In this consumerist church era it’s tempting to think of church as something we only do on Sunday, but this is far from the truth. The church is an entity to which we belong all week long. As a church, the sermon experience is the high point of our weekly public worship activity. It’s something we anticipate together, experience together, and reflect on together. Let’s consider our corporate worship activities before every sermon.
There are a number of community-oriented preparations to make as we anticipate the sermon together. The first is the confession of sin. It takes a community of Christians to “confess your sins to one another” (Jas 5:16). “Our relationships with other Christians must be right if our worship is to be acceptable to God.”[1] Matthew 5:23–24 says, “If therefore you are presenting your offering on the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.” If your weekly interactions with friends and family are anything like mine, you’re busy in personal relationships all week long. It’s highly likely that you have sinned against someone during that time. I long for that day when I will no longer sin against my wife or treat her in an unloving way. Until that day comes, I regularly have some selfish attitude or action to confess to her. Of course this should be dealt with on a daily basis (Eph 4:26–27), but God has also established a weekly cycle in which we get to reevaluate ourselves and consider any other sins that must be confessed. We need to avoid the hypocrisy-cycle in which we attend church each week without giving due attention to our broken and hurting relationships. This goes for all relationships, not just within your family. If you have sinned against someone during the week, it is essential that you seek out that person, confess your sin, ask for their forgiveness, and make restitution if needed.
Make it a practice to confess sin as soon as it’s brought to your attention, but also spend some time on Saturday to reflect on your week and ask the Lord to point out to you any outstanding sins that require personal confession. If there’s a need to visit someone or make a call, do that before Sunday morning. Then, you’ll be ready to listen to the sermon with a clear conscience and a pure heart. Then, God’s voice will be heard.
There’s much to pray for in preparation for the Sunday sermon. You can pray individually for these things, but imagine the impact of a church gathering in small groups to pray in anticipation of God speaking through His messenger—your pastor.
Note these second person plural imperatives: “Brethren, pray for us” (1 Thess 5:25), and, “Brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you” (2 Thess 3:1). These commands were directed to a community of believers in Thessalonica who were to respond to the request in corporate prayer.
Mike Fabarez has compiled the following list of sermon-related prayer items that remind us of specific concerns to bring before our Lord in corporate prayer:[2]
·
Pray for the Crafting of the
Sermon:
o
That the message your pastor is
preparing to preach would be an evident part of his own life
o
For the protection of your
pastor’s sermon preparation time
o
That your pastor will be given
grace and illumination to rightly divide God’s word
o
That the words your pastor
chooses to frame the outline would be effective and powerful tools for the Holy
Spirit to employ
o
That your pastor would have
insight into the needs of the congregation as he prepares the sermon
·
Pray for the Delivery of the
Sermon:
o
That people will attend the
preaching event
o
That the congregation would
arrive in the right frame of mind
o
That God would guard against
preaching distractions
o
For clarity and power in the
pastor’s vocabulary
o
That God will give
understanding to all who hear this week’s sermon
o
For the most effective and
fruitful sermon your pastor has ever preached
·
Pray for the Response to the
Sermon:
o
That all, including yourself,
will put the sermon into practice
o
That the sermon will not be
compartmentalized
o
That the application of the
sermon would be contagious
o
That the sermon itself will be
repeatedly delivered
These are wonderful reminders of how to
pray for the Sunday sermon event. Imagine what would happen if the entire
church was praying in this way. Our hearts would be full of anticipation for
what the Lord is going to accomplish in that moment when divine truth impacts
the souls of people.
Consider also the impact if your mid-week study group were to read Sunday’s sermon Bible passage together before Sunday. You should ask your pastor to publish the upcoming sermon passage on the church website or in the church bulletin a week ahead of time. It doesn’t matter when in the week your group meets—maybe it’s an early morning meeting before you all head off to work or school—maybe it’s an evening home-based small group. You probably meet for ninety minutes or so to read the Bible together, discuss various theological topics or areas of personal devotion, pray for each other, and encourage one another in the faith. Why not take five minutes at the end of your meeting to read the upcoming Sunday sermon passage, share brief questions about the text, pray for your pastor and for the church as mentioned already? Try it out! This is a wonderful way to prepare for Sunday in a group setting that increases both your anticipation and accountability as you move toward the sermon event together.
There may be other people in the church that are missing out on the small mid-week study group context. For these people, you could help to increase their anticipation for Sunday’s sermon by calling them to express your excitement for the upcoming passage. You could send them a txt message or e-mail to encourage them to read ahead and pray just as you’ve been doing. Point out a specific verse that you look forward to hearing your pastor explain. Tell them what questions you have about the passage and its application to your life. Maybe you could post a brief Facebook or blog entry that lists the same items for prayer and dialogue. The more interaction a church enjoys over the Word of God the more genuine fellowship is facilitated. You could have a family over for dinner, invite someone to coffee, or catch someone on Skype or Facetime, all with the deliberate intention of fostering a keen anticipation and prayer focus on what God is going to do in each of your lives in the Sunday sermon.
Try it out right away. Your own appreciation for the sermon will increase and the preaching of God’s Word will be even more effective in your life come Sunday morning.
Remember, this is just the beginning of the process. Many of these same activities must be continued throughout the sermon itself. For that, come back again next week . . .
[1] Wayne A. Mack and David Swavely, Life in the Father’s House: A
Member’s Guide to the Local Church, 2nd ed. (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R
Publishing, 2006), 126.
[2] Michael Fabarez, Praying for
Sunday: You, Your Pastor, and the Next Sermon (Laguna Hills, CA, Michael
Fabarez, 2008), 11–16.
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