The Eutychus Phenomenon

We all have our traditions and stories that are familiar. For me, it happens to be Christian texts and allegories, but the description of the Eutychus phenomenon (Acts, Chapter 20; 7-12) is not religious and for the purpose of this mental exercise, we can simply think about historical Greek writings and considers the Acts of the Apostles as simply a historical narrative. According to the story, Eutychus was a youthful person in attendance while Paul was speaking to a well-organized group (that happens to be a church). Paul’s messages went on for a protracted time. Part of the story is that Eutychus was sitting in a windowsill and was overcome by sleep, then fell through the open window to his death, only to be revived by Paul. The parallel I received as I listened to Pastor Otis Moss preach about this text relates to the experiences those of us who are in the room, but not truly given a seat or a voice experience. He was relegated to the window on the third floor in a room with many candles and consequent heat. The name Eutychus means “fortunate.” This adjective, however, is often weaponized when people overlook the effort marginalized...