Going to worship each Sunday should be similar to what we experienced this past weekend. It had nothing to do with the building, and everything to do with the people who gathered together, and the intended purpose of our meeting time.

Too many times, Sunday becomes a routine. There is nothing routine about worshipping our Savior.

We came together with students from all over the nation, for the intended purpose of teaching, worship, and fellowship. This translates to the motivation of believers to go out and reproduce through discipleship.

The results are students (and adults) who cannot wait to share what they have with other people. Too often, our expectations for our gatherings on Sundays include a negative attitude about what we are likely to experience. Guess who is the author of this negativity?

Even knowing this, we are duped into believing that the same old thing will happen, we will walk mundanely through it, and then go out to lunch with someone...which is what we are really looking forward to, if the truth be told.

Yes, we get used to our pastors and their delivery style, and it becomes easy to tune them out. But they are God's anointed servants, whom He sent to us to bring the Word. We must embrace and encourage these who spend so much time trying to race through ridiculous schedules that leave them little to no time with their own families. Something we are not very likely to tolerate in our own homes, yet we expect it of our pastors.

Somehow, we continue to believe that they don't really "do" anything but preach on Sunday and Wednesday. That their jobs are "easy," and we could do what they do in a heartbeat. Guess who is the author of those thoughts?

If we are to truly make our houses of worship a place that is inviting, exciting, and an centered around our Savior, then we must check our attitudes at the front doors. If we don't expect much, then that is exactly what we will get. If we expect great things, it will be evident in the way we carry ourselves, and how we relate to one another. There will be joy in our body language.

It's time we replace the sad experiences that too many are having on Sunday morning with hearts bursting with gladness. This can only happen if we are truly yielded to him. If we do not allow the enemy to dominate our thoughts with negativity. If we embrace our brothers and sisters with expectation and encouragement.

As long as we remain in our own little world when we attend church, our churches will never resemble what Christ prayed for in John 17. He is looking for Unity, and we are pursuing our own agenda's. He is looking for us to bring Him glory, and we are seeking our own.

Perhaps if we established "attitude check stations" at church entrances, like the coat check areas you see in some places, things would change.

What if we actually prayed and prepared our hearts before going into the presence our King?

Most of us do that before we go into important meetings, or before we encounter anything that we view as important. When did worshipping our Savior fall off of that list?

"Come as you are," but please...prepare your hearts.

brent