A Call to Worship
All right, ladies and gentlemen! I have a brilliant idea!After taking a look at the one of the current articles posted by Boundless.org called "Loving Christ While I Cheer for the Yankees" (you should read it!), I came across one of the statements at the bottom of the article that looked something like this:
A theologian recently wrote that what the church needs desperately is a theology of things such as sleep, eating, working, and leisure [footnote removed]. I would add sports to the list. As Christians we need to cultivate an attitude of theological reflection about those very things that fill up most of our daily hours. Very often it is the mundane, everyday things that most persistently — and subtly — affect us in our Christian walk, for good or ill.
I says to myself, "That's a brilliant idea!" If we are a part of the body of Christ, we are all capable of thinking reflectively and trying to come up with some ideas on how this should all work. I've heard theology on work and some on leisure, and Alexander Schmemann (sp?) had something to do with food...so that leaves us with one thing...
Sleep.
What should our stance on sleep be as Christians? Do we have one? Should we have one? What would it entail? Here are some things that we could think of, though it is not restricted to these ones at all...
- Length of time sleeping
- Reasons why we sleep
- When we sleep
- Consistency in sleeping habits
- Why we sleep in the first place (the origins of sleep)
- Things we should/not be doing before we sleep (the mind takes a lot into our sleep)
- Can we honor God by sleeping?
That's just the beginning.
So, here's the deal. Give it some thought and then take the plunge! Comment on this post and lets see some creative thinking and interaction. I would also suggest that the "lurkers" that are out there (those who read and not comment) to take a stab at it as well. If you don't comment, that's fine - follow this post - some interesting stuff could come out of it.
All I ask is that you follow these simple rules:
1. Respect one another - I don't think that the church has a formalized position on sleep (hey, through the course of this discussion, we may not come to a definitive answer), so no one can really be "wrong" or "right". Remember that we're doing this to honor God and the church, so don't go around insulting each other.
2. Be goofy, not silly - I really don't want this to degenerate into 20 comments that all say "I like to sleep..." Use humor if that's part of who you are, but put some thought into it, some of the best ideas can come from that!
3. Think outside my guidelines - I've just got the conversation started, it's up to you to see how far the rabbit hole goes...
4. Feel free to post multiple comments as the discussion wears on; I know that some people think as they talk - I do it all the time.
Any posts that I deem inappropriate or violating these rules (or common sense that I didn't cover) will be erased.
Now, get going!
posted by theDING @ 18:58
8 Comments:
Instead of staying in yourself making theories and trying to impress the "thinkers" of the world, why don't you try something practical. Take a good look around you and see you needs some practical help. Is there someone who could maybe use an hours worth of sleep, maybe you could do their campus service for them. Is there some who consistently stays up way too late, encourage them to sleep. . . why does it all have to be theories and papers, try some practical outworkings. Community is about being there and needing each other, not trying to one up each other in theories.
an anonumous alumni
So much has gone on since my last visit!
Re: previous comment... how we choose to act and react stems from our theological beliefs... so it is important to know the theory in order to better put it into practice... but of course, we must not neglect to act.
In regards to sleep: I've wondered about it a bit, since I tend to get less than I should. I think it comes down to taking care of ourselves, as temples of the Holy Spirit, and that is why my conscience sometimes prompts me to quit procrastinating and to quit distracting myself and to find my pillow. Jesus slept. Oh, but like food, too much is gluttony.
I never thought that the conversation woud start with this tack; just goes to show how much that I need support from the community to keep on living life as a Christian.
I am thankful for the interaction that I have seen so far (to be honest, I was beginning to have my doubts if anyone was going to respond at all) and I am hoping that this conversation will spawn what can be practical; that's what was at the end of the block quote that this is based on in the first place.
"Very often it is the mundane, everyday things that most persistently — and subtly — affect us in our Christian walk, for good or ill."
Thank you so far for the ideas and thoughts and the encouragement to live what I believe in the community even if I don't have all the "thinks thunked" yet.
Shawn, there is something wrong with this statement. "Loving Christ While Cheering for the Yankees" I find this to be impossible...and gross. Go Red Sox.
Note to all: Emerick said to me in person that he will leave a comment later...so don't get too worried...
Oh but I am worried. I am worried sick! In regards to sleep, I only really have one opinion, get enough of it to live your life but not too much so that it doesn't drag you down. I agree very much with the first comment posted on how Christians, especially Bible school students, spend their time discussing issues that are either irrelevant or unimportant. As I cannot speak for people at the college, because I have moved on I understand that their are too many people that are self-centered and focused to care for those around them and help them out. We abuse our knowledge for these types of debates while we should be helping our fellow human beings out.
Not to get too long on the subject, but recently a guy and I here at the U of C have become very concerned about the Christian situation, especially here. Too often Christians look to see how they can "survive" in the secular world while we should be out there making a difference. I do not think that sleep is really an important topic that we should really be discussing, I don't think that it was an issue with the church ever and shouldn't really be ours today. Perhaps you should touch hotter topics that concern Christians nowadays, like the place of homosexuals within the church, the importance of Scripture and caring for others, righteousness vs. evangelism. I think these are topics that should be discussed instead of silly things like sleep.
Sorry for the length of this comment.
hey guys, thought I should maybe give a small bit of input as a recovering Bible school student :)... Medically sleep is very important, it allows the body to repair damaged cells and tissues. Not enough sleep actually can cause minimal brain damage and causes the person to go (for lack of a better medical term) loopy. It actually does, ever been to an all nighter? I also agree with the top comment and the previous comment that often in Bible school the focus is not on what is really issues, but rather what seems like a "cool" debate at that moment in the bubble. Not to knock what you are trying to do Rotchford. Just speaking as someone who was recently there and now lives in the real world. You will find that these issues, like sleep, really outside of school aren't an issue. But take these skills that you are learning to apply to things that will be an issue, like trying to get a job with "Bible College" on your resume, it isn't easy. or whether or not bible study or sleep are more important. Also you will need to use these skills to determine whether you pay the power bill this month or eat cuz the kind of job you get with Bible College as our post secondary doesn't always give you the resources that one might hope for.
Not to sound too bitter, cuz I'm not, I appreciate my time at Eston, but as you graduate brace yourself, life outside of Eston is very different and these issues like sleep theology will not matter, but reconcilliation and how to deal with someone who has fallen far will be and these lessons of community that you are learning will ne vital. Take the theology of community and run with that, cuz you will need that more than sleep. (that and a good job that pays enough to clothe, feed and shelter you.)
Cheers and blessings on your crazy quest
Anna-Marie
Well, you said we could go otuside of your guidlines, so...
Sleep is important to us all. Lack of sleep affects most people.
Those who are tortured through sleep deprivation, though they are not relatively many, would probably love to have some good thoguhts regarding sleep and how to, if possible, overcome the need for it or find another way to find the same benefits.
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