Sleeping in Church

".. And in a window sat a certain young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep; and as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead."

Acts 20:9 NKJV

Some time ago, I came across a remarkable sermon delivered on an unknown date by Jonathan Swift (1667-1745), an Anglican pastor, poet, and writer, known to all for his literary masterpiece Gulliver's Travels. I was immediately captivated by the title, “A Sermon on Sleeping ins Church,” and as a passionate preacher, I thought I might find some valuable insights in it. It is a vibrant sermon against the habit, quite widespread in his time, of sleeping in church, especially when worship took place in the afternoon, at a time favorable and conducive to digestion. Swift takes his cue from the episode of Paul and Eutychus to focus on a godless indifference to preaching, especially on the part of those who need it most. This homiletic sleep would be accompanied in his day by indecent thoughts, cultivated in a state of semi-consciousness, and more generally, Sunday would be divided between God and “gluttony.” But not everyone sleeps, thank goodness. On the contrary, it is worse. In fact, those who remain awake criticize the preacher and the preaching: the former is boring, a terrible speaker; the latter is predictable, rhetorically weak, unworthy of comparison, for example, with classical rhetoric.

Swift defends the ranks of pastors with a sword, quoting 1 Corinthians 2:1, where Paul explains the reasons for his renunciation of rhetorical devices. Eutychus' misadventure is related to this choice of the apostle: in short, those who sleep reject the word of the cross and deserve to lose their lives. Nothing bothers him, and he can find no justification for falling asleep, for those who “come to church to sleep,” letting themselves be lulled by the sermon. Then, incredibly, as if by magic, they wake up punctually at the end. Indolence towards preaching only encourages the emergence of vices and is a symptom of “a heart directed towards worldly things.” A series of remedies are proposed. The first is of particular interest: the sermon is not a rhetorical display, and those who listen to it should consider it an opportunity for self-examination. The second consists of taking into account the fact that not everyone is a brilliant orator or a fine speaker, and even if they were, they would not be appreciated. He then warns against ridiculing one's neighbor, which risks offending not only the preacher but also the faith itself.

While the description of these attitudes is disconcerting in its relevance to the present day, Swift is not in the least bit concerned about a possible link between widespread drowsiness and a quality of preaching that could be improved. Even in today's Christianity, many have an evasive attitude toward worship, with excuses ranging from personal ailments to the inhospitability of the place of worship. Sunday worship is the main service, dedicated to honoring the Lord and seeking His Word. I am sure that everyone will find familiar ideas or situations they have experienced. Returning to the topic of sleeping, in our day it is clearly quite different. And I do not believe it is always the fault of the preacher or the leader. Undoubtedly, the role of preaching is of considerable importance for the edification of the believer and must be both engaging and, at times, captivating. Then, as now, “there are many who go to church ... with the sole purpose of being entertained ... as if preaching were a matter of pastime and entertainment,” whereas we should each rediscover our shortcomings in the presence of God and His Word.

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Weekly Bible Reading Plan #07

February 9, Leviticus 6-7; Matthew 25:1-30

February 10, Leviticus 8-10; Matthew 25:31-46

February 11, Leviticus 11-12; Matthew 26:1-25

February 12, Leviticus 13; Matthew 26:26-50

February 13, Leviticus 14; Matthew 26:51-75

February 14, Leviticus 15-16; Matthew 27:1-26

February 15, Leviticus 17-18; Matthew 27:27-50