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Prepping for Sunday - Meal & Heart

Several years ago, when sweet hubby and I were dating,  a Sunday tradition was often lunch at his house after church.  Coming from a family that was smaller and preferred eating out to at home dining, this was a big change.  The more was gathered around the table with lots of people, lots of talking, laughing and of course topped off with lots of homemade delicious food, this quickly became a favourite time for me.
Once the family begin to grow, relocate the begin families of their own,  Sunday lunches became too complicated and too large for the family to gather in one home.  By then, we were a married couple with small children.  Since we had to eat after church, I began to work on "Sunday lunch" just like my mother in law had done. 

Over the years it became on of our traditions.  With 3 sons, I quickly learned to cook well and cook a lot of food!  I learned that shortcuts helped things go smoother and that a successful Sunday lunch begins on Saturday. 
Now, our nest is growing smaller but we still cherish Sunday lunch.  We have added a precious one to our family, a daughter in law, so when those special times when everyone is coming for lunch, it is a full table with lots of love and food to go around.   This week will be such a week and I have the menu planned:  Baked Ham, Sweet Potato Casserole, Cabbage, Acre Peas and Garlic Bread.  Much can be done today in preparation, baking the potatoes, setting the ham up etc.  Early in the morning a few more preparations are made so that when we come in, lunch can be served quickly.
Sunday is the day we worship at church.  In a sense, we get 'spiritually fed".  We open up to receive the teaching from God's Word.  We come together to honor the Lord and worship Him.  As a church family, we gather and share with one another.  There are even a few 'preparations' we can do before we arrive on Sunday to get our appetites ready and our hearts ready for what God has for us.
We can empty our minds of things that don't matter.  We are coming to God's house, everything pales in comparison to Him. He is to be worshipped, we can reflect on His greatness as we come. 
We can begin early, before church to pray, asking for the Lord to speak to us, to reveal how powerful and worthy He is, to cleanse us from our sin so we may enter with a pure heart.
We can count our blessings.  Many times through the week, we have all received grace, mercy and blessings.  Sometimes we have to stop and reflect on them and that quickly produces a heart of gratitude.
We can come with a heart of love for one another. Each of the church family is different and unique. But when God's love is in our hearts, we can share kindness and grace in the midst of being different. We should be gathered for one purpose and it's not to focus on our neighbors!
This week, be encouraged to prepare for Sunday, prepare to spend the day in rest, in honor and in fellowship with God and with one another.  Take the steps of  preparation now to ensure it is the best day it can be.  A day that changes the heart and can leave a legacy! 
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