Pulled From the Wreckage

Sermon delivered by Rev. Tamara Lebak, Assistant Minister, Sept. 30, 2007.

I have found myself in several situations over the past month recommending the film Crash to many of you. This film is about humanity’s attempts to make meaningful contact with each other and the world, sometimes even through desperate means. The film grapples with the intense human desire to move beyond the facades of everyday politeness in order to interact with that which really matters: our yearnings, our pain, our hopes, our desperation, and the core of another person. A character in the film says "We’re always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something."

Those of us who have been touched by substance abuse are familiar with this sort of interpersonal wreckage: when those we love cannot stop themselves from drinking or using drugs. I have yet to meet a person who has not been affected by substance abuse, whether directly or through a friendship or family member. Tragically, fear and misunderstanding – the stigma we are all so familiar with – keep people from seeking care, limit public support for expanded services, and make it difficult for individuals to rebuild their lives once they are well. I believe that addiction is a disease and that the human experience in modern culture perpetuates a desire to make real contact with others and only offers cheap substitutes for that meaningful contact: drinking, drugs, shopping, video games, television. The holes in our soul cannot be filled by the idols our culture offers to us. Join me this Sunday as I explore the stigma of substance abuse and our common need for contact.