A Word from Pastor Lisa: Sleep in Heavenly Peace
“[Mary] gave birth to her firstborn child, a son, wrapped him snugly, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the guestroom.” – Luke 2:7 (CEB)
My heart is always warmed on Christmas Eve by the beauty of lighting candles and singing “Silent Night.” Meanwhile the pastor part of my brain usually mumbles, “This song is a terrible reflection of Scripture, theology, and real life.” Anyone who has been around babies, farm animals, or small rural villages knows there is nothing silent or calm about them. They are noisy, active, and restless. They neither sleep soundly nor allow others to do so. Despite the unrealistic portrayal of the nativity scene, I wonder if there’s a phrase to which we might aspire – that Mary was able to swaddle her baby, with all of the chaos around him, so that he might “sleep in heavenly peace.”
Heaven knows we haven’t been sleeping in peace during this pandemic. The Cleveland Clinic coined the phrases “covidsomnia” and “coronasomnia” to describe how the trauma and stress of the pandemic have caused sleep problems globally. Since 2020, insomnia has increased 5-6% in the U.K. and China. In the same timeframe, Americans googled “insomnia” 58% more often. A study found 54% of children and teens faced pandemic-related sleep disturbances. It’s not just the pandemic that causes sleep trouble – depression, anxiety, housing issues, hunger, health problems, and fear of violence are other reasons people don’t get good rest.
That’s why in 2016, Tricia Hersey, the self-titled “Nap Bishop,” founded The Nap Ministry with the tagline “rest is resistance.” She combines art, music, poetry, yoga mats, blankets, pillows, and meditation to create a restful worship space. She guides groups in a transformative and healing experience focused on rest and rejuvenation. Her sessions take place in parks, yoga studios, churches, art galleries, and living rooms. She aims to create sacred nap spaces that “harness the power of rest.” Hersey desires all of us to get out of the “grind” culture and experience the rest that God intends for us.
My prayer is that in the chaos of the pandemic and the troubles of the world around us, we might carve space this season to be intentional about rest and sleep. What’s more, I hope we’ll examine our own lives, and for those of us in places of privilege, that we might be generous so that others who struggle with mental health, housing, health, and hunger might find safe, healing places to lay their heads. This year our Christmas Offering will be split between the Bishop’s Christmas Offering for children and Exodus Refugee Immigration, which helps families with resettlement, including the family from Afghanistan we’re currently assisting. (Click here to give online.) Thank you for making a difference in the lives of so many, ensuring that all of God’s children may sleep in heavenly peace.