* Narcolepsy - sudden, overpowering urge to sleep. People with narcolepsy often find it difficult to stay awake for long periods of time. I once had an uncle, two-times removed, who had a severe case of narcolepsy. He was a Roman Catholic priest holding the official title of "Monsignor." Sometimes as he would be handing out communion to the congregants during mass, he would instantly fall asleep. Right in the middle of saying, "The Body of Christ..." his body would crash down on the floor in a heavy R.E.M. state still holding the communion wafer. It was rather embarrassing. Because of this condition he wasn't allowed to drive, operate heavy machinery, and I think shaving was considered a hazardous activity for him. I have been told that on occasion he would fall asleep while eating his soup. I often wondered, "Do you think a man could ever drown in his own chicken noodle broth?" Narcolepsy, for the many who suffer from it, is no laughing matter. I couldn't imagine having this condition: One minute you're awake talking to your friend and the next thing you know you are crashed down on the floor with a bruise on the back of your head. It would be terrible to feel so "out of control" like this. Last year, for a couple months in Autumn, I thought I had this condition. Every time I tried to watch the Lions play on TV I found myself waking up with drool running down my cheek with only one minute left in the fourth quarter, Lions down by 10. The doctor told me not to worry, all Lions fans acquire NFL narcolepsy sooner or later. That made me feel better.... Until I began reading a well-known story in the book of Exodus 19: Moses and the 10 Commandments. Most people who have read the bible are very familiar with the story of Moses; especially how he went up the Mountain of Sinai to receive the law of God. But what most people miss is why he went up? It is a very sad tale: God just rescued his people from the murderous jaws of Egypt. After the thrilling high-stakes adventure of the Passover and Red Sea parting, God finally had his people all to himself. Pharaoh's cruelty was no longer to be feared - - God was now the only King of Israel, "I bore you on eagles wings and brought you to myself (Ex. 19:5)." But there was one major problem with this new arrangement, the people didn't want to be too close to God. They were scared of him, and sent Moses as their representative to talk to him. When Moses informed the people all that God wanted was a close relationship, they tried to keep God at arms length by asking for written instructions rather than intimacy (Exodus 19:8). Here are their exact words: "All that the Lord has spoken we will do." The people were the ones who wanted written laws instead of a close walk. They really didn't want God as a friend, they only wanted him as their silent protector and provider. As long as he took care of them from a distance, gave them what they wanted, they would obey. They reconfirmed this commitment to obeying the laws both in Exodus 24:3 and 24:7. Three times they promised obedience...three times. So God gave them 10 Commandments, and they were not too hard. All his asked for was decency and civility, "Not have other gods," to not "Take his name in vain," to "Not make graven images" and too not "Defraud your Neighbor." I once read a theologian who said that it was a kind thing that God presented what "not to do" because it gave them a lot of leeway on what they could do. So his "Thou Shalt Nots" are actually generous boundaries, not enslaving rules that many people have made them to be. (If you want to see enslavement just go to your average heavy duty conservative fundamentalist church and read their constitution and codes of behavior to get a glimpse of real behavioral micromanagement). So after Moses gave them the Law, God called him back up the mountain to finalize this agreement. He was gone for only 40 days. Tell me, is that a long time to be gone up a mountain? What is 40 days as compared to 400 years that they were kept in slavery to Egypt? 40 days is your average pre-season schedule for football... a blink of the eye. Well, according to Exodus 32:1, after Moses was up on the mountain for these 40 days, the people panicked. "Let us make gods who shall go before us. This fellow Moses, that man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him." So even though they made a promise, remember they agreed to it three separate times, they figured since circumstances changed they could change. And the things they promised, "To have no other gods," was the exact thing they did! And not only that, they began to party naked around the statue of a golden-calf. Sounds like the MTV awards... I call this spiritual narcolepsy. How soon they forget. How soon we forget; falling asleep in an instant. Many people, after they make a promise to God, will soon go back to former ways. They will renege on their promise and go back to the bar or their boyfriend's bed. How many people do you know who hear a good sermon, go on a powerful retreat, or are invited to a Christian rock concert, will make a grand commitment in the moment...only to return to the way they were a few weeks later? Our flesh is prone to fall asleep when it comes to the things of God. Oh sure the moment of spiritual ecstasy is great, but the long-term is what proves a person's love for God. Churches these days seem to be competing for the narcoleptics. If we can offer a quick thrill and laughs, provide emotive music with good looking singers, we might be able to grab the curious narcoleptic crowd. So, God goes silent for 40 days. And in the silence we assume we too can change our plans. Commitments mean nothing. Promises can change. True faith only lives under continual obedience, staying bound to the promise, even if I don't see or feel God, I will stay with him. Christianity is a practice of perseverance - - God goes silent to see if you fall asleep. How do you respond to God when he is hides in the cloud of the mountain? Do you stay strong by faith, or fall asleep in your chicken noodle soup? Remember, narcolepsy is no laughing matter!
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