Sunday mornings are supposed to be easy. Lionel Richie even titled one of his songs, “Easy (Like Sunday Morning).” But are they? Kids are fussy but need to get dressed. The fuel gauge is on low, so you need to get gas. Breakfast is taking longer than usual, but you do not want the person sitting next to you to hear your stomach grumble loudly during service. You need to stop by the local coffee shop to get your venti Caramel latte with an extra shot of that good stuff because you stayed up late finishing that umpteenth load of laundry. Then you receive a reminder on your phone that you are subbing for the 5th & 6th grade Sunday school class. Sunday mornings are not always easy. So why am I about to give you four reasons you should arrive early to church? Because I care about your soul. As Christians, we receive comfort that only the Body of Christ can give. One of the best times during the week to receive this comfort from fellow brothers and sisters in Christ is on Sunday morning. Here are four reasons why you should arrive early to your church’s worship service.
Arriving early allows you to have intentional time visiting with other worshippers
Some people show up early to the worship service. We are talking ten minutes to fifteen minutes early. The pastor and volunteer teams are not the only ones who show up early. After the service, you may feel like you need to dash out, so take some time to get up earlier and make it down to the church to visit with others. The several minutes before the worship service starts is prime time to engage with others and have intentional conversations with fellow worshippers. We should be committed to caring for one another. What better time to ask specific questions regarding one’s soul than before the worship service begins? If you do not have responsibilities before or during the worship service, consider showing up early to find fellow worshippers to ask soul-care questions gently and carefully.
Arriving early prevents you from being a distraction to other worshippers
We are to care for our fellow believers in such a way it places their interests before our own. When we come into the worship service after it has started, we direct the attention of the worshippers from God to ourselves. We do not mean to do this. There are good reasons to be late, but our punctuality to the worship service can be one way we serve our brothers and sisters in Christ. Have my wife, and I arrived late? Yes, we have. There have been times where we would be in the parking lot with minutes to spare and find that our little girl had a blowout. But we want to plan in a way that we arrive early so that we can avoid causing distractions and prevent the volunteers who serve from joining in worship.
Arriving early ensures that you can be focused and ready to worship
On Sunday mornings, do you find yourself ready and eager to worship God alongside your fellow church members? Or do you find yourself frazzled, panicked, and anxious? If we choose to arrive to worship early, we will be relaxed, calm, and ready to be refreshed by worshiping together with the saints. There are so many things competing for our focus and attention leading up to the Sunday morning worship service. The norm for us for a season may be arriving flabbergasted. This is okay. I understand that children become wrestlers when it comes to bedtime, and some folks have work until the early hours of the morning. If you’re able, make it your goal to arrive early so that you can be focused and ready to worship alongside the rest of the congregation.
Arriving early exemplifies the importance of the local church to your children
Could arriving at church early show your children that the church is a delight to be a part of and not burdensome? Our children get a front seat to our life, decisions, and all. If we profess to treasure Christ at the dinner table, shouldn’t we also prioritize the Sunday morning worship service? I believe that arriving early to church week after week will stick with our children. It will show them that we not only treasure Jesus but also His church as a family.
Taylor Cain is a graduate of Arkansas Tech University, Journalism(B.A), and graduated with a Masters of Divinity in Preaching and Pastoral Studies at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the Director of Students and church member at Liberty Baptist Church in Liberty, MO. He is married to Callie Cain.
