Prepare to Worship - Acts of Entrance

Solomon brings all the “stuff” 2 Chronicles 5:5 – “They brought up the ark and the tent of meeting and all the sacred furnishing in it.” They were preparing to worship.  It took a great deal of prep work for this hour of worship this morning… Someone prepared the communion trays, Kathleen cleaned the building, the praise team rehearsed, the deacons unlocked the building, Nancy prepared and printed the bulletins, communion meditation, prayer time, and I had to study for this message. It takes a great deal of time and effort and PRAYER to prepare for our worship. The very first act of any worship service is to prepare the people. The anticipation of worship defines the attitude of the worshiper.

I recently read an insightful story that would serve as a good reminder for us in the area of preparation. The story is about a group of climbers who set out to scale a large mountain in Europe. The view boasted a breathtaking peak of snow capped rocks. On clear days the crested point reigned as king on the horizon. Its white tip jutted into the blue sky inviting admiration and offering inspiration

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On days like this the hikers made the greatest progress. The peak stood above them like a compelling goal. Eyes were called upward. The walk was brisk. The cooperation was unselfish. Though many, they climbed as one, all looking to the same summit.

Yet on some days the peak of the mountain was hidden from view. The cloud covering would eclipse the crisp blueness with a drab, gray ceiling and block the vision of the mountaintop. On these days the climb became arduous. Eyes were downward and thoughts inward. The goal was forgotten. Tempers were short. Weariness was an uninvited companion. Complaints stung like thorns on the trail.

Worship is like that. As long as we can see our dream in Jesus, as long as our goal is his grace and mercy, there is no mountain we can’t climb or summit we can’t scale. But take away the goal of Jesus, block the view with mediocrity, and complacent bias, and worldly desire or our personal preferences, and the result is as discouraging, lifeless worship.

I pray that you prepare your hearts before you come to worship. In our house, worship preparation starts on Saturday evening. Karen and I treasure the value of worship in our lives and we want to pass that along to our children. So, on Saturday evening, we start to prepare for Sunday Morning. We start to settle down, get our Sunday clothes out, write out the offering check, typically Karen will have what Sunday dinner is going to be may it has already started in the crock pot. We will turn down the volume and be ready to rest. I read through the sermon again, and she will be studying her lesson and the music. In the morning, I get up early, read and pray, and read through the sermon again.

As the children get up and we are preparing to come, we play praise and worship music while we eat breakfast. Then, in the car, we pray together as a family before pulling out of the driveway.  This is our family preparation.  We prepare to draw near to God.

James 4:8 states: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” 

There is a direct ratio in James' statement. God does not arbitrarily bless some and curse others. God is open to everyone and seeks to have a relationship with everyone living soul. God encourages us to seek first His kingdom and all will be revealed. Drawing near to God is dependent on your attitude in drawing close to him. 

You know I love ya, Don

Not Now!

Have you ever been in a place when God answers a prayer with, "Not Now?" It is sort of a "no" yet it still leaves the door open for a yes. If you read regularly, you know Karen and I were trying to adopt a little guy that has Down Syndrome. Last Friday, we received a call that the his birth family decided to go with the other family. We had prayed all along that God would close the doors if this was not what He wanted. He answered our prayer.

God also answered our prayer with an opening that we had not been prepared for. It was an answer of "not now." If there had not been an urgency in the process, we probably would have reasoned a way out of God's call, yet through the process He revealed His desire for us and then made it possible with all the paper work and people involved. God used this situation and this little guy in Chicago to bring us to a point of preparation for the next step.

This first time I truly had to learn this was when Matthew was born. He had been diagnosed with ASD and VSD and would eventually need heart surgery. I remember praying, "Lord, just let us take him home." Now I did not hear any audible voices, but I knew in my heart the answer was, "No." To be totally honest, that answer from God did not make me very happy...in fact it ticked me off. I did not lose heart or my faith. I just did not want to hear it. I prayed it for several days and the answer repeated, "no."

To make a long story short, a little over a week later Matthew went into congestive heart failure and we were transferred to the University of Virginia Hospital. After we were admitted the business people came through and they regretfully informed us that UVA was not a participating hospital in our insurance policy. I told the woman that I was a minister and she laughed and told me I might be paying on this for a long while.

42 days in the hospital and we finally got Matthew home. Three surgeries for heart and staph infection. Many doctors, nurses and caregivers to thank and then we were home. The next day, we received the bill for over $473,000. Yes, almost a half a million dollars. Our insurance carried a $10 co-pay for every doctor we saw. We had over $3,000 in $10 co-pays.

The day after that, we received a letter from our insurance that stated we had an underwriter in our policy that stated if we were transferred from a participating provider to a non-participating provider it would be covered as an "in-network" facility. Thus, they would be willing and did pay every dime. So, they answer God originally gave us of "no" would have better been stated, "No now." If we had went home, we would have had to pay everything, instead God was in control and He was going to take care of the bill. They paid for everything but our co-pays. Gethsemane Church of Christ raised the funds and paid for the co-pays and even more than that to cover some therapies and educational supplies.

I waited patiently for the Lord ; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord . Psalm 40:1-3

God has put a desire in our hearts to adopt an infant boy with down syndrome. The answer we have currently is, "Not now." We are confident that He is with us on this journey and He has changed the flight path, but the destination is still the same. Thank you for your prayers and as always - You know I love ya - Don

Getting Ready!

“I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.”
- Psalm 63:4 NIV

If you have ever watched a weightlifting competition on television, you can describe the scene. A muscle-bound contestant resembling Hercules strides onto the stage wearing a body suit. As he prepares to reach down for the massive weights, his face takes on a certain aura. The lifter’s eyes are closed. It’s as if he is praying. Actually he is lost in deep concentration. As he collects his thoughts, he is marshaling all his strength for what is about to take place. And then after several moments of personal preparation, the athlete quickly jerks the bar up and pushes it over his head.

What a great parallel for the person who prepares to worship the Lord we love. The worshiper prepares to declare to all the nations that Jehovah God is the highest worth in all their life. In order to lift up the name of Jesus, we must thoughtfully prepare for what we are about to do. We need to focus out thoughts on the One we desire to worship. Closing our eyes to better concentrate, we may feel the need to confess wrong attitudes or sinful behavior. We no doubt will want to rehearse in our heads how the Lord has demonstrated His strength in the midst of our weakness. Much like the weightlifter who must mentally prepare himself for that which tests his limits, the awesome task of lifting the name of Jesus higher and higher requires us to go through a series of warm-up preparations and follow through actions.

As we embark on another Holiday Season, let us join together in clearing our minds and opening our eyes to the vision God has for the world and his desire for service. Join me in concentrating and preparing our hearts, minds, souls, and strengths to worship Him!

Looking forward to Thanksgiving – You know I love ya - Don