Covered –

to put something in front of (something) in order to protect or conceal it.

Acts 20:7-12 The Message (MSG)

Eutychus Raised From the Dead at Troas

7-9

We met on Sunday to worship and celebrate the Master’s Supper. Paul addressed the congregation. Our plan was to leave first thing in the morning, but Paul talked on, way past midnight. We were meeting in a well-lighted upper room. A young man named Eutychus was sitting in an open window. As Paul went on and on, Eutychus fell sound asleep and toppled out the third-story window. When they picked him up, he was dead.

10-12

Paul went down, stretched himself on him, and hugged him hard. “No more crying,” he said. “There’s life in him yet.” Then Paul got up and served the Master’s Supper. And went on telling stories of the faith until dawn! On that note, they left—Paul going one way, the congregation another, leading the boy off alive, and full of life themselves.

Okay, so I’m convinced that anyone who thinks the Bible is boring, has not yet read the Bible, because DANG this is quite an interesting situation we have here. You’re at Bible study and then boom someone falls out of a window, dies, and gets brought back to life…that’s definitely not nothing. Try to put yourself there, it’s late, you are listening to Paul preach… I mean this is THE Paul speaking. Like, the damascus road Paul… wrote 13 books in the Bible Paul. What would you be doing? Would you be leaning in, taking notes? Or would you fall asleep too?

 I think that this story is really easy to read really fast. It has a quick little takeaway, we often take-away, and run with. The DON’T BE A EUTYCHUS message! Don’t fall asleep, pay attention, be better than him, so you don’t fall out a window and die message. Not sure if that’s what you got from this, but for the longest time that’s ALL I got from this.

Ah, did I miss the beauty in this. The irony. THE GRACE.

I am Eutychus!

I’m the one who does stupid things. I sit on the edge sometimes. Even in the light I fall asleep. I topple. I need revived. I need to be COVERED in a life or death kind of way.

As lame as it sounds to be a Eutychus… I promise it’s not that bad. You see, yes, he fell three stories down and died, but that’s not all that’s written down for us. The story doesn’t end there, thank God! Verses 10-12, that’s what matters. “Paul went down, stretched himself on him, and hugged him hard. “No more crying,” he said. “There’s life in him yet.” Then Paul got up and served the Master’s Supper. And went on telling stories of the faith until dawn! On that note, they left—Paul going one way, the congregation another, leading the boy off alive, and full of life themselves.”

Eutychus fell. Paul covered.

We fall. Jesus covers.

What Paul did that night, is just a taste of what God does for us, each and every day. When we fall, God doesn’t point and say bad. No way! He runs three stories down, at midnight, through all sorts of people, just to get to us. Just to get to you. He runs, he gets down on the ground, he stretches himself over us, and he hugs us hard. He looks to the crowd and yells, “No more crying,” “There’s life in him yet!” Yes, He covers us completely!

In Jesus, under the covering of His blood, when you fall, your covered, and when your covered, what was supposed to kill you God works for His glory!

The focus didn’t end on Eutychus’s fall, but rather on the miracle God had done.

That night people didn’t just leave after Eutychus died, or after he came back alive, they stayed! It says Paul went on telling stories of the faith until dawn! And On that note, they left—  and they left full of life. On that note! On the note of what God did! Not on the note of the fall. Because when we let God be God it matters less what we did, and more who he is.That’s what gets remembered, that’s the note we leave on, that’s what gives life! God is so much better than I even think He is. So much kinder, so much gentler, so much more powerful, and so much more gracious. To think about how he works even my mis-steps, even my mistakes for His glory, I will never understand. This story inspires me to live my life always leaving on notes like that. To live my life looking and dwelling on what God has done. To live as a lover of God who isn’t falling out of windows on purpose, but who knows that even in the midst of the most hopeless situation that I am covered and that God can empower me to walk out of the darkest situation. A lover of God who knows that even death is not the end of hope.

No one is too far gone. There is more than enough hope. Let’s dwell on who God is, and what He can do! Let’s let God be God.

No more crying, there’s life in him yet!

You are covered.