And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour?”

Mark 14:37

When I was young, I fell asleep during a Lenten service. What added to my embarrassment was that when I woke up, I noticed that my Sunday school teacher was sitting right behind me.

It is recorded in all the Gospels that, at Gethsemane, Jesus asked Peter to stay awake, watch, and pray. Yet this bold disciple fell asleep, not once, but three times. Each time he woke up to see not his Sunday school teacher, but Jesus, his Lord. How embarrassed Peter must have felt!

As seniors, we may also experience embarrassment as we unintentionally doze off during evening Lenten services or during the sunrise Easter service. At these times, we remember that Jesus is an understanding, loving God who took all our embarrassing sins to the cross.

Stan Tordsen
Stewartville, MN

Lord, help me stay awake to focus on You. Amen.

Reflect: Share your memories of a Lenten, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, or Easter service.

Read: Matthew 24:42 and Matthew 26:36-46