Acts 20:7-12  On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted. (NIV)

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When our boy was a baby, I pastored a small church in northeast Texas. We lived two hours away from Southwestern Seminary. I drove to Fort Worth and back some semesters four days a week, others two. The two-day weeks also included a Monday drive to the Garland campus. 

I would arise at 4:30, shave, shower, and prepare some instant coffee. I would grab a package of Pop-Tarts (blueberry, of course) and head out the door with my plastic cup. It didn’t really fit in the cup holder, and one day I arrived at seminary covered in coffee stains. 

One night in particular, our little boy had a tough time sleeping. He was sick much of the night, which meant we didn’t get much sleep, either. This also means I was taking my life in my hands and threatening the lives of others by driving down the highway for two hours in heavy traffic while at least half asleep. 

Also, our car radio didn’t work. I couldn’t count on loud music to keep me alert. I did listen to tapes of well-known pastors and professors who had spoken at seminary. That was an education in itself. I also tried really hard to learn Greek and Hebrew using flashcards as I drove. I distinctly remember learning the word ballo. It means to cast or throw. That one is so easy anyone could remember it. 

I arrived on campus in time for my 8:00 class. Fortunately, one of my favorite professors taught that class, and I always wanted to be on time, alert, and awake. Unfortunately, we had a guest speaker that day. He was not scintillating. He wasn’t exactly dull, but he was sedate enough that he did not keep me alert and awake throughout his lecture. 

There are times when your body absolutely seeks recovery, and you can do nothing about it. I tried every trick I knew. I held my pen between two fingers so that if I fell asleep, it would drop. It dropped. 

I bit my tongue. I chewed my cheek. I pinched myself. Somehow, this abuse did not fix my problem. 

My head lolled around like a child’s toy. I probably should have stepped out of class and gone to my car. I didn’t. I tried to tough it out. I tried to make do, to improvise, adapt, and overcome. Blah blah blah. I ended up falling into a deep sleep like Eutychus. Fortunately, I didn’t fall out of the chair. I did, however, irritate our guest speaker. 

I hung around for a while to explain the situation, but the guest speaker would not even look at me. He probably tells that story to this day whenever he thinks about Eutychus. 

“Did I ever tell you about the time a seminary student fell into a deep sleep in the class where I was speaking? Fell right out on the floor, he did. He lay there until I finished the lecture, and somebody kicked him and told him to get up and get out.”

Now, that did not happen, but we should never let an interesting experience go unexaggerated. 

Poor Eutychus. I wonder how many jokes have been made at his expense over the centuries. We’ve all been there, haven’t we? We’ve been there when someone spoke on and on and on and had no clue he had gone on for an hour or more too long. At least it felt like an hour or more. 

Way back in 1992, Lyle Lovett and His Large Band recorded an album called Joshua Judges Ruth. There’s a song on it called “Church.” I double-dog dare you to look it up and give it a listen. It’s essentially a play on what we’re talking about here. The bottom line is this: If the preacher preaches long enough, even he’ll get hungry too. ([https://bit.ly/4yi4Mfr)](https://bit.ly/4yi4Mfr)

I had one of those nearly sleepless nights a couple of nights ago. I got my very first Senior Adult Flu Shot along with my annual COVID booster. I’m not sure what they put in those doses, but my arm hurt like the dickens. I slept fitfully from 10 to 11, 11 to 12, 12 to 1, and 1 to 2. My Apple Watch said it was a light sleep. That’s a simplistic way of saying it, but yes. I also did not sleep from 2 until 5:30. 

I did watch several YouTube videos. I learned lots of helpful information. I saved it in the apps that preserve things like that for me. I was finally able to go back to sleep for an hour and a half after my bride awoke to begin her day. 

If the preacher preaches long enough, even he’ll get hungry, too. If you stay awake way too long, even you’ll get sleepy, too. 

Eutychus and Paul both needed a reminder that we are to work from a place of rest rather than rest from our work. That’s the order of creation. Go back to Genesis 1, and notice that it says, “There was evening, and there was morning, the first day. Evening and morning, the second day. Evening and morning, the third day.” 

Get the picture? Sleep first. Work second. 

For what it’s worth, the last two nights have been full of sweet sleep and deep rest. We are flying to the West Coast today, where we will spend the weekend in a hotel. The chances of matching the last two nights’ rest are, at best, average. I will be ready to get home to my pillow and bed come Monday. 

Sleep is a gift we give ourselves, and if we don’t give it to ourselves, God will impose it upon us. There’s no getting around it. Our bodies will seek recovery. Prioritizing sleep is one of the wisest things we can do. It has benefits for every area of our lives. 

Remind me to tell you the story about how I drove home from seminary one day, woke up in the second lane, and didn’t recognize any of the cars or trucks around me from before I closed my eyes. I have no idea how long I was asleep. I am deeply grateful that it wasn’t permanent, as it could have been.

Feel free to set your alarm now for tonight to remind you that it’s time to go to bed. This is a good habit. This is a life-giving habit. This is a life-preserving habit. 

Paul and Eutychus agree. 

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I will cultivate healthy sleep hygiene practices. 

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Our Father, thank you for teaching us how to navigate life well. Thank you for giving us wise instruction about rest. We invite you into our dreams. Speak to us through the night, as you do through the day. Give us the self-discipline we need to go to bed on time, get up on time, work from a place of rest, and not rest from our work. Amen.