Cooking a homemade meal has been something I have done on a regular basis. I enjoy cooking and am following in the footsteps of my dear mother who also made home cooked dinners. We did not have a lot of frozen dinners or fast food restaurants when I was growing up. Living on a farm, we had a garden, an apple orchard and a nearby farmer's market that offered fresh sweet corn in the summer. Yes, it takes some extra effort but the rewards are very satisfying in the end. The same is true when we approach worship in church. How do we do at setting the table of our heart to hear the Word of God?
In preparing a meal, I set out the recipe and gather all the ingredients. It saves time to prep what I need before the cooking process begins. This is also true in getting ready for church. Prayer is the best way to spend time before opening God's Word and reading the passage that will be preached that Sunday. Thinking and meditating on Scripture, talking to the Lord and taking stock of our lives before coming into His presence clears out a lot of cobwebs before we cross the threshold of the sanctuary. Our thoughts are more focused and our hearts are more ready to enter in to a time of holy worship.
Another important element in fixing a good meal is the process of combining the ingredients. Once my preparation is done, I can begin to add in items as needed without having to race through the cupboard to find something. Adding an ingredient at the right time leads to success in the outcome. Have we ever thought about worship that way? It is a process too. We enter in each week into the presence of God as a Body of believers in Jesus Christ to sing, lift up praise, and pray. This is where our hearts come together in corporate worship. Jesus said "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” Just as I have to be careful to add the right ingredient at the right time in my process of cooking, we must have our minds present in what we are singing, praying and confessing before the Lord. We all know it is possible to be present in the body but absent in the mind. So when we enter into God's House, let us do so ready to fully engage our mind and spirit.
Once my cooking is completed, I look forward to enjoying what has been prepared. Most of us look forward to a meal but do we look forward to the sermon with as much expectation? We should because it is the main course prepared by our pastor to feed the flock God has given into his care. God speaks to us through His Word which is true. Scripture itself tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16: "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness..." Additionally Scripture can also work to show us areas of sin. Hebrews 4:12 tells us: "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." We need this meal....we cannot skip it for our souls need nourishment as much as our bodies.
Church fellowship and attendance are just as important as eating a good meal every day. Our body needs food to stay healthy, but our spiritual lives also need a good dose of God's Word in worship. When we neglect eating at all, we can starve. If we eat unhealthy, over processed foods, we run the risk of other health issues. The same is true in church. If we come unprepared to worship, we miss all the rich blessings set out on God's table. Likewise, if we avoid attending worship, we will starve spiritually. Our faith won't grow and we will be ripe picking for Satan who loves to attack a sheep out on his/her own.
Preparing a great meal isn't an accident. It is intentional. So is worship in our church meant to be done with care, respect and expectancy that we will meet with God. We go to the table hungry in our homes and ready to eat good food. Oh that we could learn to do the same each week as we prepare for and attend worship services. God wants to commune with us that we might glorify Him and enjoy Him forever. Therefore, lets take a look at our preparation, process and readiness to dig in to the spiritual feast He has for us. Selah!
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