Sleep

Sleep is fascinating.  It is one of those strange things we do where when we go to bed at night we enter this whole other realm of rest that is mysterious.  Our bodies slow down and our minds go into a dream state.  It's odd when you think about it.  It's not that you cannot wake up from sleep of you hear a loud noise or something.   I don't know anything about the science of sleep but as a new pastor I am discovering the great joys and necessity of it.

I am still catching up on it after a busy and wonderful journey to Austin for a seminar.  Since returning home Friday night, I was busy all day Saturday and much of today for church events.  After bringing communion to our two ladies at the assisted living this afternoon, I came home, made a turkey, cheese and tomato sandwich,  put my feet up in the La-Z-Boy, covered up in a blanket, and promptly fell asleep for an hour and a half.  I was planning to go to the pastors' prayer group that meets on Sunday afternoons but so much for that.  I was gone.  Out like a light.  Having a very happy cat sprawled across my lap didn't make it any easier when I opened one eye and realized that the prayer group was almost over.  I just closed that eye again.  So much for that.

Sleep is in our lectionary texts quite a lot recently.  Today I preached from the Matthew 25 text, "The Ten Bridesmaids."  All ten of them fall asleep while they are waiting for the groom to arrive.  But the falling asleep was not the bad part of the story.  All ten, both the foolish and the wise ones, fall asleep.  I think that gives us all permission to take the time we need to care for ourselves.  The wait for the coming Christ is long and can be tiring.  My message to the congregation is that we have been given the gift of time.  The wait grants us some time to take a rest, just as these bridesmaids did, but the wait also grants us time to seriously get ready for God's reign to come.  Jesus does say, however, "Stay watchful!  For you do not know the day or hour."  We can stay watchful and prepared, even while we get a little sleep in during the wait time.

Next week is another sleep-related lectionary text.  1 Thessalonians 5.  I look forward to seeing what that is about.  How could it be related to the fast-approaching Advent Season?  I think I preached from that piece in 1 Thessalonians a few years ago, maybe 6 years ago?  I remember working on my translation of it in preparation for Sunrise Beach Federated Church in Sunrise Beach Village, Texas.  Wow that was a long time ago.  I look forward to returning to that and mining the work I have already done.  This Sunday should be interesting.


Here is the sermon text as it comes from the New Revised Standard Version:

1 THESSALONIANS 5:1-11
1 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 When they say, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! 4 But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; 5 for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. 6 So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; 7 for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night.8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.