Preparation for Worship

As we have been looking at worship this week I have realized that this is a huge and sometimes controversial topic. Almost everyone feels they have the secret ingredient to worship since they have had a worship experience. (Remember what Oswald said about experience - it is a door to know God). So today I am not presupposing to have the ultimate answer to corporate worship, but I do see one key element - Preparation.

In the Old Testament, anytime the Israelites were going to face God there was a preparation time. Moses and Joshua were both instructed to tell the people to sanctify themselves before God met with them for specific purposes. In the New Testament, Jesus spoke about the heart of the man over his actions. Jesus pointed to the fact that if you went through the motions of worship, but did not have a clean heart then in actuality you were far from God.

In our worship services, how much attention is given to preparation. I am not just talking about the pastor or worship leader getting ready to put on a service, but the people of God spending time preparing for corporate worship. In my view, what a person does through the week is their preparation for worship. I am afraid that we have left worship up to the professional clergy and have not prepared out own hearts for corporate worship which is simply responding to God for who He is and what He does.

What would happen in our churches if members would spend time in the week preparing themselves to worship together on Sundays? Maybe we would see a falling of the Spirit of God because we were not just talking about worship, but actively involved in the process. We might even find that there is not a need to be critical of other churches because they do not worship the way we do. Maybe we would not be so "I" centered in worship and be God centered. Maybe it would absolutely revolutionize our churches focus on God rather than the program.

I don't know what you think, but I see that it is my responsibility to be prepared to worship with others. If I am not prepared, then I am just there for the show. Hey, isn't that what Jesus accused the Pharisees of?