Today I visited a new church. At one point during the sermon a woman fell asleep and began snoring. It wasn't delicate, feminine snoring. It was full force lumber yard snoring. As the snoring became obvious to others I could feel tension mounting from those sitting near the slumbering sweetie. Some shook their heads. I watched people fidget and shift in their seats. Some laughed and snickered. Some intentionally ignored the snoring. One man looked like he was considering tapping the snoring woman on the shoulder to wake her up. Many were disturbed by this woman snoring in church. Then she woke up and the snoring stopped. Amen. The sermon could continue without any distractions.
The snoring situation I experienced in church today got my brain burning. Why doesn't injustice, poverty, homelessness and hunger disturb the church as much as a snoring woman sitting in the pews? If injustice, hunger, homelessness and poverty sat in the pews and started snoring during church would it disturb us? Would we be so annoyed that we would try to stop it? Would we laugh it away or intentionally ignore it? Would we pray that it would stop so that we could listen to the sermon without being distracted?
I pray that you and I will always be disturbed by injustice, poverty, homelessness and hunger.
