That’s anglicized Japanese and literally means: “A bird leaves nothing behind.” The overall meaning is simply: “Return it the way you found it.” It’s a core part of Japanese culture. 

Perhaps you caught the story of Japanese fans after their World Cup match cleaning up the stadium? That’s Tatsu tori ato wo nigosazu. Japanese fans are known for tidying up sports stadiums before they leave. While most fans are accustomed to stepping over half-eaten food and discarded plastic, their peers from Japan are known for this vastly different approach.

It’s important to clean up after yourself. I wish more Americans did it. Each of us should take personal responsibility for cleaning up our own mess. It helps when family members do that, just picking up after themselves. Do you know what’s more important than cleaning up your physical mess? Cleaning up your spiritual mess, your heart, especially before you worship. In Exodus 30:18-21 God commanded the priests to wash their hands and feet before entering the Tent of Meeting for worship. 

It’d be rare for someone to come for a worship service without bathing and brushing their teeth prior to coming. Yet, how many of us “wash” our hearts prior to coming to worship? Most of us are more prepared for work than we are for worship. How does your Sunday morning go? 

Preparing for Sunday worship begins Saturday night. Go to bed at a decent time. Staying up late watching some binge show makes you drowsy Sunday morning. Lay out everyone’s clothes and items needed like Bibles, notebooks, keys, kids’ bags, etc. the night before. Have breakfast items ready. Set the alarm for a reasonable time so it’s not a grand rush. Calmly leave with plenty of time. You might even sing together as a family or talk about spiritual things prior to coming to church.

Arrive a bit early so that you can talk to your brothers and sisters. Give yourself time to quietly calm your heart and reflect on God’s goodness and what He might have for you in the service. Turn your phone off or even leave it in the car. Even movie theaters know what a distraction phones are. The Bible teaches that worship isn’t entertainment, it’s spiritual engagement. It’s not a show where you’re a spectator. That’s not worship. 

If you want to feed your own soul, minister to others, and relish God’s love and grace, you must first think of Sunday worship as a Saturday night decision. Doing that helps you worship with the music; Scripture reading and maintain your focus during the sermon. 

It’s one thing to be present at church, it’s another to be prepared for church. Worship is never just about us. It’s also about God and others. As Rosaria Butterfield said, We may never know the treacherous journey people have taken to land in the pew next to us. Each week some walk in who have never been in church, much less a gospel-preaching church like ours. Everyone walks with a burden, even the pastor and his family. You know you have one. Others do too. Some are huge like a broken marriage, family, heart or a broken body. So, let’s be sensitive and compassionate. 

There are simple changes we can all make to maximize our time of worship and our Sundays together. Let me suggest…

Come Spiritually Hungry

If your car was sitting outside in freezing weather, it would take time for the engine to warm up. Too many of us rush into worship cold (or worse, hot with anger at our spouse or family). 

Make it a practice to read the sermon passage before coming. That simple habit will enrich your sermon-listening experience since you’ll be familiar with the passage. It will help you lean in, curious to see how the preacher handles the passage and unpacks it. It’s a habit you can easily practice with others — your family or friends. It will warm the engine of your mind (and hopefully your heart) so that you’re locked in when the message begins, eager to let the Lord work in your heart, learn and grow.

How often do you pray for the pastor as he’s preparing sermons? It’s good to hold pastors to a high standard (1 Timothy 3:1-7), so do you hold yourself to a high standard of prayer for him? Sermon prep is hard work. It takes hours. It’s lonely. It’s spiritual warfare. It’s a bit like writing a term paper each week for a pastor. Jan Karon in her Mitford books insightfully said, Preaching is like having the baby on Sunday and finding out that you’re pregnant on Monday. Preaching takes spiritual sweat. You join the fight by asking the Lord to give your pastor insight, to guard him from distraction, to guide him in faithfully unleashing and applying God’s truth.

And please resolve to leave full. What you get out of the service is not up to the worship team or pastor. It’s up to you. What’s your attitude when the service begins? Do you lean in, singing from a heart of gratitude that Jesus loves you? Do you have your Bible open, ready to hear from words from the living God? For those of us who have been in church for years, it’s tempting to come with a sense of arrogance that we know all this stuff. A humble heart realizes that even if I’ve heard it before, I need it again. As someone wisely said, A mature Christian is easily edified.

Let’s say the quality of the music or skill of the preacher leaves a bit to be desired. But are the words true? If so, we should be easily edified. We should be able to leave with full hearts.

Linger Longer

In a few days Jane and I will celebrate 43 years of marriage. We usually celebrate at a nice restaurant. It’s not a rushed meal where we wolf down our food. For a Christ-follower, there is no day in our week more important than Sunday. It’s the day King Jesus rose from the dead! Sunday is not first about other activities like sports or family get-togethers. It’s the day when Jesus’ redeemed people come together to celebrate Him. It should be the launching pad of your week. It’s a God-designed opportunity to be replenished, receive instruction and encouragement, and catch your breath before stepping back into the duties and distractions of a chaotic, lost world. Why rush to leave? At Grace, our Charis Coffee Café is a place for you to take time to fellowship. 

When you linger, you open yourself to connect with others unhurriedly — which today is countercultural. You can ask deliberate questions and listen. Being listened to is so close to being loved that most people can’t tell the difference. If someone is visiting, you can greet him or her warmly, exhibiting genuine interest. It’s an opportunity for a brother or sister to share a blessing or a burden. It won’t happen if you fly out the door.

How sad that we feel comfortable discussing sports or the weather, but awkward discussing the very thing we’ve come together to do. Church is not an event we show up to; it’s a family we belong to. We gather to be transformed. Seize the opportunity to debrief while the songs and sermon are still ringing in your ears, still begging to be applied. On Sundays, we meet with King Jesus and our blood-bought “family” that He’s placed in our lives. It’s a privilege to come early and stay late, so please do it!