Emmanuel UCC - PDF document

1 | NAPS 7/5/12 Given for Emmanuel UCC community, Dousman, WI s j natha n NAPS There are a lot of jokes about people taking naps as soon as the pastor star ts th e Sunday sermon. But guess wha t , if you need to nap, go ahead. May Creator God bless your drowsing need and give you the sweetest rest. This morning, I am ENCOURAGING you to nap. It IS the Sabbath, the DAY of sweetest rest. N aps are good. Naps renew tired bodies. Naps are terrific for wearied souls. Naps ARE soul care. Three of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) tell the stor y of Jesus napping on the fishing boat in the Sea of Galilee, before a storm came up. Jesus actually went into such a deep nap that he was not aware of the change in the sea breeze or the increasing swell s or the waves splashing over the sides and into th e boat. He was tired out and he was resting his head on a pillow in the stern of the sailboat . Have you ever been so lucky as to take a nap on a boat? I was raised around the water and saw how fast weather can change on the Fox River and on Lake Michiga n. A nd a s an adult, friends of ours had sailboats both large and small, and Roger and I were blessed to be guests dozing in the brisk pulses of Lake Michigan wind and wave, rocking along with good companions. In fact, resting on the water can be so un - wi nding an experience, and the sun and fresh air can turn your muscles into such jelly --- that when you go home you just want to NAP . But what if you couldn’t? What if you could not do what Jesus apparently did --- put your head on a pillow and just let it a ll go --- out to the clouds and the waves and the dancing spray? How many of you have been so tired you couldn’t sleep? Like shift workers. How many of you have been so sad you couldn’t sleep? Like new widowers and widows? How many of you have been so worri ed you couldn’t sleep? Like parents with a child in the hospital , or out in a fast car . How many of you have been so excited you couldn’t sleep? Like those who have just fallen in love. How many of you have been so hyper - alert you couldn’t sleep? Like th ose who serve in war zones or police unit s. Finally, perhaps when the situation eases, maybe you can ta k e a little nap. There are such good reasons for “stealing a little shut - eye ! ” But what if, whe n you shut your eyes, you STILL could not sleep? Now we’re talking insomnia͘ The clinical definition of insomnia is the inability to get more than 3 days of restful sleep a week, for 3 out of 4 weeks͘ That’s what happened to one of the most successful entertainers in history, Michael Jackson. As far back as 1996, he wrote to his wife at the time, Lisa Marie Presley, that he was desperate for sleep and 2 | NAPS 7/5/12 Given for Emmanuel UCC community, Dousman, WI s j natha n had not been able to sleep for four days. 1 Repeated sleep loss drove Jackson to bizarre behaviors and lethal drug combinations. Slee p loss contributed to his early death. Others of us who’ve had some experience of sleep loss understand very well how sleep deprivation can be a tool of torture. Sleep is such an important health issue that there is actually an American Academy of Sleep Medicine, with accreditation and continuing education programs . It help s clinicians treat sleep disorders in infants, children, teenagers and adults. Lack of proper rest can make us crabby. It can contribute to car crashes, family violence, inattention, slower reaction time, loss of energy, impaired coordination, poor decision - making, forgetfulness, household accidents, restlessness and for sure, fatigue. Sleep deprivation contributes to high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and heart attacks. Getting enough rest IS SOUL CARE! Researchers say about twenty percent of us — one fifth of the entire population -- all age groups -- do not get enough sleep. That means we open ourselves to some of the side - effects. There are all kinds of reasons for this. People of a certain age come from a working culture that says you work hurt͘ You show up no matter what͘ Doesn’t matter if you’re tired to death before you get there. You give the job your all. Others from another generation are not so w edded to that kind of work behavior, but they will keep long hours. Media is now on 24/7. If people have a job, they are available in the TOILET , and I have been privileged to overhear working conversations in the bathroom from other people’ s cell phones. Today people can b e tapped by the JOB in their cars, on a train, a bus, an airplane --- or while they’re making dinner, changing the baby, or taking a night class. Whatever generation we might come from, Americans are more fatigued than ever, and it’s not because we ’re sissie s͘ It’s because we have light to see by at any hour of day or night , and we can perform some task or other around the clock. Some folks are working two and three part - time jobs. Some people are cleaning houses and hotels seven days a week, so their kids can have a better life. Others pore over new media tools that communicate with the entire planet from any time zone -- or call people to work whether they are in the basement , nursing a baby, or coping with a sick partner. Any one of these situations is exhausting. Now put them all together. Toss in the national culture of fear; fear of job loss, fear of failure, fear of changing times, fear of our increasingly diverse neighbors , fear of dying . Few emotions are as draining as fear — or as stimulating. N o wonder we are so very tired. 1 http://www.emaxhealth.com/1272/46/33067/insomnia - contributed - michael - jackson%E2%80%99s - death.html 3 | NAPS 7/5/12 Given for Emmanuel UCC community, Dousman, WI s j natha n So once again we come back to the subject of naps. And August is definitely nap season. August is usually the heat of the summer days͘ There’s a buzzing sound of insects, a fabric of background bird noises, dried grass, pr ickly heat, sunburn , sweat and maybe sand͘ There’s a haze in the air and perhaps a lot of dust from cut crops and farm machinery. Sometimes you can see heat waves rippling in the air, changing the shape of the road; maybe hanging a sun - dog in the sky. Y es, August is definitely nap season. But our inclination is to fight it. Western culture is ashamed of the nap. We need to GET OVER IT . Scientists at Harvard Medical School 2 say napping regularly may reduce stress and even decrease our risk of heart dis ease. That saves lives, and money. Napping adds to LIFE! Jesus, the wandering teacher, napped. Jesus means LIFE IN ALL ITS FULLNESS to us. Napping helps a 5 8 - year - old woman named Connie keep the pace in California. 3 Connie is a marketing manager in he althcare, and she is a working mom and family caregiver͘ She’s up by 6 AM each day and tries to be in bed by 10:30 PM each night, but the stuff in life often makes her bedtime much later. “I can’t do all - nighters anymore or only get six hours and not hav e it affect me,” she says͘ “If I don’t get my naps, I get cranky and unfocused by the end of a week of short nights͘ That nap helps bring back my energy͘” So to combat fatigue and stay on top of her daily list, Connie takes power naps as part of her ro utine. She sets an alarm for a short snooze. This is a life - enhancing practice according Dr. Medick, on the faculty of the U of California, and author of Take A Nap! Change Your Life! Dr. Medick says you can get great benefits from 15 - 20 minutes of napp ing͘ “You reset your system and get a burst of alertness and increased motor performance . ” That’s what most people need to stave off sleepiness and sharpen up their energy. How long you nap and the kind of sleep you get helps determine your brain - boosti ng benefits. Twenty minutes is good for alertness and motor learning skills like computing keyboards and piano - playing. Napping for thirty to sixty minutes is good for boosting memory and enhancing creativity; increasing decision - making skills, memorizin g vocabulary or recalling directions. The longer naps help make new connections in the brain so we can solve creative problems. Dr. Medick says naps are better than coffee, because coffee can perk us up, but we’ re still more prone to making mistakes even though we may feel more “ wired ” than tired. So here are Dr͘ Medick’s rules for good naps͗ 2 Web MD 3 Web MD 4 | NAPS 7/5/12 Given for Emmanuel UCC community, Dousman, WI s j natha n Be regular . Prime napping time is between 1:00 and 3:00 PM. Make it quick . Set an alarm for 30 minutes to avoid waking up groggy. Go dark. A dark room or eye mask helps block out light and brings on sleep. Stay warm. Stash a blanket nearby; your body temp drops while you snooze. For better nighttime sleep the famous Cleveland Clinic has these little rules 4 : Exercise regularly . Just walking 30 minutes a day relieves built - up stress. Make bed - time comfy. Good pillows and a good mattress protect your head, neck, hips and back. Slow down your body to relax . Deep breathing and evening meditation — the ten minute gift. Ban beside digital devices. Take control of round - the - clock interruptions. Pastor Simone’s own rule for better nighttime sleep is: drink a large cup of warm milk with a heaping tablespoon of honey , right before turning down the covers and quietly offering your evening prayer . Bless everyone, thank for all your gifts and give your worries to Jesus in the boat. Let him sleep on them. The One who launches us into life and invites us to be fully human, was that same One who needed a nap. So as we drift off into the discipline of res t, let us remember the napping, vulnerable Christ . Our rest WITH him can recharge our days. With our closed eyes, Let us really look at him. Look not at his divinity, but look rather at his sleeping and waking freedom. L et’s l ook , not at the exaggerate d ta les of his power, but see instead his infinite capacity to give himself away. Look not at the first - century mythology that surrounds him, but see from the 21 st century, his courage to be, his ability to live, and the contagious quality of his love. Let’s pause in our own frantic and worried seeking and gathering. Let’s b e still and know that THIS is God: This open and affirming love, t his freedom, this life, this BE - ing. 4 Cleveland ClinicWellness.com 5 | NAPS 7/5/12 Given for Emmanuel UCC community, Dousman, WI s j natha n And when you understand how deeply you are accepted inside this love , accept yo urself. When you know you are forgiven, forgive yourself. Reach deep for healing Christpower as you rest , and dare to be profoundly human, as a Way - Follower of Jesus of Nazareth. Like him, become a beautiful dreamer. Think of him folding you --- into this lullaby: Beautiful Dreamer by Stephen Foster (adapted) Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me, Starlight and dewdrops are showered for w e; Sounds of the rude world, heard in the day, Lul l'd by the moonlight can all pass away! Beautiful dreamer, heart of my song, Hear while I touch you with soft melody; Lift - ed are cares of life's busy throng, Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me! Bea utiful dreamer, awake unto me! Beautiful dreamer, rest on sleep’s sea, Wild birds are sing ing a song that is free; Over life’s currents spirits are borne, Gladly to wake at the bright coming morn. Beautiful dr eamer, beam of my heart, Think of the gay light on river and sea; Then when all clouds of sorrow depart, Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me! B eautiful dreamer, awake unto m e͙ Dear frie nds, be blessed in your rest. Be refreshed and renewed. And carry the trusting Christ spirit into and out of a ll the days of your lives. AMEN .