Acts 20

I'm glad to know that the fine art of falling asleep during church started from the very beginning. Paul apparently preached all night long in Troas and Eutychus just couldn't keep up. Thankfully, we don't sit in windows to hear the sermon, so we run little risk of falling, dying, and being resurrected, but it's nice to know that God still performed a miracle even though Eutychus fell asleep during the sermon.

The real meat of this chapter is not in the fact that God forgives us when we fall asleep during church. It's about this extended relay that all believers are a part of. We each run our segment of the race and then pass the baton on to the next group of believers. Paul recognized that. He had some knowledge from the Holy Spirit that he was going to be imprisoned and that he would never see the Ephesians again. He realized that it was time to pass the baton, so he called together the leaders of the church, reminded them of what he taught, warned them about the dangers that lie ahead, and left to walk the path God laid out before him.

Many of us experience these same moments. It's just a part of life. The world keeps going, Christianity keeps going, but it's someone new leading the way for each generation. The challenge is to be like Paul and recognize that it's good to pass that torch. If Paul had chosen to keep a hold on the church at Ephesus and not let it grow on its own he would have done a disservice to them and would have been disobedient to God. How many things are you still trying to keep a hold on rather than letting them grow on their own? How many people have you taught, groomed, and trusted to carry on in your absence?