Drinking Game Goes Viral
As of the time of this writing, there are five known deaths
from an online drinking game that has now gone viral. The game called
Neknominate involves videoing yourself drinking a large amount of alcohol and
then nominating someone else to outdo you. You can read the sad sick details
here if you so desire: http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/18/world/europe/neknominate-drinking-game/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
Pressuring
others to drink is nothing new. It seems that every year, we hear in the news
of four or five valuable young men or women whose lives were snuffed out
because they thought it fun to pressure each other at a high school graduation
party or prom to "get hammered." In many cases, not much pressure was
required. They just did thought it would be fun.
The New
Testament gives us some direct instructions regarding getting drunk. Christians
are people who come from the same backgrounds and the same world as those who
are engaging in these behaviours. Many know the temptation to join in the
overindulgence at an office party or a football game or a high school prom. The
apostle Paul felt it necessary to instruct the Ephesian Christians in this
regard. What is interesting is that Paul does more than simply say "Just
say no!" He goes further by calling for a counter activity to the typical
peer pressure that characterizes the party crowd. Instead of getting drunk with
wine, press people to fill up on the Spirit of God. He wrote these words: "Do not get drunk with wine for that is
debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and
hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,
giving thanks always and for everything to God in the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ." Here
are a few thoughts on this passage:
1. The Need for
Community: One reason that people join the drinking crowd is because there
is something lacking in their lives. They want to go "where everybody knows your name. And their always glad you came."
If you don't know those words, it is the theme from the old television show
Cheers. The song sticks in your brain. People are
looking to belong to a crowd of happy people with whom they can find acceptance
and community. They want to be with those who lock arms and sing loud and with
gusto. How many Christians recognize that it is a biblical expectation that we
"address one another" in song? Joyful expressive community is what we
are created to inhabit and it sheds light on what it is like within the Trinity
where the songs of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have been celebrating for
all eternity.
2. The Need for
Content: The problem with drunkenness is not merely that you lose control.
It is that alcohol often attempts to cover an empty place in the soul which
tragically feels exacerbated afterwards. What every person longs for is a
"lasting" sense of meaning, purpose and belonging. Alcohol abuse can
increase depression. It distracts from the emptiness and monotony of life. What
the songs of the Saints are intended to do is to unite the heart with the
actual never leaving presence of the Holy Spirit rooted in the eternal truth of
the historic redemptive work of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our hearts are reminded
that they will never be left alone. Our minds are reminded that our lives have
substantial meaning and purpose under the eternal and unfailing purpose of God.
This is why we must be careful never to lose the connection between songs that
move the affection and the intellect. The affections are meant to be strengthened
by the certainty of Biblical truth even if the song be as simple as "Jesus
loves me this I know."
3. The Need for
Compassion - What should stand out in this passage in Ephesians is how the
command to address one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs helps the
believer to move from self to others. At the end of this activity, we are meant
to be fulfilling the two great commandments: to love the Lord our God with all
our heart, soul, mind and strength; and to love our neighbour as ourselves. Do
you see that there? We are to give thanks and praise to God. We are called to
submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Let me
recommend to you Timothy Keller's book, "The Freedom of
Self-forgetfulness." The problem with drunkenness is that, if you wake up
the next day, you still have to face yourself in the mirror. You may have even added
a few more regrets that make it harder to be less self-preoccupied. Drunkenness
does not free us from the debilitating
nonsense of self-preoccupation.
When we sing of Christ, we are called to look
outwardly. When we rejoice musically in the good news of God's salvation, we
can put to bed once and for all the regrets of the past. When we point each
other to God, we can get over ourselves and move forward building a life that
is a blessing to others.
Helping a
friend drown their sorrows in alcohol is a weak sign of friendship. It is
temporary at best. It often makes life harder. Helping a friend negotiate their
sorrows by reminding them by the Spirit of the unending presence and power of
the Spirit in their lives, gives them something to hum and to sing when alone
in the dark. This is what it means to really be compassionate. People use designated drivers to get them home safely when they
have lost control of themselves. We remind one another that the Holy Spirit is
our designated driver and He will never fail to get us through today and all
the way home to Jesus.
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