Beloved,
Have you ever failed to sufficiently prepare for an important meeting or event? I have—more times than I can count. Sometimes, it’s due to a lack of foresight. Other times, it’s the result of being stretched too thin. But often, the lack of preparation simply comes from not considering the meeting or event all that important. If something is truly significant to us, we will take the necessary time and energy to ensure we are prepared for it.
When the Westminster divines instruct us on how to hear the Word preached, they don’t begin with what to do during the sermon but rather with what to do beforehand: “It is required of those that hear the word preached, that they attend upon it with…preparation.” Given that hearing the preached Word is the most significant event on our weekly calendar, we must do everything we can to prepare for it.
So, how do we prepare for preaching? Here are three practical thoughts and encouragements.
First, read and reflect on the sermon text ahead of time. Take a break from your normal family worship routine on Saturday night to read and discuss the sermon text together. On Sunday morning, pause your daily Bible reading to meditate on the passage individually. I encourage you to use the five questions I shared in Sunday school last week and prayerfully work through them in relation to the sermon text:
- What is the central idea of this passage?
- What does this passage teach me about God?
- How does this passage relate to Christ and His finished work? What does it teach me about sin and grace?
- How does this passage convict or comfort me?
- What could I share from this passage with my spouse, kids, classmates, or co-workers?
Another helpful question to consider is: What do I not currently understand about this passage? or What questions do I have about it? I cannot emphasize enough how much this will transform your hearing of the Word. Try it and see!
Second, take time on Saturday to get everything in order for the Lord’s Day. Sunday morning often feels like a whirlwind of chaos, leaving us rushed, stressed, and irritated—simply because we didn’t prepare practically the day before. If you arrive at public worship with a hurried soul and a late start, it will severely hinder your ability to profit from the Word. Likewise, if the hour before worship is filled with short tempers and unnecessary stress, it will hinder your family’s ability to benefit from the sermon. I’m convinced this is one of the devil’s greatest strategies to keep us from truly engaging with God through His Word in the assembly. Yes, I am suggesting that ironing your clothes ahead of time and placing your car keys in a verifiable location may be small yet powerful ways of waging war against the devil on the Lord’s Day!
Third, get to bed at a decent hour on Saturday night. If you must stay up late, make it Friday—not Saturday. Treat Saturday night as sacred, ensuring you allow at least seven or eight hours of sleep (and even more for kids and teens!). Sleepy bodies make for sleepy hearers. Sometimes, the most spiritual thing you can do in preparation for Sunday is to jealously guard your rest—to say no to Netflix binges (or whatever else might compete for your attention late at night). If public worship truly matters to you, you’ll want to be as physically and mentally alert as possible. And toward that end, there is simply no replacement for sleep—not even coffee!
You may be wondering why I haven’t mentioned prayer as part of preparing for worship. Clearly, it is crucial! However, the catechism sees it as so essential that it treats it separately—and so will we (next week, God willing).
Let us prepare our hearts to hear from the voice of our Savior this Sunday. I’m greatly looking forward to being with you!
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Nick