Hello,
Note to self: do not take an antihistamine before going to church.
As some of you will remember, a couple of weeks ago my ear tubes plugged
up and my world spun with nauseating revolutions. When I woke up this past Sunday, I could feel my ears
plugging up again, so to ward off a whirling adventure in church, I took a
decongestant that happened to have an antihistamine in it, too. It was the same pill that I took a
couple of weeks ago that brought the ceiling spinning to an end, so I figured
it would be just the trick for my Sunday morning needs.
The thing that I did not realize, though, was when I took the pill
before it was in the middle of the night so I didn’t think twice about how fast
I fell back asleep. So, when I
hopped in my car at 7:00 to go to church I chalked up my drowsiness to the
couple of hours of sleep that I had lost in the middle of the night, and not to
the contents of the pill that I had taken. When church began at 8:15 I noticed that there seemed to be
some clog between my brain and my mouth as I was having a bit of trouble
getting my mouth to say what my brain was telling it. But when it came to sermon time (my associate was preaching)
and I sat down, suddenly I felt a wash of drowsiness come over me. That is when I realized the power of
the antihistamine that I had taken.
I fought off the sleepiness, made it through the sermon, served
communion, gave the benediction, and after I shook hands with people at the end
of the service I went and splashed some water on my face, hoping to jolt me
awake for the second service.
It didn’t work. As the
second service began I was no less drowsy. Actually, my drowsiness had increased. When I stepped up to start the service
my legs were a little wobbly with sleep, and I had to concentrate hard with my
words as if I had just been to the dentist and the Novocain was wearing
off. If it was a challenge to stay
awake at the first service, it was immensely more difficult at the second
service. Although I think my head
bobbed a couple of times reminding me of when I was in high school and weekly
fought off sleep during the sermon, I made it through the sermon without dozing
off. I was in a bit of a fog as I
said the prayers, served communion and gave the benediction. When the worship service was over and I
got into the car with my wife, I said to her, “I won’t take one of those pills
before church again!”
Some might say that I got nothing out of those two worship services, and
they would be right if the only thing to get out of worship was what my antihistamine
fogged mind could take in. But
because I was at church, I was able to share a high five with a toddler who is
just beginning his life of faith.
I was able to talk to some folks for whom life has been a pot-holed road. The Lord, in the mystery of his Supper,
united himself with me, filling me with mercy, hope, peace and joy that only he
can give. I received the blessing
of the Lord to carry me back out into the world as the congregation echoed the
benediction back at me. And the
groove of God’s grace was etched a little deeper so that the efforts of the
world to scratch it out would all be in vain.
So, if you were up late on Saturday night that makes you tired…if you
have a lot on your mind that is distracting and worrying you….if you have a
full day ahead and you wonder if it is worth your time to go to church…if you
find your faith in Christ is faltering and wavering…if you feel like a
hypocrite to go to church and so you shouldn’t go to church…….if you think that
you won’t get anything out of it…..please hear this………Jesus still wants you to
come to church because there is far more to worship than what you are able to
store up in your mind. But one
word of advice: don’t take an antihistamine before you come to church!
Have a great week.
God’s grace and peace, (ggap)
Pastor Jerry Nuernberger
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