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A few months ago, my pastor asked me if I could pray during our Sunday morning service. I was so excited and wanted to do a good job, so the night before I pulled out my Bible and started preparing. My pastor specifically asked me if I could pray for the faith of our church, our congregation and our community. So I read through Hebrews 11 (also called the Faith chapter) to learn more about how faithful believers live. Then I prayed over the passage and asked God to help me model prayer well the next day. In the morning, I felt like a new person. I was in a great mood and I couldn’t wait to get to church. During the service I worshiped intensely, was completely focused on our pastor’s message and almost forgot that I was supposed to go up on stage at the end of the service to pray. I’ve spent years in ministry, both paid and as a volunteer, and that was by far the best Sunday morning I had ever had.
The following Sunday was a different story. I went to church anxious and depressed. My worship was forced, and I couldn’t pay attention to the message. I was discouraged and disappointed. I wanted more of what I had the previous Sunday, and I started to wonder what had changed. Why did I feel so close to God one Sunday and so far from Him the next? I realized the difference between the two Sundays wasn’t what happened on Sunday, but how I prepared for Sunday before it happened.
What Does it Mean to Get Ready for Sunday Morning
Years ago, I heard a pastor say something to this effect:
“it is not the church’s job to prepare its people’s hearts for worship.”
I think a lot of us expect the church to change us spiritually. We think our spiritual formation is our local church’s responsibility. When we don’t experience growth, we blame it on the pastor’s inability to preach. If we don’t “feel God” on any given Sunday, we assume it’s because the music was too loud (or not loud enough), the service wasn’t well-planned, or the people around us were too distracting. We completely miss the point that we are responsible for the spiritual state of our own hearts. You see, as we experience day-to-day life in this world, our hearts hardens to the things of God, to His goodness, righteousness, faithfulness, etc. If you remove that outer layer before Sunday morning you can absorb His word and worship naturally. But if Sunday morning comes and you still haven’t removed that shell from around your heart, it will take you longer to engage, and Sunday morning only lasts for so long. If you want to get the most out of your Sunday, you need to prepare your heart before Sunday morning.
How to Prepare Your Heart for Sunday Morning
So, how do you prepare your heart for a Sunday morning? Let’s start by acknowledging that a little goes a long way. Just 5-10 minutes on Saturday night can make a huge difference on Sunday morning! The effort alone changes your perspective and helps crack open that shell around your heart. Here are a few simple ways to get started:
Repent
We can’t focus our heart on God when it’s zeroed in on something else. Ask God to reveal your sin to you. Then repent of it. But remember, repentance isn’t just admitting we’ve sinned and then continuing in that sin. It’s admitting we’ve done wrong and actively pursuing the opposite path. You may not always get it right; sometimes you might stray. But don’t worry; God doesn’t expect you to get it perfectly. True repentance is a process and starting the process will help you reconnect with your Creator.
Read
Simply read your Bible. You don’t have to read anything specific, just be sure to spend some time in God’s word. Some churches share passages for upcoming services so you can read them ahead of time. You could also review notes from the previous Sunday and read passages from that message. This is especially helpful when your church is preaching a series. If all else fails, just open your Bible and read through a chapter or two in Psalms. Remember, a little goes a long way!
Pray
Pray for the service the next day. Ask God to help you focus on the message and engage in worship. Pray for the leaders of your church and for everyone who will attend the service the next day that they would be open to hearing the word of God.
Final Thoughts
Sunday morning service is an opportunity to learn and worship with other believers. but the bulk of our spiritual formation doesn’t happen then. Sunday morning is like dipping your toes in a lake, it’s not jumping all in. You can’t expect an “all in” experience with other believers and with God if all you do is attend church on Sundays.
If you’re looking for a deeper dive, try joining a small group or a Bible study at your church, get involved as a volunteer, or spend time with other believers outside of church. And when Saturday night comes around, remember that spending just a few minutes preparing your heart will help you have an incredible Sunday morning filled with closeness with your Creator. 
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