If you’re like me, you have a hard time paying attention on Sunday mornings during the worship service. If it isn’t sleep deprivation, it’s something else. Maybe your grumbling stomach is distracting you or maybe a guy or girl is there that you’re interested in and you can’t help looking over at them to see if they’re looking at you. How about during the singing? Are you thinking of God or of the words to the song or are you thinking, “Geez, this song is too slow/loud/soft/fast.” Or “What is with this new worship leader? Is he into himself or what?”

Then afterward, you think to yourself, “What did I just spend the last hour and a half doing?” And you wished you had paid better attention. Or done something to feel like you actually worshipped the creator of the universe with several dozen or hundred of like-minded believers.

It doesn’t matter if you’re Baptist, Presbyterian, or Charismatic- all Christians go through the problem of distraction from or indifference to the Sunday morning service. So what can we do about it?

I would like to offer ten very practical tips to help you give the most and get them most out of Sunday worship.

1. Start Sunday worship on Saturday Start your worship service prep on Saturday night. If you have a bad habit of staying up late, make a conscious effort of going to bed early at least on Saturday night. A full 8 hours of sleep will do wonders to your attention span and memory retention.

If you see that you are always late to the service, then set out your clothes the night before and/or wake you and your family up 15 minutes earlier on Sunday. There is no excuse to be late on a regular basis. It does not benefit you at all and robs you of a blessing and God of his deserved worship.

As you wind down on Saturday night, remind yourself that you are not “going to church” but you are going to worship the Lord God with your brothers and sisters in Christ. You may even want to spend time with the Lord before you head to bed. This will certainly help put you in the right attitude to worship.

2. Breakfast of Champions Eat a hearty breakfast. Not eating breakfast is unhealthy anyway and you’re brain will function better on a full stomach. But, don’t overeat or you’ll get sleepy. And no, donuts do not count. You get the point here.

3. Watch your tongue Be mindful of family arguments on Sunday morning. Did junior lose a shoe and is making you late? Don’t rip his head off over it, just get him dressed and deal with it after the service (if possible). Be kind to your spouse. I used to constantly get onto my wife about lagging behind. I’ve since repented and made myself realize that all that did was put me in a bad mood. Instead, what I try to do now is very respectfully try to help her get caught up if she is indeed running behind. The Bible says, “Do not let the sun go down on an argument.” I’d like to add “don’t let an argument be the first thing that greets your spouse when the sun comes up.”

4. No fakers allowed! Don’t fake a smile or fake a greeting when you first show up. If someone asks you how you’re doing, and you had a bad week, tell them! They’re your brother in Christ. They should know if you need prayer or an encouraging word. You don’t have to be specific. I have found it so refreshing to be honest. Every time, and I mean EVERY time, I have gotten encouragement or prayer and it makes my “dealing with God” during the service much more meaningful.

5. Engage your mind When it comes to the singing, if you feel yourself glazing over, think about the words of the song. Think about what they mean. Let your mind focus on the theology behind them. Or if you’re not that kind of deep thinker, then just keep reminding yourself of the truth: that you are singing to the creator of the universe. Your savior. Your Father.

6. TAKE NOTES! Bring a composition notebook with you to take notes during the sermon. This is almost a sure-fire way of making sure that you are paying attention at least to the main points. Besides, you’re there to learn. If you show up to a class at school ready to take notes, then something more important, like God’s word deserves similar respect. And make sure you’re writing down more than just the PowerPoint points and sub-points. Write down the application as well.

7. Intentional seating Instead of looking for your “favorite spot”, look to sit next to someone new- like a visitor. Or sit next to someone you know needs a friend. This act is not only Biblical and the Godly thing to do, but it keeps you focused on the Kingdom of God and not on your selfish desires.

8. Personal Reflection Many churches have an altar call, invitation, or time of reflection at the end of the service. Remember, this is not the time to think about where you’re going to eat after church. This time is personal between you and God. Reflect back what you just heard in the sermon and turn into a prayer to God.

9. A meaningful ride home Talk about the service with your spouse and children. This is especially important for you parents out there. A child usually will not be thinking over the finer points of your pastor’s sermon. So, talk to them about it. Ask them what they learned. Ask them if there was anything in particular that they liked/disliked. Make the application for them (sometimes pastors don’t make application for the children). You are their primary discipler, so it is your job to make sure they got the most out of their Sunday as well.

Take your visiting friend/relative out to lunch and turn the Sunday morning experience into an evangelistic opportunity.

10. Reinforcement Buy/borrow a copy of the sermon and listen to it while you drive or at home. Or listen to a sermon of the same topic, but a different preacher. Look for ways to apply what you learned throughout the week. And then next Sunday, if you took notes, look back over the previous Sunday to help you remember what you just talked about.

Above all, we must remember the words of Jesus, that we are his worshippers who worship in spirit and in truth. If you’re problem isn’t one of the above, or even if it is and you struggle with this idea of actually worshiping an actual God then you need to talk with your pastor or a trusted Christian friend about it. There is a chance that you have never experience the personal saving power of Jesus. If there isn’t a time in your life when you turned from your sins and trusted Christ as your Savior, then you don’t have a relationship with Him. If you don’t have a relationship with Him, then it makes sense that you don’t feel his presence on Sunday mornings, when other people do.

Anyway, I hope this helps.