Loading...Sermon January 14, 2018
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, LSW
The Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen’s, Newport, PA
Second Sunday After the Epiphany, Year B
//lectionarypage.net/YearB_RCL/Epiphany/BEpi2_RCL.html
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body. I Corinthians 6:19-20
Please be seated.
I groaned when I read this part of scripture earlier in the week. “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you….?”
Oh my, I really want to avoid talking about this. I don’t know about you, but taking good care of my body has been a challenge all of my life. I’ve lost so many pounds over the years and gained them right back. It’s like I just stuck them in a closet until a different season and then loaded them right back on.
I love desserts and sweets and plenty of things that aren’t always the best choices for this temple body. I am not always into exercising properly. I love to stay up late at night and don’t always get the recommended amount of sleep.
Instead of a beautiful cathedral, I’m afraid my temple for God to dwell within me is a falling down church.
So, I really wanted to avoid these verses. Then I was driving and heard a program about addiction. I thought about how we in the church must talk about addiction, especially understanding that our community and our country has been dealing with addiction crises for many years. Most recently, we hear about the opioid addiction crisis.
Back in August an article on PennLive reported that in 2016, overdose deaths in Perry County increased by 200% from 3 in 2015 to 9 in 2016. Juniata County overdose deaths increased from 1 in 2015 to 4 in 2016. This is well above the national average.
//www.pennlive.com/news/2017/07/pa_overdoses_surge_again_the_l.html
And even these statistics are misleading, because the deaths are recorded where they occur, rather than where the person lived. So, often in Perry County, for instance, the person may reside here, but end up dying in the hospital in Harrisburg, so the overdose death is attributed to Dauphin County.
And an increase in the death rates of middle-aged people who are White has been attributed to “deaths of despair” by suicide, drugs and alcohol, according to two economists. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/03/23/521083335/the-forces-driving-middle-aged-white-peoples-deaths-of-despair
In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul is countering a belief amongst the early Christians that once they were baptized and redeemed by Christ, they had no obligation to live for the common good in all aspects of their lives. Some seemed to think they could do anything they wanted. Paul was saying that while things may be lawful, they are not necessarily helpful.
In my case, food is lawful, but not all foods are helpful to me.
The rise in opioid drug use has been attributed to prescription painkiller drug abuse. The statistics show that men who die from a drug overdose, usually have used heroin and fentanyl, while women tend to abuse prescription painkillers. Some of these drugs are lawful, but not all are helpful to everyone. The same is true of alcohol. It is lawful and it is not always helpful to everyone.
There are many causes of addiction. According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA):
Like diabetes, cancer and heart disease, addiction is caused by a combination of behavioral, environmental and biological factors. Genetic risk factors account for about half of the likelihood that an individual will develop addiction.
Addiction involves changes in the functioning of the brain and body. These changes may be brought on by risky substance use or may pre-exist.
The consequences of untreated addiction often include other physical and mental health disorders that require medical attention. If left untreated over time, addiction becomes more severe, disabling and life threatening.
https://www.centeronaddiction.org/what-addiction/addiction-disease
Our bodies are a dwelling place for God and addictions can be a major obstacle in maintaining that dwelling place.
So what can we do?
The Episcopal Church has addressed this issue, most recently at the 2015 General Convention. I have printed out copies of the resolutions that were passed, including one about alcohol use at church-sponsored events or events held at the church.
Treatment is certainly a challenge. Often the addiction changes a person’s brain in areas that make treatment difficult. In addition, like every chronic medical condition, going back to behaviors that are not helpful or relapsing as it’s known in the addiction world, is usually part of the disease.
In writing this sermon I got in touch with the former Chaplain at my seminar, The Rev. Dr. Stuart Hoke. He taught a class I took on addiction and the church. He reminded me that there is also a spiritual dimension to addiction that involves resentment, isolation, fear, shame, guilt, a deep longing to fill the “hole in the soul,” and the #1 symptom – denial. Addiction is the only disease that tells us we don’t have it, he says.
So treatment must address the entire person – physical, emotional/behavioral, and spiritual.
We can provide support. We can provide encouragement. We can be realistic if we are living with someone who is an addict…realistic about their behavior and about how they are in their disease. For instance, if they are not in treatment, we may not be able to live with them or be around them or trust them.
I have copied the schedules of a number of 12-step meetings. The 12-step programs provide support, as well as a spiritual foundation for recovery and for an addiction-free way of life. In the rack at the back of the church are schedules for Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and Al-Anon, which is for anyone whose life has been affected by someone else’s drinking.
Some of the meetings are open to anyone who is seeking more information or wants to know what this program is about.
I am available to go with someone to these or any other 12-step meetings. There is a 12-step meeting for nearly anything you can imagine, including overeating or undereating, financial difficulties, gambling, and relationship addiction. I have included links to the many groups on our website at the end of this sermon. I encourage you to accompany someone you might know who is dealing with these addictions.
For instance, in Newport, there is an open, discussion Narcotics Anonymous Group on Fridays at 7 at Newport Assembly of God Church on 6th Street. The same location has an open Alcoholics Anonymous meeting on Saturday at 7.
I pray for you and for myself that we can always remember that our bodies are temples for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Let us work together to help those among us and in our community to do the same.
Amen
PA Al-Anon/Al-ATeen: https://pa-al-anon.org/
Alcoholics Anonymous Harrisburg area: //www.aaharrisburg.org/
Narcotics Anonymous Harrisburg area: //casna.info/
Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous: https://slaafws.org/
Overeaters Anonymous: https://oa.org/
Debtor's Anonymous: https://debtorsanonymous.org/
Workaholics Anonymous: //www.workaholics-anonymous.org/
Gamblers' Anonymous: //www.gamblersanonymous.org/ga/
List and links of all 12-step groups: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_twelve-step_groups
