Are the first 30 seconds of worship the ones you dread? Let’s be honest, sometimes they feel harder than the entire worship set. Do you welcome everyone? Quote a Bible verse? Say a prayer? Tell people to stand? Just start singing and hope nobody notices?
Truth is, you’re probably overthinking it. Opening words shouldn’t be complicated. But they should achieve specific things that prepare everyone’s hearts to worship. Here are three ideas that work great every time. Choose one each Sunday (don’t try for all three at once).
Remind Your Church That You’re Worshiping Together
Sunday morning isn’t a room full of people having individual quiet times while standing next to each other. Corporate worship is something we do together. That’s worth reminding your church.
Encourage people to sing the words of the song not only as an expression of their own worship to God, but as an encouragement to the people around them. If the song talks about God’s faithfulness, encourage the congregation to sing those words over one another. If it talks about God’s power over fear, invite them to believe those words for the person standing next to them.
You’re teaching your church that worship isn’t just about “me and God.” We’re the body of Christ, gathered together to encourage one another as we worship.
Example (using Goodness of God):
- As we sing this song, don’t just sing it as your own declaration of God’s goodness. Look around and remember that we’re singing this together. There are people in this room who need to be reminded that God has been faithful, and your voice can encourage them this morning. So let’s sing this over one another and remind each other of the goodness of God.
Remind Them How We Approach God
Another powerful way to begin is by reminding your church that we don’t earn our way into God’s presence. We don’t get there because we had a great week. We don’t get there because we prayed enough, behaved well enough, or finally got our lives together. We’re there because of Jesus.
The cross opened the way for us to approach a holy God. That’s an incredible truth to remember before singing a single note. Your opening could simply remind the congregation that Jesus has already made the way. Whatever kind of week someone has had, they don’t have to clean themselves up before coming to God. Because of Christ, they can come boldly.
That’s a much better way to begin worship than trying to manufacture a particular emotional atmosphere.
Example (using His Mercy Is More):
- Maybe you walked in here this morning having a great week. Maybe you had a terrible week. Maybe you’re carrying something you wish you could leave at the door. But none of us comes into God’s presence because we’ve had a perfect week. We come because Jesus has made the way for us. His mercy is greater than our sin, and because of Christ, we can come boldly before God. So let’s worship Him together.
Teach Your Church What Worship Is
When was the last time you actually taught your church what worship means? Worship is more than singing. Singing is one expression of worship, but worship encompasses our whole response to God. Even the word itself gives us a helpful picture: worth and ship. To worship God is to recognize and declare His worth.
So when you step onto the platform, you have an opportunity to teach your church what they’re doing. You’re not simply asking everyone to sing a few songs. You’re inviting them to acknowledge the worth of God with their voices, attention, obedience, generosity, and lives. Then you can connect that truth directly to the first song.
Now your congregation has a reason for what they’re about to do.
Example (using 10,000 Reasons):
- When we sing this song, we’re doing more than singing words on a screen. We’re declaring that God is worthy of our praise. And worship isn’t just what happens when we sing. It’s our response to who God is with our voices, our attention, our obedience, and our lives. So as we sing this morning, let’s give God the praise He is worthy of.
Keep It Short
One final reminder: you don’t need to preach a sermon before the first song. 15 to 30 seconds is plenty. A minute might be appropriate occasionally, but your opening words should lead people into worship, not become the worship service.
Don’t strive to make your words overly impressive. Just give your church one clear truth. Connect that truth to what you’re about to sing. Then get out of the way and let the congregation worship.
