The Theology of Sleep

In this message we’re going to explore the theology of sleep. How does a sleeping human being uniquely image God? Can a good night’s sleep help you know God more?

“You and I we go to sleep every single night, but our brains they never rest…”
Neuroscientist Jeff Iliff, TED talk

“He who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israelwill neither slumber nor sleep.”
Psalm 121, NIV

“Our ability to come up with novel solutions to complex problems is hugely enhanced by a night of sleep… it’s been estimated to give us a three-fold advantage, sleeping at night enhances our creativity.”
Russell Foster, Circadian Neuroscientist, TED Talk

Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping…
Matthew 8:24, NIV (italics mine)

Ever considered what God feels toward you as you sleep?

“That’s when you really love your kids… when you come across them sleeping with their limbs out-flung on the bed sheet, or else curled up tight like a squirrel or some other burrowing creature. The sleeping faces of children are their real faces. They’re weighted with heat, painted pink by the glow of a night light. Their skin is perfect, translucent, newly made, the visible sign of incalculable trust – the face it would gladden us to go back to and claim.”
From The Republic of Love by Carol Shields, Page 192

“And the Divine Nature can change the past.
Nothing is yet in its true form.”
C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold

Pastor John Van Sloten
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