Asleep in Church: A lack of “Sabbath preparation”?
Mr Bean - Asleep at Church
Sometimes it helps to take a sweet
Finally! Most Sharper Iron posts tend to go over my head, but not this one.
This household owns all of the episodes of Mr. Bean and has for years (they’re on VHS). The church attendance sketch is one of our favorites because it’s so relatable. We’ve all been there. At some point we all have struggled to keep our eyes open while sitting stalk still listening to someone drone on-and-on…
(In the Mr. Bean episode, if you listen closely, the minister in the background is speaking gibberish.)
My Grandma used to elbow my Grandpa to wake him up. And what’s worse, Grandpa would then stay awake by clipping his fingernails during the sermon. My Dad would occasionally snore - much to the embarrassment of my Mom. I would color in the “o’s” in the church bulletin or draw. In college, I remember Dr. Bob Jones, Jr. pointing out sleeping students, asking them if they worked late and did they needed to get up and stretch…
Pastors, sometimes, are a little too quick to blame the assembled congregates. There are occasions where most of what they say is gibberish and demonstrates a lack of “Sabbath preparation” on the part of the preacher - not the flock.
In the military, falling asleep in boot camp was swiftly … . dealt with. There is obviously no crime in being tired, because boot camp is a very tiring place. The division commanders just told us to go to the back of the room and stand up if we thought we’d fall asleep. There was nothing more frightening to jerk awake when a division commander screams, “On your feet, Recruit!!!
It’s hard to fall asleep on your feet, though I inadvertently managed it once or twice while standing gate … !
In church, you obviously won’t be punished for falling asleep. But, if you think you’re tired, sit in the back so you won’t disturb anyone, and then if you feel tired stand up in the back or slip out for a cup of coffee and hurry on back. No crime. Just be smart. Sitting on the front pew after working all night is a recipe for disaster.
Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.
I once had a lady tell me that here son-in-law was an anesthesiologist and that he put people to sleep for a living. I responded, “I’m a pastor, I do the same thing.”
Discussion