Thought for Today
Genesis 28:16 Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place-- and I did not know it!"
Psalm 4:8 I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for you alone, O LORD, make me lie down in safety.
Luke 9:32 Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.
Romans 13:11 Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers;
For the first 40+ years of my adult life, six days each week I awoke to the sound of an alarm clock. As a combatant in what I always referred to as the ‘commuter wars,’ I lived by a somewhat rigid schedule each weekday. On Sunday, I always wanted to make sure I arrived at church in time to get ‘my seat’ in the sanctuary. Given my profession and my position in the companies for whom I worked, and the pay they gave me, I needed to be in my office prior to the official starting hour.
One of the glories of retirement from that initial career has been the freedom from that alarm clock. I still set it for Sunday mornings . . . perish the thought that our congregation might ever realize they can worship God without my being there to lead them! I do also set my alarm clock on Wednesdays. That is ‘coffee day,’ the day our son and sometimes our daughter come over for morning coffee. That has become one cherished and preserved ritual begun during the isolation days of the pandemic. We began that ritual sitting outside on the patio, carefully spaced 6 feet apart. We now continue that ritual, sitting comfortably inside.
During those 40+ years of waking to an alarm, my body became inured to rising early. Given where I worked and the industry in which I worked, most companies in the energy industry began work between 7:00am and 7:30am. Since we lived in the suburbs, that necessitated my rising between 4:00am and 4:30am. Regrettably, my body still has not adjusted to sleeping beyond that range.
Yesterday and again this morning, I managed to sleep until almost 6:00am! I slept in on both mornings. It may not seem spectacular to many of you, but at the time it seemed luxurious and almost decadent to me.
I remember when I was a teenager and could comfortably sleep until noon on Saturdays. I’m sure that irritated my father, based on my reactions when our son did the same thing. It’s a teenage boy thing.
Yesterday and again this morning, as I lay abed, I wondered whether or not Jesus or any of the heroes of the Bible ever slept late. I know about Rip Van Winkle sleeping late. But, did Jesus ever roll over, notice what time it must have been, and pull the covers over his head so he could sleep late? Did Joseph ever wonder whether a teenage Jesus was ever going to get up and join him in the carpentry shop?
Doctors and researchers tell us that at every age in life a good night’s rest is critical. Most reports suggest that a minimum of 8 hours sleep each night is important for good physical and mental health. Most of us have found that there are great variations in the amount of sleep required by individuals. Early in our marriage, Greta and I learned that we require different amounts of sleep each night. She thrives on the suggested 8 hours. I rarely sleep more than 5 hours.
None of the gospels or epistles tell us anything about the general sleep habits of Jesus or the disciples. “Peter and his companions” aren’t generally presented in a particularly positive light when their sleep habits are mentioned.
Is there any theological significance to our sleep habits? I suspect not, beyond the suggestion that life itself is a gift from God. Our physical, corporeal existence is from God. As Christians we have a duty to properly care for our health and wellbeing, to preserve God’s gift as long as we can in as good a state as possible. Does that preclude our occasionally rolling over, shutting off the alarm and sleeping late? I think not! I think the luxury of occasionally sleeping in helps preserve our mental and spiritual health. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it!
Stay safe, occasionally spoil yourself, trust God,
Pastor Ray