Ecclesiastes 5:1 — Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.

I’ve been thinking about the way I “do church”, and I realized that sometimes I have a bad attitude. Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 points out some things that I’m aware of, but sometimes forget, and that I’m trying to work harder at.
The first issue is about how I prepare my heart for worship. Sometimes I’m really not preparing my heart properly. “Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God” really means “Be careful” … don’t just take your worldly concerns to church, drop them at the door and pick them up on the way out! Alexander Maclaran nails this issue: “Our forefathers’ Sunday began on Saturday night, and partly for that reason the hallowing influence of it ran over into Monday, at all events. What likelihood is there that much good will come of worship to people who talk politics or scandal right up to the church door?”. I’m trying to do better with this issue, making a determined effort to focus my heart and mind in my quiet time.
The second issue is that sometimes I let my head get into the wrong place when I’m listening to teaching or a Pastor’s message. (Nobody tell Mr. Rider or Pastor Hayes — it’s usually when there’s a substitute … But still!). I find myself editorializing / criticizing — about content or even style. Now I know that if I start doing that I can’t be open to what the Holy Spirit means me to hear. I know, too, that when the message “isn’t working” the problem is usually with me, not the messenger!
The last issue that I would like to do better with is the one that Maclaran points to. I’d like to think that what I hear on Sunday stays with me on Monday … But I’m not sure it always reaches all the way to the following Saturday! I feel I’ve been doing better with this one since we added evening devotions to our daily schedule — but it still needs work.
I wouldn’t like you to think that thus happens every Sunday. More often than not I’m preparing, focusing and acting on what I hear. But you can see that when I allow one or other of these issues to prevail on a Sunday (or through the week) I’m not doing church right. Failing to prepare, failing to be attentive or failing to act on what I hear is to turn worship into a mere formal observance — and that is the “sacrifice of fools”!