Snapshots: How I Maximize Sunday Mornings

Bryan Zarate

I really like the idea of maximizing Sunday mornings as a special day, because it is the one day of the week that all the saints come together to worship with one voice and one heart, the same Lord. Therefore, like any other important or exciting event, you want to maximize it. If we are genuine believers, it should be natural for us to seek ways to get the most out of the time that the Lord gives us around other believers as we are exposed to his word together. Here’s how I have maximized my Sunday mornings for the past couple of years.

I know I am not alone in this primary element, but I don’t think that it can be overstated enough; maximizing Sunday starts during the week (especially Saturday). We cannot possibly think that we will be focused and in the right frame of mind without proper communion with God during the week. Popular Christian author Eric Durso in his best sell er book, “Going to Church,” offers a guide for preparation for Sunday ranging from getting good rest, to reflecting on the order of service for the following Sunday, to solving any relational or personal sin in our hearts. I would recommend picking up a copy of this book! Additionally, I cannot recommend enough the need to foster a regular life of confes sion of sin during the week. I have found that this has maximized my appreciation for God’s grace in my life when I am singing hymns about his salvation, or when I am under the preaching of God’s word. Sunday mornings are a time to draw near to God in light of our sin, not in igno rance of our sin.

One of my favorite ways of maximizing Sunday mornings is to meet with other people to pray before any of the ministries begin to take place. Grab a copy of Mike Fabarez’s “Praying for Sunday,” and invite another brother or sister to pray with you on Sunday mornings. Use this time to pray for the corporate worship service, for the membership class, for the core seminar class, for the preaching, for the children’s ministry, for the new people, for the hurting people, for the unbelievers in attendance, for the members, etc., etc. This is so rewarding because it allows you to continue to dedicate every song, every Scripture read ing, every conversation, and every thought to God’s glory and not your own. I would recommend meeting at church (you might need to fight for space), and take advantage of being there early and connecting with people you don’t normally have fellowship with in the mornings before the service. Don’t think that all the fellowship happens after the service. God could use you to calibrate a person for the reception of the Gospel, or you can be hospitable and encouraging to a brother or sister who has had a rough week or day.

Lastly, come with an attitude of humility and service. In a small church like Grace Rancho, there are a lot of needs and opportunities to serve formally and informally, seen and unseen. Maximize your Sunday morning for someone else. I’ll say that again, maximize your Sunday for the purpose of maximizing someone else’s Sunday, even if they never know you served them. Come early, stay late, for the purpose of building each other up. Do your best to be fully “there” in every interaction, and be intentional about everything you do, beginning with where you park your car, and where you sit in the sanctuary. In other words, do your best to be intentional, but don’t overlook the simple things that add up and go a long way in God’s eyes. God cares not only for our worship, but the manner in which we worship. Use Sunday mornings as a springboard for worship, which you can continue to build upon during the week.

Nicole Alten

Preparing to Be Engaged on Sundays

Church was the one thing I would not prepare for when I was a new believer. I would show up for church like I would show up to hang out with friends. I am thankful that by God’s grace, He sent mature believers in my life to show me a better way to attend church, preparing my heart and mind to behold God. 1 John 4:9-11 says “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” These verses summarize the reason why I do the following things. God’s love is truly amazing, I am a child of God, and to spend a Sunday doing what He has called me to do is a joy. I am so thankful for His grace. Here are a few things I have implemented, all learned from others in the church, that have helped me be better engaged during the service and with others.

Prayer

Prayer is the one thing I try to do consistently when it comes to preparing for Sunday. I may not be able to do the planning and prepara tion mentioned below, but I can pray no matter the circumstance. I ask the Lord to prepare my heart for Sunday. I like to use the membership directory as a prayer guide for the church. The directory helps me know how to pray for the church and helps me be familiar with the people in the church. I also like to pray for potential conversations with people. Whether it is people I know, someone I have not met, or a visitor, I like to include this in my prayer. God is faithful and I love looking back at prayers and seeing how they have been answered.

Plan and Prepare

I plan for the church day ahead of time, usually throughout the week. I do this by reading through the weekly email which includes the order of service, listen to the Spotify playlist (available through the order of service), and listen to the “Incremental Revival Podcast”. Oftentimes the podcast has nuggets of information for the upcoming sermon or things going on in our church. In addition, reading through the text ahead of time is very helpful. Oftentimes, I think about what questions I have regarding the upcoming sermon. This helps me be active in listen ing to the sermon. My husband and I try our best to keep Saturday nights free from anything too tiring. We go to bed at a decent time, and wake up with time to get to church early. I have learned to keep Sundays simple. As a result, I am less hurried and able to engage.

Frank Barnes

Sunday mornings before church seem a bit like a rat race trying to get everybody ready and out of the door on time. Because our Sunday mornings can be pretty hectic at times, we as a family do a few things on Saturday night to get the most out of the Sunday morning gathering. The things that we do are nothing original to the Barnes family. Rather, they are things that I have observed and borrowed from others at Grace who have been kind enough to invite us into their homes for Saturday night dinners. Other ideas that we have implemented have been shared through meaningful conversations with fellow members.

On Saturday night after dinner, we will read the portion of Scripture that is going to be taught on Sunday morning. We then spend some time together discussing what the Scripture means. Oftentimes, difficult questions arise about certain parts of Scripture. When that happens, we look forward to how Pastor Eric, or whomever the teaching pastor will be, will interpret or explain the text. To finish our time up together, we spend some time in prayer. I try to give each family member a chance to pray for the upcoming Sunday. One family member will pray for the pastor’s finishing touches on the message, a good night’s rest, and his ability to teach the text truthfully and with clarity. A second family member will pray that the members of Grace Rancho will be ready to receive Sunday’s message and that they would grow in their walk with Jesus. Third, a family member will pray for any new people that might be attending and that the gospel message will be presented clearly. Last, we pray for one specific family from the Grace Rancho Membership Directory.

I am very thankful for the culture of discipleship that takes place at Grace, and for the encouraging families and men who have come along side to show me how to be intentional in pointing my family and others to Christ.