! there are several ways times of confession can be mis-focused: One of the greatest dangers is too much focus on me

• emphasis on MY humbling myself, not recognizing that God himself works a repentant heart. This can cause pride! or depair!
• emphasis on my guilt without moving on to strongly declare and celebrate God's grace in Christ
• emphasis only on my sins, very personal, individualistic sins, sins of the heart, overlooking social and corporate sins
• shallowness: no specificity about sins, being quick to rejoice in the cross without much consideration of what the Cross cost and what the deep need it addresses

Part of the answer to these is found in varying the emphasis.

PRE-SERMON and PRE-SUPPER:
In a sense ALL of the activities preceding these events as "preparation" to hear the Word and to feast with God.

Compare Exodus 19 in which the people were cleansed and prepared for three days before God came to speak his Word ("sermon"?) to them (Ex 20-23), followed by the "feast" (Ex 24).

This implies that the hearing of the Word and sharing in the Supper are integral parts of the "worship service" --that is, of our "meeting with god." This understanding of the relationship must be taught and encouraged.

We may wish to especially (re-)emphasize the need for preparation just before these parts of the service. Any of the strategies used for may be adapted for this purpose. Very often it will help to choose songs/prayers/Scriptures that are more closely linked to the Scripture text of the sermon, or tied to 'Communion'-themes.

WHOLE SERVICE & WHOLE LIFE!
In the broadest sense our whole lives are part of preparation for meeting God and worshiping around his throne. Every service reminds us of our final hope, and calls us to humble ourselves and "prepare the way for the lord!"