From the UCC Network: Devotional for 12/14 "The Trap"

The Trap

Excerpt from Luke 21:34-35

 “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, like a trap.”

Reflection by Lillian Daniel

At my father’s funeral, the minister opened up the service for anyone who wanted to come forward to speak. She did this because so many of the people in attendance were members of Alcoholics Anonymous, and she wanted to offer them the chance to share in the way they did at meetings. I believe her pastoral sense told her that this would be a tough time for everyone, but in particular for the crowd who must decide day by day to stay sober.

I attended some open AA meetings with my dad, and I heard some wild stories, some of them sad, others darkly funny. The stories were not meant to glamorize drunkenness; they were meant to help the alcoholic stay sober for one more day. They helped us all to pay attention to the gift of the present.

One of my favorite memories of my father, after he became sober, was how he handled himself at parties when people would offer him an alcoholic drink. After refusing politely, the host would often ask, as people do, “Oh, don’t you drink?”

“Not socially,” my father would reply.

In the Advent readings, Jesus tells us in many different ways to be present. He tells us to stay alert, to wake up and, here, to sober up.

Now, Jesus drank wine himself, so I don’t think this is a blanket statement about alcohol. But clearly Jesus could see when drinking got out of control. He could see when hearts got weighed down by dissipation and drunkenness. And he cared enough about it to say something. I have no doubt that Jesus is as present around the tables of AA meetings as he is at the communion feast.

Advent can be a difficult season for people who are struggling with addiction, whatever that addiction may be. There are more holiday parties, more temptations, and we may slip up and do the very thing we hate.

Whatever our crutch may be, whatever our particular temptation, we mistakenly think that it will ease our worries. But that kind of behavior brings worries of its own. Before you know it, the crutch has become a trap.

Prayer 

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference. Amen.

About the Author Lillian Daniel is the senior minister of the First Congregational Church, UCC, Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Her new book, This Odd and Wondrous Calling: the Public and Private Lives of Two Ministers, co-authored with Martin B. Copenhaver, has just been published.