Are your Sunday mornings like ours? Probably. Most folks that I know have hectic Sunday mornings - sleep in (just a little), get themselves ready, get their tribe ready, collect whatever "stuff" they need for the morning, load their vehicle of choice, deal with traffic construction, clueless drivers, screaming kids, get there, drop off the kids - no wait, their teachers aren't here yet...FINALLY, get to class or worship and immediately engage your mind and heart to delve deeply into God's Word to be moved dramatically closer to Him in a worship experience like you've never had before.
Um...yeah. And it's that much worse if you have to prepare ahead of time for something AFTER church.
On the other hand, I believe a well led Lord's Supper service starts with the idea of "preparing" ourselves to partake. It starts with prayer; the acknowledgement and confession of sins, thanksgiving to God for His blessings, and perhaps a renewed commitment to Him. If there are any unresolved tensions or relationships in poor standing, those should be resolved before you receive the cup and bread. In short, don't approach Christ's table casually. Be prepared.
Why is our approach to other worship services any different? Why aren't we terrified to show up unkempt and in rags (spiritually speaking) before God? Why are we apathetic about allowing distractions, laziness or lack of preparation to keep us from how we should enter God's presence?
I believe that there are many ways we could, as individuals, better prepare ourselves for time with our Creator. I'll focus on Sunday morning efforts, but I think the concept applies broadly. I also believe there are things "the church" can do to facilitate this.
First, I think we should look for items we could do ahead of time. This includes perhaps getting the kids' baths done the night before, choosing and laying out their clothes, pack any necessary bags/supplies for them and the like. Being that (especially small) kids are oblivious to the concept of time, relying on their efficient preparation on Sunday mornings is asking for trouble.
Second, examine yourself individually. We all have to figure out what we're going to wear - so do that ahead of time if that's something you have trouble with sometimes. If that means trying it on again on Saturday night - do it. Save yourself the frustration. :) Many of us also have "supplies" that we need to pack and take with us. That can usually be done ahead too.
Next, while that was all "do it ahead of time" kind of stuff, there's still plenty to be done on Sunday AM. I think it starts with...
...us. That means, how can we help each other have a great Sunday AM? (This is something I'm particularly inconsistent with.) If I can get ready early I should be able to help get the kids ready, pack their supplies, get their breakfast, etc.
Maybe one or both should wake up a little earlier than you currently do? Sundays, I sleep in 2 hours later than on weekdays. Do you? How much of a help would it be to make that 1 hour more or 1.5 hours more? Sometimes, just 30 more minutes can make a huge difference.
As for packing up and the drive in, I'd suggest adding to your Saturday pre-Sunday preparation routine the selection of appropriate Sunday morning music for the drive. It doesn't have to be somber and droll; it can be a Kidz Praise CD for all I care - just have something that 1.) avoids chaotic high-pitched screaming for no particular reason and 2.) while it may still be loud, at least it might be focused on what we'll all be thinking about once we get to church (God).
As for the church...there are always going to be issues, but two suggestions I'd love to see are:
- Teachers should be encouraged (and held accountable?) for being in their rooms on time. I know our leadership strives for this, but it's still a huge problem. If the teacher shows up AT the time services/classes are to start, everyone is late. Some folks don't get that.
- I'd like to know ahead of time what my children (or myself) will be studying or focused on for the coming hours. If I know my oldest (or ideally ALL of my boys) will be looking at Moses (for example), perhaps I could get them thinking about Moses ahead of time?
- Likewise, if I know some points about the sermon, maybe I could think about that ahead? Ideally, the Pastor could prepare "Before the Sermon" notes, that are teaser/get-you-thinking ideas to use the week before. My thought is something like "In what ways were you uncomfortable about a discussion or a piece of news because of your Christian worldview" in preparation for a discussion/sermon on the attacks going on in today's culture towards Christians.
I know a lot of this is brain-dead, obvious, day-to-day stuff. I'm writing it, but don't do most of it consistently. I'm not throwing stones, I'm admitting my own weakness and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one with it.
The bottom line is this - we all need to come to worship in our (spiritual, if not physical) "Sunday best". Most of it is our own responsibility to not allow Satan to use the things he knows will cause us to get frustrated, distracted, or otherwise sin. If your church leadership can help you and your family be prepared, all the better.
Later.