What To Do With Sunday Sermons on Mondays

Part One

James 1:25 says, "But the one who peers into the perfect law of liberty and fixes his attention there, and does not become a forgetful listener but one who lives it out--he will be blessed in what he does" (NET Bible). Have you ever forgotten a text that you read in your private devotional time? Has it ever happened that you forgot about that superb sermon your pastor preached last Sunday? Worse yet, have you not forgotten or forgiven a minister for a bad sermon? Gospel ministers can sometimes be the objects of intense criticism (and sometimes, rightly so!). The comforting thing about even the worst sermons is that the Word is alive; the text still stands true and is efficacious. The point is that we often forget what we are supposed to remember and focus cerebral energy on what should be forgiven. What are we to do about this seeming malady of Christian forgetfulness? Where does the gospel meet us in our need to remember the Word? Over the next couple of weekends, I'd like to attempt to answer some of these concerns by suggesting ways to take Sunday's sermons home with us.

First things first: Get from Saturday to Sunday.
Often getting the sermon in your head for Monday demands focus Saturday night and/or Sunday morning (assuming your service is on Sunday am). What I mean by focus is an attitude of anticipation and preparation. The attitude as the Puritans put it is that the Lord's Day is "the soul's market day." By referencing this quote does not mean I endorse all the strong exhortations and impositions that they placed on their parishioners. Sunday is the day Jesus has set aside for us to concentrate on him in a community (Mark 2:27-28). Oddly enough, for me, I look forward to the weekends not so much as a change from my work but what I get to do on that first day of the week. Throughout my short marriage and time of rearing children, as head of my home, I have tried to create an atmosphere (imperfectly and inconsistently at times) of anticipation for Sunday.

The cousin of anticipation is preparation. The question I'm trying to answer as I prepare for Sunday is: "What do I need to do for this most important day of the week?" Or: "What frame of my mind do I need to be in to worship my Lord, and what does it take to unite my heart with my brothers and sisters to fear God's name? Immediately, I would like to dispel any notion that exists regarding a legallist (misspelling and pun intended). What I mean by legallist is that in order to be best prepared to worship the Lord on his day, I must comply with a laundry list of preparational activities. I am not the Holy Spirit, and that's a great thing! I would hate to bind anyone's conscience. God mercifully grants edifying worship "experiences" at times even to those who may not be deliberately using means like I'm about to suggest. However, I would say that important events or duties--just like any other area of life-- require approriate and careful preparation.

Careful preparation on Saturday eve may include but not be limited to cutting of the TV after a certain hour or staying up late reading a novel; studying into the wee hours of the morning; leaving a social function; refraining from a food or drink that you know will keep you awake; turning off your electronic devices. Positively, you can go to bed early, prepare your clothes (or the kids', if that is the state of life you are in) or the Sunday lunch on Saturday night, play some Christian hymns or songs, read Scripture or some other book that will warm your heart. Pray with your family or roommates, or call someone in your church to pray with them. If your pastor is preaching through a series, review last week's text to refresh.

Husbands, it is your responsibility to ensure that your wife (and children) are not flustered as you prepare for worship. Sundays can be very hectic on families (esp. the mothers of small children). On the way to church, take of few moments of silent prayer to intercede for the service and other men preaching around the country or globe and their churches. Get in your seat a few minutes before the worship service commences to pray, read or pray through a brief text of Scriptures; socialize before these moments and after the service. During the song portion, engage both your heart and mind by trying to think of the Scriptures that support the various phrases that make up the songs you're singing. I have found this to be quite a refreshing challenge as it both focuses me and shows my lack of Biblical knowledge.

Next weekend, I hope to cover a little bit about listening to the sermon and keeping the sermon alive in your mind on Monday.