Eutychus And His Kin
Acts 20:9
As Paul spoke on and on, a young man named Eutychus, sitting on the windowsill, became very drowsy. Finally, he fell sound asleep and dropped three stories to his death below.
My Grandpa, Bill Brewer Sr, told me that a man in the front pew of his church fell asleep during the sermon, and began snoring loudly. This was in the days before sound systems, and the guy was so loud that the congregation around him had trouble hearing.
Always eager to learn new pastoring tips from my grandpa, my hero, and my mentor, I asked, “What did you do?”
“I threw a songbook and hit him in the forehead with it,” Grandpa calmly answered.
“Really? What happened?”
Grandpa answered, “Well, he never fell asleep in church ever again!”
Why do people fall asleep in church? Maybe it is because the pastor is boring. Maybe they think church itself is boring. They get bored.
When my 5th & 6th grade students would tell me they were bored, I would tell them, “Boring people get bored.”
I really think most people who fall asleep in church just aren’t engaged in what they are hearing. If you are sitting in the pew and your mind starts to wander, shake yourself and get your head back in the game! Trust me, I’ve heard boring preachers before. Heck, I am positive I have been a boring preacher quite a few times! No matter how bad the preacher, I always ask God to give me something to take from the message, even if the preacher isn’t the one who taught it.
God’s word can’t be boring, but his people can be if they aren’t engaged when they hear it. Oh, and maybe don’t sit in a windowsill during church…
Today’s Readings: Leviticus 20-22; Acts 20
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