This is such a beautifully written devotional. It works well for individuals and families. I especially appreciate how well Paul Tripp walks through the gospel every week, while reminding us of the importance and significance of corporate worship on Sunday mornings.

A good book on the value of corporate worship on Sunday, but a bit of a low-church view. None of what was covered cannot apply to, for example, a campus Christian fellowship or a gathering of Christians who wish to form a new 'church' among themselves. Would such students (using the former example) then have no need to go to church on Sunday? I don't think the author would agree with that, yet this seems to be the logical conclusion if high-church elements are not present

Tripp has a great way of breaking things down into navigable chunks and providing thought-provoking, God-centered, gospel-infused devotions. There are 52, one per week. They'd be great to read on Saturday night to help you remember why Sunday is so important.
I'll share one example.

"Corporate worship is designed to remind you of your identity in Christ so you won't waste your time looking for identity elsewhere" (location 1341). Our culture is increasingly trying to define identity by sexual preferences. Many have found identity in what they do for work or by what illness they have or by their marital status. Yet, "our awareness of God and our calling to live for him, was meant to be at the core of how we think about who we are and what we were made to do" (location 1366). Being a child of God defines us more deeply than anything. Worship helps remind us of that.

Each devotional ends with scripture to reflect on, a question and a family discussion topic. In this particular devotion I highlighted, Tripp encourages us to look for identity statements in 1 Peter 2:9-10 and Romans 8:16-17. The devotionals are deep and practical. I found them helpful and I do think it will prepare my heart for worship more as it reminds me of all that God is doing through his church as we worship together.

Thank you to Crossway for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. I'd highly recommend it.

Another fantastic read by Paul David Tripp. It’s filled with weekly devotions to read and position your heart and mind for Sunday worship. Scripturally-sound and powerful. I’m looking forward to reading this with my family on Saturday nights or Sunday mornings.

Pastor and author Paul David Tripp offers a wake-up call for the church regarding the need of maximizing Sunday worship in his book Sunday Matters. It's simple for us pastors to view Sundays as just another event to plan or task to do. Tripp, though, draws our attention back to the wonder and delight of spending every Lord's Day with our Savior and family in Christ.

Tripp discusses the benefits of studying God's Word, socializing with others in the community, partaking in the sacraments, and experiencing spiritual renewal for service with his signature insight. This tiny book is a great spiritual tool that helps us re-imagine Sunday as the culmination of the week rather than just the start of "real" life. Church leaders looking to optimize the significance, influence, and communal experience of getting together with God's people will find great value in Tripp's contemplative viewpoint and useful guidance. This book is a must-read if you want to revitalize a theology of Lord's Day worship that benefits our congregations. Sunday Matters serves as an excellent reminder of God's good intentions for His holy day for both members and clergy.

This is an interesting read on why church attendance is necessary on a Sunday morning. It begins with the authors own experience from childhood where church attendance wasn't negotiable. It was something that was done whether they were at home or away on holiday. In order to help bolster the reader into to making that decision to attend church and worship corporately, they have formulated 52 devotions that deal with a range of emotions and feelings that may hinder the desire to commit to church attendance. Each devotions gives a verse of scripture, a reflection and then notes that form the basis of a family discussion on the topic. This is probably easier to use with older children, but could be adapted to children of a primary school age. I think that each devotion is well thought out and build carefully throughout the year. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Several years ago, a friend gave me one of Paul David Tripp’s devotionals. I was blessed by his perspective and consistency in pointing us back to what is really important—Jesus and the gospel. When I saw that this book was coming out, I knew I wanted to read it, too. Even though I’ve been a Christian for years now, I feel like I still have a lot to learn about preparing my heart for worship, and anything that can help me do better at centering my heart and affections on my Savior is a book worth reading.

I’ve really appreciated this devotional. I haven’t finished reading it yet, because it isn’t the kind of book you want to rush through, but as a once-a-week devotional, it’s great. Each week’s entry is around four pages long, which is significantly longer than most devotionals I have read in the past. In that length, though, Tripp has some space to dive a bit more deeply into topics, and I really appreciate that. Then after each devotion, there are one or two scripture references to study and questions to provoke thought and discussion, either for yourself or with other family members. I’ve come away blessed, encouraged, and challenged from the thoughts he has to share.

As the kind of person who can easily find myself thinking about struggles and work from the past week as I’m sitting in church on Sunday morning, I feel like devotionals like these are a great way to remind myself why I’m a Christian, who Jesus is, and why we gather for church in the first place. I’ve found this book helpful, and if you are looking for a way to encourage your and your family’s hearts on Sunday morning before church, I’d highly recommend you check this out and get a copy for a friend—it’s been a great blessing to me!

I was given a complimentary copy of this book, and this is my honest opinion of it.

Sunday Matters: 52 Devotionals to Prepare Your Heart for Church by Paul David Tripp is a new book about preparing your heart for corporate worship and what it means to worship. The book focuses on what the Bible says worship is and not. Tripp shared Scripture, along with real-life stories that will help you understand and relate.

This is meant to be read once a week in preparation for worship on Sunday with your family. Each weekly reading provides Scripture to be read, a short devotion, with reflections, and a family discussion to help apply the teaching. Tripp shared his reason why he wrote the book in the introduction. Here is a short summary of it from him:

“We often don’t approach gathered worship with joyful, grateful, and expectant hearts. So I offer this to you. Here are fifty-two brief devotionals to help prepare your heart for the beauty of what Sunday worship has to offer you.”

I will be honest. Sometimes Sundays are hard, I don’t like getting up and getting ready to go to church, but I also do know the importance. This book will remind you of that and more (some convictions were felt for sure as I read it), which is needed at times. We are reminded of what worship is about and why. Here are a few quotes from the book:

“Corporate worship is God’s weekly gift to us, wrapped in the grace of Jesus and given by the one who create us, knows us, understands us the temptations that greet us in the broken world we live in, and offers us the help we need. This gathering reminds us that God will never grow tired of us, never regret that we are in His family, and never walk away in disgust.”

“Corporate worship is designed by God to give you eyes to see, a mind to understand, and an open heart to receive the bad news of the gospel (sin) and the good news of the gospel (grace) in ways that transform your heart.”

“The heart of the gathering of God’s people should never be about what we are called to do for God, but it must always be about what He has done in His Son for us.”

Paul David Tripp is a pastor, theologian, and author who has written many helpful Bible studies. His latest book is "Sunday Matters: 52 Devotionals to Prepare Your Heart for Church." This book is meant to be read together as a family, and contains a devotional, Scripture passage, and questions for the family to work through each week. Tripp's main assertion is as follows: "Corporate worship is designed to remind you again and again that the most valuable thing in your life you could have never earned or deserved; it was and is a gift of divine grace."

I think this could be a very helpful book for many families. However, while I agree that attending church is important, I feel that Tripp somewhat overstates its importance. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I’ve always been a fan of Paul David Tripp’s writing and this one is no exception! Tripp has a way of always pointing us so directly to Christ and reminding us whose we are! I loved the constant Scriptural references. I really loved the structure of the devotional time to include families and kids so directly. This is an incredible tool for guided family discussions to include your kids. Sometimes I feel like I either need a theology degree to understand the concepts or an education degree to make it applicable to my kids, but Tripp sets the table with both of those parts and you just have to pick it up and dive in!

First of all, Thank You netgalley for another great ARC granted to me. What a simple and yet brilliant narrative, that makes us go back to the basics and be reminded again and again what truly means being a follower of Christ and live by his word and example. The author could get right into the core and explain in a clear and easy way the theological truths. Well done.