Crankeverend (CR) has to do a little Mea Culpa before we move forward with the War on Drugs….CR has had to fight this war in his own family for too long. CR is tired and Cranky when the discussion of drugs pops up somewhere in the conversation either at church or on the internet. But it is a discussion that needs to continue, because another member of CR’s family, CR’s church family, has died from the battle with addictions. It is sad every time that someone loses this battle, but it is a battle that is not just personal, but communal.
A member of CR’s church died this past week from an overdose. He was the kind of member who wouldn’t always attend, but was there when you needed him. He didn’t want to chair a committee or run a ministry, but he would show up and work hard. He came to bible study and it was obvious he struggled with his own sense of Grace, and his own sense of worthiness, yet he was the epitome of being a worker for Jesus. How does CR reconcile this man’s struggle with life and faith? And how does one reconcile losing his battle to understand both with the G-d who loves us all unconditionally?
Simple, G-d is a G-d of unconditional love, mercy and grace — and G-d has determined to allow this world to have certain freedoms — because as Harold Kushner came to realize in his book “When Bad Things Happen to Good People”, our G-d is all loving when it comes to this world, but not all powerful, when it comes to this world. In other words, if G-d was all powerful, there would be no disease, death, disfigurement, and disasters. But there is death, disease, disfigurement and disaster — so what does that all mean? It means that G-d allows for dualities — death and life, ease and disease, calm and disasters, good and bad. So when we find that we are on the wrong side, the question we should NOT ask is “Why?” — the question we need to ask is “How?” “How will we come through these experiences with some new understanding, if any?”; and “How is it that G-d still does act in powerful ways in this world, but not always?”
Let’s start with the “Why?” If CR asks you for a good answer to “Why did CR’s member overdose at such a young age?”, do you have any answer that does not involve “sinful living” and “needing more church?” Do you have ANY answer that does not involve “G-d needing new angels”? CR’s friend was in church on a regular basis, hearing the Gospel and taking the sacrament of Holy Communion. CR wants, no DEMANDS a good answer to “WHY?” CR’s cranky factor goes off the scale sometimes when CR hears answers that remind him of Helen Sterner Rice poems. Fact is, there are no good answers, and you and CR both know it. So, then, how will we come through these experiences with renewed understanding, if not renewed faith? And, what of this war on drugs?
Truthfully, how will CR and those of his church come through this experience with some new understanding? That is yet to be determined. What CR does know is this, instead of blaming society, or the person, or their “situation” or their friends, or their choices, we need to cling to the feet of Jesus on the cross and realize that a world that would kill Jesus, on a cross, is a world that is profoundly broken — and we live in this world. And it is in this world that CR’s friends have suffered, have died in tragic ways, have struggled, and yet also have a G-d that does not abandon them. And neither should we abandon our friends and family members who are struggling — with addictions and other struggles. We need to stay at their side and remind them that we have a G-d who remains at our side and loves us without condition. And then, we need to walk with them into the future — a future that begins with love, not condemnation — hope, not blame — grace, not judgment — living for something, not against something — living in life affirming, not life denying ways. This is how G-d acts in powerful ways in this world — the power of the community empowered with the Holy Spirit is a community of believers where miracles do happen. Don’t believe CR…….then find a community of believers and join the journey into the future.
And finally, on this war on drugs……this seems like a losing battle. A society that cannot care for each other is a society that forces people on the fringes to seek mind altering methods to cope. Until we can learn to love one another, and find ways to live that out, removing our “egos” and actually focusing on others — until we can learn to slow down and actually talk to one another, not demanding our own ways but struggling to find common ground — we will never win another battle, whether that is a war on drugs or a war between liberals and conservatives. As long as the log in our own eyes blocks and blinds our vision of others, we lose……..and G-d weeps.
CR can’t give you answers — but CR can point you to G-d — who gave us Jesus!
Crankeverend……….weeping!
The "Frowning Glory" 
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