Life in Lotus Land, Chapter 39: Father Doug's Last Sermon

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The day before we left Hualien to come home, Suzanne and I went to church at Agape House one last time. "Agape" (unconditional love) House is a Christian alcohol and drug residential recovery facility about twenty minutes north of town on Hwy 9.

This is my farewell to the men and women living in the place:

Journeys

Suzanne and I are going home to Canada tomorrow. In other words, we are on a journey.

So are you—but your journey is quite a bit different from ours—and very similar to the best-known journey in the Bible. Exodus. The journey from bondage in Egypt to the Promised Land. The Israelites called their Promised Land “the Land of Milk and Honey”. They expected it to be a place of ease and plenty—but in reality it was neither.

More about that later. For the moment, just try to understand that the Israelites had no personal knowledge of their destination. Your journey is from the bondage of alcohol and other drugs to an uncertain future that you understand will be better than where you were before—but you have no personal knowledge of this. All you know is that every day will present its own challenges and struggles.

It is easy to see the similarity between the bondage of being an Egyptian slave, and the bondage of an addicted person to the drug that controls his or her life. The Israelites had backbreaking labour under the hot African sun. They had whips, and cruel bosses. They had poor and inadequate food.

They had no control over their lives, their homes, their bodies, or themselves. Many of these same criteria apply to those persons enslaved by alcohol and other drugs.

Moses said, “Pharaoh—let my people go”. The Bible does not provide a lot of detail about the reaction of the slaves to the possibility of imminent freedom—but you can bet that many of the slaves were apprehensive, and some were scared to death.

What might they have been saying? But But But”, that’s what!

1 But all my friends are slaves. I’ll be alone if I leave.
2 But at least the Egyptians feed us. How will we live if we do not work for them?
3 But freedom is an unknown. It will be hard. I’m not ready for anything that is not familiar.

You know the story.

Moses threw his stick on to the ground, and it turned into a venomous snake. Pharaoh wouldn’t listen. The Nile River turned to blood. A plague of frogs descended on to Egypt. All the Egyptians got covered in fleas and lice. Egypt was covered by swarms of flies. The cattle got sick and died. Every Egyptian was covered in painful boils. Burning hail descended on the land. Swarms of flies descended on the land. A plague of voracious locusts ate every scrap of food in the place. Darkness descended over all Egypt. There was no more sunrise. Pharaoh still wouldn’t listen.

The firstborn son in every Egyptian family died. Pharaoh listened.

The Israelites left. At first they were happy. For a few days, everything was joyful. Then the complaining started.

 I’m thirsty. Where are we supposed to get water? At least the Egyptians gave us water.
 I’m hungry. Where are we supposed to eat? At least the Egyptians fed us.
 What if we get attacked? At least the Egyptians protected us.
 Does Moses know what he’s doing? Has anyone actually seen where we’re going? Maybe he’s just lying to us, so he can be the boss.

You all face the same challenges as the liberated Israelites. That’s right. They were LIBERATED. Just like you are. If you want. There were times when bondage in Egypt seemed preferable to the suffering and the hardships of the new life in the Promised Land, where they had to fight and bleed and die for the right to be a nation. They still continue that same struggle today, thousands of years later. Your new responsibilities and challenges are no less daunting and scary.

Remember that God made a promise to His people Israel. He said, “I shall never fail thee, nor forsake thee”.

He has made the same promise to you.

Suzanne and I will always remember you in our thoughts and prayers, with respect and admiration for the choice that you have made. The choice to be free.

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Comments

[Judy Ellis]

Your sermon
Thank you for these words. I'd like to send this to Jeff if you don't mind. May God continue to bless you and your family and keep you safe.