Serving Sleepy?

A guy by the name of David Wilcox, Tech Director of Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, MD, posted up some thoughts on his blog about "serving sleepy" on a Sunday morning. It was a really good reminder for me on getting plenty of rest Saturday night, so I'm sharp for church on Sunday. We want to be able to engage with God, but also with individual people, and the body of Christ as effectively as we can, and not waste those times because we're too tired. Worship God by getting some rest on Saturday night (and some coffee in the morning if you still need it), and be at church on-time and ready to worship as a church. Here's what Mr. Wilcox says on the subject:

"My non-scientific "gut sense" is that more team members than usual have been serving like the dog in the picture above:sleepy. The cause may have just been the crazy holiday schedules that we all kept over the last couple months, or maybe it is the longer serving times required by the pre-service prayer, or maybe it is actually a broader trend. I'm not sure, but I thought I'd mention two thoughts, just in case it is trending:

1. Everyone on the production teams starts serving on Saturday night. Even though not all of you actually come to the church on Saturday night, everyone on our teams begins to serve on Saturday night. If you want to serve the church effectively on Sunday morning, you need to begin on Saturday night by getting enough rest to come in alert and eager to jump right in. It's a long morning, and you are going to need a full tank at the starting line to be sharp through the end of the race.
2. The way you engage with the service matters. First, it matters for your own soul. When your responsibilities slow down, you may be able to check out or start up a conversation with a team member about the game, but you may also miss your best opportunity to hear from the Lord. Second, it matters because people are watching. You are very visible, especially those of you in the auditorium sound booths. If you allow yourself to doze off or you choose to read something unrelated to the message, you will be noticed. Your actions make a strong statement about how much you value what is happening in the service at that time, both to those around you and the God you are serving.

Please know that I identify with weariness. Ask my wife. Most often, I have nothing left in me by the time I get home on Sunday. I'm wiped out. By the time the sermon comes in the second service, I am ready to be done. But God is not yet done with the church or with us at that point, and I have to push through to the end in order to faithfully fulfill my responsibilities.

I have even done some of the things I listed above in weariness or carelessness or selfishness, but, when I disengage from the singing or preaching, I'm missing what God wants to use to meet my soul in the midst of serving.

Again, I don't know that this is a major issue, but I want to ask us all to consider two quick questions:

1. Am I setting myself up to serve effectively with the decisions I make on Saturday night?
2. Am I valuing what is happening in the service in a way that reflects the fact that God is there and may want to speak to me?"