Rally Sunday September 8th 

A young man named Eutychus, who was sitting in the window, began to sink off into a deep sleep while Paul talked still longer. Overcome by sleep, he fell to the ground three floors below and was picked up dead. Acts 20: 9

Greetings!

The story of Eutychus is a comfort to pastors who fear their preaching is not always engaging. If, even the Apostle Paul had listeners nodding off during a sermon, why shouldn’t we be surprised when a parishioner accidentally dozes off. Fortunately today, they don’t often fall three flights to the pavement below. Anyone who has ever experienced the challenge of staying awake during worship, can appreciate St. Luke’s sly description that “Paul talked still longer.” Eutychus must have begun nodding off and then eventually drifted into a deep sleep. At that point, he fell out of that window which proved fatal.

Paul, however, interrupted his sermon to go down to the young man, kneel beside him and put his arms around him. Through the miraculous power of Jesus, Paul was able to raise Eutychus from the dead and to say confidently to the crowd, “Don’t worry. He is alive now.” And with that, the Apostle went right back upstairs to continue preaching through the night. 

This may sound like an odd story to read for Rally Sunday. No doubt, we would like to announce that the pastor’s sermons at Lake of the Isles are always exciting, and that the children in the congregation are never bored. We would like to state that every member is fully engaged in worship and that no one tires of volunteering even if a meeting extends to the midnight hours. But that wouldn’t be an accurate depiction of life for any church- even at Lake of the Isles.

Of course, the story of Eutychus would be tragic if it had ended differently, but because he is raised from the dead, it seems almost humorous. That is the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ worth sharing on Rally Sunday. God is always turning sorrow into gladness, and sadness into joy. Ironically, even the young man’s name is filled with a whimsical surprise. Eutychus’ name means “Good Fortune.” 

My friends, I believe the author of Acts decided to include this story because it reminds us why we gather week after week as the people of God. It proclaims the power of God even over death. It also shows us how eager the early Christians were to be taught whenever they had the chance to gather regardless of the inconvenience of the hour. And on a lighter note, it reminds us not to fall asleep in church, or at least not while sitting in an open window on the 3rd floor. Join us for Rally Sunday on September 8th for toe-tapping music from the Flagstone Dixieland Band, good food, and hopefully, an inspiring sermon that doesn’t put you to sleep. 

Peace, Pastor Arden Haug