Ghosted in Christmas Present – Merry Christmas! - Purity 1230

To see today's photo, go to mt4christ.org or follow me, M.t. Clark, on Facebook or Twitter. Good morning. Today's photo of my canine friend Harley with his eyes fixed on something in the distance, or pretending he never knew me, uh, as the sun lights up the sky and tries to hide behind the power tower, comes to us from yours truly as I captured the scene at the place where Freedom and Waite Road meet while out walking Friday afternoon. Well, it's— this is Christmas, and if you've had a similar experience to me, uh, to the one I had yesterday, you may be wonder— wondering, what have I done? As another year's almost over and, uh, new one's almost begun. So, okay, that, that was an attempt to harness John Lennon's Happy Christmas cadence as I try to make light of something that happened at the Christmas Eve service at my local church yesterday. Oh, by the way, to keep the John and Yoko classic rolling: Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Let's hope it's a good one without any fear. Fear? What's there to be afraid of at Christmas time? Well, Ebenezer Scrooge would tell you that there are ghosts to be aware of, and I would tell you that if you're in recovery, there are demons and "spirits" of the past that will attempt to pull you into relapse that you may have to ward off. Full confession, I took a 2-day break from sanity and my food plan, and will celebrate Christmas today making wise food choices and drinking lots of water to flush out all the sugar I put into my body over the last 48 hours. But as frightening as relapse can be, if it doesn't kill you— not a joke— there is always a new day to ask the Lord for forgiveness and strength and to start again. With food addiction, my body will be back in the zone in a few days, and as long as I don't get trapped in a vicious cycle of temptation and giving in, I will be back on the road to increased health and physical fitness in no time. And I will be armed with another reminder of just how unsatisfying giving into the things that tempt you can be. Uh, with recovery from substance abuse, drugs, drinking, or food and/or sex addiction, one often arrives to a moment of clarity where the addict clearly sees the emptiness of the object of their obsession, where you can see that there is nothing in and of the object of your addiction itself that has anything of substance or lasting satisfaction, where you realize that the thing that has kept you in change is almost ethereal or ghost-like, and how its effects can give you pleasure and then just fade away, where you realize there is nothing to it. The moment of clarity is a good moment to have because you can gain an insight to the mirage-like quality of how you have been deceived and believed the lie that there was something inherently good about the object of your addiction. Now, you can renounce the lies that you believed and hopefully not forget and get lured into them again. Over the last 2 days, I was reminded of how sugar and carb-laden foods really aren't good food. They really aren't. And now will choose to put that insight into practice and feel my body slowly recovery from the heaviness those foods put on me. Okay, with all that said about relapse and recovery, one may think that I may have been tempted to relapse at my church with sweet treats or something, and even though that has happened before, it wasn't the disturbing thing that happened to me yesterday that has me reminded of the big stigma you get when you walk through life with the recovery label. While I have seen the fear and awkwardness in the eyes of some of my Christian brothers and sisters when they come to realize that I am quote-unquote one of those Christians, a prodigal or a former carnal Christian or a man with a past or brokenness, I am still somewhat taken aback when I encounter someone whose demeanor towards me changes when they realize I'm in recovery. But I was really quite shocked yesterday when I was ghosted in Christmas present by someone who I've been encouraging to come out of the darkness of addiction themselves. While waiting to go into the Christmas Eve service, I saw someone I knew from one of the rooms, as the people in AA say, and gave a quick, "Hey, blank," to which they didn't respond. As they averted their eyes, looked off into the distance, and said something like, "Hey, what's over here?" to the person they were walking with, and they walked off without responding to my nonchalant greeting. Ghosted on Christmas Eve by someone who I tried to help. It couldn't be, could it? As awkward as these little interactions can be, whether you've been blown off or the one blowing someone off, trying to avoid them, you know that often you get a second pass, that somehow you end up encountering the person again. And sure enough, as I stood waiting to be let into the church service, because of the bustling crowd, the person who had walked on by ended up being pushed in my direction once again. And while I didn't try to greet them the second time, uh, the second pass made it painfully obvious to me that they were indeed avoiding me. Ghosted again. Anyway, no big deal. There is a stigma to recovery, and the person may have been under the impression that I am known for running the recovery ministry group, which I am probably kidding myself, but I don't think I am. But not in our big church, right? But, and they didn't want to be associated with me to keep their addiction a secret. Or perhaps more likely, because I haven't seen them in a few weeks, they may be in the midst of a holiday recovery hiatus that is a little more illicit than eggnog, candy, and cookies. They may have walked on by because they have fallen into their addiction again and were convicted by my mere presence. I have seen it before, and if I was a gambling man like I used to be, I would put some money down and make a wager that more than social embarrassment, my friend avoided me because they are back to hiding in the shadows. Everything's fine, nothing to see here. I don't need recovery, thanks, move along, please move along. Well, he moved along, and I will too, and, uh, will wonder if I will see them in the rooms again after the holiday hoopla is gone and the new year begins. I hope they do come back, because I know about those shadows, and life is so much better living in the light. So, as we enjoy the big holiday today, it is my prayer that all my friends have a safe, sensible, and self-controlled Christmas, and that you thank God for all the gifts you have received, and find some peace and rest knowing that Christ has given you a new and eternal life. It gets better the closer you get to him. Today's Bible verse comes to us from the Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling by John G. Crews. This morning's meditation verses come from the section on comfort, and today we're reading from Deuteronomy 32:10-12. And the word of God says, he found him in a desert land and in the wasteland, a howling wilderness. He encircled him, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings, so the Lord alone led him, and there was no foreign god with him. Today's verses fall under the second point of our Counseling Reference Guide's resource section on comfort. And that second point is: as an eagle stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, so God cares for his own. Today's verses come from the Song of Moses, where he reflects in a song all about how the Lord swooped in and rescued the nation of Israel and literally walked them through the desert to the Promised Land, where the Lord led them from slavery to freedom. The themes of rescue and provision should be very familiar to the Christian because we were once lost and are now found. We were dead and brought to life. We were in darkness and saw the light. I could sing a song of praise to the Lord for all he has done for me, and I have. In fact, last night as I was driving back to my countryside home from my parents' place in Hudson, I was a little tired and realized I had to be diligent to stay awake, so I turned off the audiobook I was listening to and put on a playlist of worship music from my Celebrate Freedom Days in Hudson. And it didn't take long before I was wide awake and singing and shouting out praises to the Lord as I drove north. As I was reminded of how the Lord has rescued me and blessed my path, I was lifted to heights of joy as I sang and shouted out my thanks and praises. And the fact that I was doing it on Christmas Eve took my worship session up a few notches higher as I realized that I was doing what all Christians should be doing on Christmas Eve— thanking God, praising him, and proclaiming our undying allegiance to following him. So on this Christmas Day, let's remember the rescue and the new life we have, we have, and rejoice over the best gift we have ever received, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. Today we continue sharing from God Is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. And today we begin— Advent's over, I guess, or is it? I don't know. Um, but today we're doing the 12 Days of Christmas and the Epiphany according to our resource. Um, for Christmas Day, December 25th, today's message is called Living by God's Mercy. And Bonhoeffer writes, we cannot approach the manger of the Christ child in the same way we approach the cradle of another child. Rather, when we go to his manger, something happens, and we cannot leave it again unless we have been judged or redeemed. Here we must either collapse or know the mercy of God directed toward us. What does that mean? Isn't all of this just a way of speaking? Isn't it just pastoral exaggeration of a pretty and pious legend? What does it mean that such things are said about the Christ Child? Those who want to take it as a way of speaking will do so, and continue to celebrate Advent and Christmas as before, with pagan indifference. For us, it is not just a way of speaking, for that is just it. It is God himself, the Lord and Creator of all things, who is so small here, who is hidden here in the corner, who enters into the plainness of the world, who meets us in the helplessness and defenselessness of a child and wants to be with us. And he does this not out of playfulness or sport because we find that so touching, but in order to show us where he is and who he is, and in order from this place to judge and devalue and dethrone all human ambition. The throne of God in the world is not on human thrones, but in human depths, in the manger. Standing around his throne there are no flattering vassals, but dark, unknown, questionable figures who cannot get their fill of this miracle and want to live entirely by the mercy of God. And our resource also shows this, this message from Bonhoeffer. Joy to the world! Anyone for whom this sound is foreign or who hears in it nothing but weak enthusiasm has not yet really heard the gospel. For the sake of humankind, Jesus Christ became a human being in a stable in Bethlehem. Rejoice, O Christendom! For sinners, Jesus Christ becomes a companion of tax collectors and prostitutes. Rejoice, O Christendom! For the condemned, Jesus was condemned to the cross on Golgotha. Rejoice, O Christendom! For all of us, Jesus Christ was resurrected to life. Rejoice, O Christendom! All over the world today, people are asking, "Where is the path to joy?" The Church of Christ answers loudly: Jesus is our joy! Joy to the world! And finally, our, our resource shares 1 Peter 1 through, uh, 1 Peter 1, verses 6 through 9. And the word of God says, in this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, being more precious than gold that through, though perishable, is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Although you have not seen him, you love him. And even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. That concludes our sharing from Dietrich Bonhoeffer's God Is in the Manger for Christmas Day, December 25th. Well, it is Christmas and I'm a little tired from all the holiday festivities and, you know, binging on sugar and carb-laden foods. I'm going to drink some water today and try to relax and enjoy the day. And it's my prayer that everyone who hears this message or reads this message have a very Merry Christmas and to remember, no matter what you've done, there's no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. For those who love him and are called according to his purpose, he's working everything for good. So, um, just keep walking and talking with God. Enjoy your Christmas and have a wonderful day. Let's pray. Lord God, Heavenly Father, thank you for another day in your kingdom. Thank you for this Christmas Day, Lord, where we realize we are alive with you forever. And Lord, we just celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and the fact that he's not a baby anymore. He died and was raised to— raised to life again, and will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and reclaim the earth and bring everyone under his government. And we look forward to that day. But today we rejoice where we are. Lord, we pray for anyone who's listening or reading today's message, that you bless them and their Christmas, that you bless their path and guide them in the way they should go. And Lord, as for us, we thank you for our salvation, and we pray for you to show us things that you want us to see today and lead us in the way we should go. That's all we want to do, is represent your kingdom and rest in your presence. Lord, we thank you, we praise you, we love you. We pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.