Pre•lude – an action or event serving as an introduction to something more important
Growing up, there was a woman in our church named Michelle Orman.
During communion, Michelle would walk quietly to the grand piano on stage and begin to play. She never said anything. She never drew attention to herself. She simply let hymns and simple melodies fill the room. And every time she did, something shifted.
The room began to change.
People sat a little straighter. Conversations softened. The moment almost felt tangible. There was a weight to it—a reverence, a holiness. It wasn’t forced or manufactured; it felt spiritual.
There was a shared awareness: God is here.
Michelle has since passed away, but the memory of those moments has never faded. I didn’t have the language for it at the time, but I do now. What she was offering the room was preparation. Her playing helped orient our hearts toward a sacred moment we were stepping into.
That memory has become fresh again as we introduce a new rhythm to our Sunday gatherings: a prelude before the gathering officially begins.
Scripture reminds us that worship involves preparation:
Enter His gates with thanksgiving
and His courts with praise;
give thanks to Him and praise His name.
(Psalm 100:4)
Notice the movement in that verse. We don’t simply rush in with a coffee and taquitos in hand. We enter. And when we enter, we transition – from the ordinary to the sacred. We prepare our hearts as we gather with God’s people and turn our attention toward Him.
One of the challenges of our current pace of life is that we expect going to church to instantly do the centering work for us. Many of us arrive hurried, distracted, carrying the weight of the week, hoping the first song (if we make it into the room in time) will flip a switch. But worship isn’t something that suddenly begins at the start of a gathering. Worship is the overflow of hearts that have been intentionally turned toward God.
The introduction of a prelude is meant to help us do just that.
It’s important to say this as clearly as I can:
the prelude is not a “don’t talk,” somber, or overtly reflective moment.
Sometimes the best thing you can do—or need to do—before worship is to turn to the people around you. Whether it’s your family, friends, or small group, connection and encouragement remind us that we aren’t alone. That kind of presence prepares our hearts too.
The prelude is simply there to create space for intentional preparation, and that preparation may look different from week to week.
Sometimes it will be quiet music that invites stillness.
Sometimes it may be paired with Scripture to help focus our hearts for the gathering.
Sometimes it will include questions for reflection.
Sometimes it may offer conversation starters—something meaningful to talk through with the people you sit with.
Stillness and conversation are not opposites. Both can be sacred. Both can be intentional.
What we’re trying to move toward is purposeful presence.
Historically, the Church has understood the value of a moment before the gathering officially begins. A hymn softly played. A moment of silence. Music that didn’t ask you to sing yet, but invited you to slow down, listen, and focus.
My hope is that when the gathering officially begins—whichever one you arrive at—worship is already happening. Not because we’ve done anything impressive, but because our hearts have been centered and our minds oriented toward God.
Imagine the prelude as a threshold moment, a crossing from the busyness of the week into the sacred work of worship. A chance to pray, reflect, connect, or simply sit before the Lord.
Michelle will never know the ways she impacted me or the people sitting around me. Her offering helped the room settle and made space to notice the Spirit doing quiet work beneath the surface. Those moments shaped me more than I realized at the time.
So here’s the invitation:
Come when you can.
Arrive early when possible.
Be present with God and with one another.
Let the few minutes before we begin be filled with expectation for what God wants to do. And when the gathering begins, may it not feel like the start of worship, but the natural overflow of hearts already turned toward Him.
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