My Sunday Morning Routine

For those interested in what my Sunday looks like before I get up to preach on sunday morning, I thought I’d give a little “behind-the-scenes” tour of my Sunday morning routine.

I like to wake up between 5:30 and 5:45am. I normally like to stay up late and get up late but this does’t work for me on sunday mornings. Since our 1st service begins at 8:00am I need to be up and going in order to be int he right state of mind to deliver God’s Word through the sermon. When my alarm rings I roll out of bed and onto my knees. This is how I like to start every day. It may sound saintly but trust me, it’s a pretty awful sight. I pray for the day. I pray for myself, that He would cleanse me from self and sin, that he would fill me with His love and His Spirit. I pray for the sermon that it would be God’s Word presented and not my own. I pray that I would be enjoyable to listen to while presenting only the truth that God would want to be shared. I pray that my mouth would be filled with His Word and not my own. I pray for the church that it would be filled with God’s people. I pray that every parking spot would be filled and every seat would be occupied.

After I pray I get showered and dressed for the day. While I get ready I like to listen to Christian music. This time of worship continues to direct my thoughts toward Christ and his message. I love pandora radio but I also have an extensive playlist that keeps me walking int he Spirit.

Heather is an incredible wife! If I were her, I would not put up with me. Why? Because she gets all 3 of our kids ready… by herself. She knows that I need the few hours before the service to get my mind and heart prepared for the preaching.

By 6:30-6:45am I am in my car and on my way to a secluded location, often a coffee shop. I have with me my laptop, my Bible, and my sermon notes. I grab a seat, a cup of coffee, Bible and sermon. I read through the Bible passage I will be preaching and the sermon notes that I have prepared. Though I have finalized my sermon days before (handouts & powerpoint ready) it is at this point I ask the final questions in my sermon prep: are the main ideas clear, do I need another illustration, have I added enough humor. Again, I am not giving an outline of what other pastors should do, I’m simply explaining what I do. After I feel that the message is ready for delivery I watch another preacher online. I too enjoy preaching on sunday morning and therefore I typically will find myself around 7:15am watching another preacher share his sermon from the previous sunday. I think I get this habit from my father. I remember as a child watching him sit with his Bible in one hand and his sermon notes in the other watching Jerry Falwell or James Kennedy before we loaded up in the car and headed to church.

I don’t get to church until 7:45-7:50. Upon my arrival I find a fully functioning church led by an incredible staff and dedicated volunteers that have been there now for nearly an hour preparing for worship. I park my car behind the second building, turn off my iPod, and walk to my office. I look over my notes one last time before kneeling for one last prayer at 8:00am. At this point I walk next door and into the worship service that has already begun. The choir is singing, Jason is leading the worship team and congregation into worship, Fred is leading the volunteer army and I am wrapping on a wire mic around my ear in the sound booth. For the next 20 minutes I will worship and praise my Lord with my church family through song. I sit on the front row with my wife and let my voice be heard among the congregation. At 8:25am I walk forward, Bible in hand, ready to preach the 1st of 4 sermons that I will preach that day.

That is my Sunday morning routine, what’s yours? Comment Below: