What Can the Church Learn from A. A.?
A reflection on the 75th Anniversary of Alcoholics Anonymous
“Lost and Found”
A Message by Rev. Ken Morrison, Pastor – July 4, 2010
Copyright 2010 by Kenneth L.Morrison All Rights Reserved
Via de Cristo United Methodist Fellowship
7430 E Pinnacle Peak Rd, Ste. 134
Scottsdale, AZ 85255
Phone: 480-515-4490
www.viadecristo.com
e-mail: ken@viadecristo.com
Read Luke 15
Take a moment and remember the last time you lost something valuable. How did it make you feel? Maybe you were frustrated, frantic, feeling stupid to have forgotten where you left the item, and worried about the consequences of the loss. How did it make you feel when you found the item? Probably relieved and maybe joyful. Losing and finding is a normal experience; it happens to us all of the time.
Becoming lost is a much more upsetting experience. I remember the night I became lost at a high school football game when I was a child. In my hometown we had a large stadium built during the W.P.A. days of the Great Depression. My father took me to the game and introduced me to football as a spectator sport. I decided that I wanted a drink from the refreshment stand and asked my father if I could go get it for myself. He asked me, “Do you know the way there and back?” I replied, “I do,” so he gave me some money and I began my journey feeling like one of the big kids. I made it to the refreshment stand just fine, stood in line with all of the adults who towered over me and purchased my drink. Then it happened. I turned around and could not tell which way I had come from. There were so many ramps leading up into the stadium and every one looked the same. I walked up one of them and found myself staring at the backsides of hundreds of standing spectators. I could not see my father. Finally someone noticed that I was lost and took me to the announcers booth. They called out over the speaker system, “Mr. Morrison is lost and his son is looking to find him.” My father came and led me back to our seats and calmed me down. To this day, I remember what it feels like to be lost and found.
Worse than losing and finding or being lost and found is to lose yourself. This is where the story of Alcoholics Anonymous begins. Bill Wilson served in World War I and found that he could lead men and drink with the best of them. When he came home, he decided to pursue a law degree. However, the lure of getting rich from investing drew him to abandon the law. He discovered he had an affinity for the business and the life with other men drinking after a day at the office. He told his wife that the drinking was what men like him did. Then came the crash of the market and the Great Depression. Bill found himself in a downward spiral that he could not end because of the increasing impact of alcohol on his life. Finally in the mid-1930's he found himself taking treatments that would half kill him in the hope that they could stop his alcoholism and keep him out of an asylum. An old drinking buddy named Ebby came to share with Bill how he had found God and a power greater than himself to help him stop drinking. Bill was an agnostic, but finally decided to give God a try declaring that he was ready for anything...anything. Bill saw the light and experienced the power of God great enough to break the grip of alcohol for himself. Bill stopped drinking and soon was trying to help other men break free. A. A. was born seventy-five years ago on the day that Bill helped Dr. Bob made his breakthrough.
Today A. A. has 1.2 million members, 55,000 meeting groups (including one on Friday nights at Via de Cristo) and there are 11,000 treatment centers using the twelve steps. I like the way the twelve steps are described in the “Big Book” of A. A. (these are from an online version of the second edition of the book Alcoholics Anonymous which made its first appearance in April 1939, pp. 59-60).
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol--
that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves
could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives
over to the care of God AS WE UNDERSTOOD HIM.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another
human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all
these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and
became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible,
except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when
we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve
our conscious contact with God AS WE UNDERSTOOD
HIM, praying only for knowledge of
His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result
of these steps, we tried to carry this message to
alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all
our affairs.
Wonderful ideas! A. A. may view them as the steps to recovery, but in the church we see them more generally as a very practical outline for a faith journey. They come from the New Testament and are well illustrated by stories of Jesus retold in Luke 15 about the lost sheep and the lost coin. What is the reign of God like? It is not like the community of Pharisees and Scribes who see the reign of God calling for them to exclude from fellowship anyone whom they judge to be a sinner. Jesus portrays a very different community. You experience the power of the reign of God when someone comes to find you, like a shepherd finding a lost sheep, and with a voice and a personal touch you are brought back into the fold with rejoicing. Like a person having lost a coin: you never forget the value you once had and never give up the search until that value is recovered. Then it's joy for the entire community!
I have long admired the work of A. A. and I would like to highlight five things they do that the church can learn from:
A. A. sticks to their mission – facilitating recovery. Their twelve traditions prevent them from becoming sidetracked. The church needs to stay focused on our mission: making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. The best way to do this is by being disciples who allow our lives to be transformed by the Power that is greater than yourself. As John Wesley said, "When you set yourself on fire, people love to come and see you burn."
A. A. tells people there is a higher power and lets them discern their way into a relationship and conceptualization. Often the churches argue about God using scripture, theology and religious tradition. God is seen in caricature rather than Power. We need to have more confidence that God will help people discern and experience spiritual grace and power if we simply encourage those in need to open their hearts and minds to the One who so loves the world.
A.A. lets people be real. At A. A. you can retain some privacy by hiding your surname, but you are encouraged to share your real story. At church we do just the opposite. We wear name tags and hide our stories from one another. This behavior undermines both our fellowship and our wholeness.
A. A. holds people accountable with grace. They provide a sponsor to help you avoid harm as much as possible and pick you up when you do stumble and fall back. Today we view accountability in the church as intrusive and maintain a “this is my space...that is yours” distance from one another. It is no wonder that many people experience the church as “the only hospital that shoots its wounded.”
A. A. makes recovery a lifelong process. There are sobriety tokens from one month to fifty-five years. In the church we need to remember that discipleship is a lifelong process. We can become perfect in love in this life, but most likely toward the end of the journey.
In thanksgiving for the first 75 years of Alcoholics Anonymous, I encourage you to participate in both recovery and discipleship. How? By helping the lost be found and find themselves.
In the twelve promises of A. A. is the future awaiting each one of us who participates in recovery and discipleship (these are from an online version of the second edition of the book Alcoholics Anonymous which made its first appearance in April 1939, pp. 83-84).
We are going to know a new freedom
and a new happiness. We will not regret the past nor
wish to shut the door on it. We will comprehend the
word serenity and we will know peace. No matter
how far down the scale we have gone, we will see
how our experience can benefit others . That feeling
of uselessness and self-pity will disappear. We will
lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our
fellows. Self-seeking will slip away. Our whole attitude
and outlook upon life will change. Fear of people
and of economic insecurity will leave us. We will intuitively
know how to handle situations which used to
baffle us. We will suddenly realize that God is doing
for us what we could not do for ourselves.
Hear the Good News: The lost can be found and find themselves. Thanks be to God!
A reflection on the 75th Anniversary of Alcoholics Anonymous
“Lost and Found”
A Message by Rev. Ken Morrison, Pastor – July 4, 2010
Copyright 2010 by Kenneth L.Morrison All Rights Reserved
Via de Cristo United Methodist Fellowship
7430 E Pinnacle Peak Rd, Ste. 134
Scottsdale, AZ 85255
Phone: 480-515-4490
www.viadecristo.com
e-mail: ken@viadecristo.com
Read Luke 15
Take a moment and remember the last time you lost something valuable. How did it make you feel? Maybe you were frustrated, frantic, feeling stupid to have forgotten where you left the item, and worried about the consequences of the loss. How did it make you feel when you found the item? Probably relieved and maybe joyful. Losing and finding is a normal experience; it happens to us all of the time.
Becoming lost is a much more upsetting experience. I remember the night I became lost at a high school football game when I was a child. In my hometown we had a large stadium built during the W.P.A. days of the Great Depression. My father took me to the game and introduced me to football as a spectator sport. I decided that I wanted a drink from the refreshment stand and asked my father if I could go get it for myself. He asked me, “Do you know the way there and back?” I replied, “I do,” so he gave me some money and I began my journey feeling like one of the big kids. I made it to the refreshment stand just fine, stood in line with all of the adults who towered over me and purchased my drink. Then it happened. I turned around and could not tell which way I had come from. There were so many ramps leading up into the stadium and every one looked the same. I walked up one of them and found myself staring at the backsides of hundreds of standing spectators. I could not see my father. Finally someone noticed that I was lost and took me to the announcers booth. They called out over the speaker system, “Mr. Morrison is lost and his son is looking to find him.” My father came and led me back to our seats and calmed me down. To this day, I remember what it feels like to be lost and found.
Worse than losing and finding or being lost and found is to lose yourself. This is where the story of Alcoholics Anonymous begins. Bill Wilson served in World War I and found that he could lead men and drink with the best of them. When he came home, he decided to pursue a law degree. However, the lure of getting rich from investing drew him to abandon the law. He discovered he had an affinity for the business and the life with other men drinking after a day at the office. He told his wife that the drinking was what men like him did. Then came the crash of the market and the Great Depression. Bill found himself in a downward spiral that he could not end because of the increasing impact of alcohol on his life. Finally in the mid-1930's he found himself taking treatments that would half kill him in the hope that they could stop his alcoholism and keep him out of an asylum. An old drinking buddy named Ebby came to share with Bill how he had found God and a power greater than himself to help him stop drinking. Bill was an agnostic, but finally decided to give God a try declaring that he was ready for anything...anything. Bill saw the light and experienced the power of God great enough to break the grip of alcohol for himself. Bill stopped drinking and soon was trying to help other men break free. A. A. was born seventy-five years ago on the day that Bill helped Dr. Bob made his breakthrough.
Today A. A. has 1.2 million members, 55,000 meeting groups (including one on Friday nights at Via de Cristo) and there are 11,000 treatment centers using the twelve steps. I like the way the twelve steps are described in the “Big Book” of A. A. (these are from an online version of the second edition of the book Alcoholics Anonymous which made its first appearance in April 1939, pp. 59-60).
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol--
that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves
could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives
over to the care of God AS WE UNDERSTOOD HIM.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another
human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all
these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and
became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible,
except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when
we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve
our conscious contact with God AS WE UNDERSTOOD
HIM, praying only for knowledge of
His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result
of these steps, we tried to carry this message to
alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all
our affairs.
Wonderful ideas! A. A. may view them as the steps to recovery, but in the church we see them more generally as a very practical outline for a faith journey. They come from the New Testament and are well illustrated by stories of Jesus retold in Luke 15 about the lost sheep and the lost coin. What is the reign of God like? It is not like the community of Pharisees and Scribes who see the reign of God calling for them to exclude from fellowship anyone whom they judge to be a sinner. Jesus portrays a very different community. You experience the power of the reign of God when someone comes to find you, like a shepherd finding a lost sheep, and with a voice and a personal touch you are brought back into the fold with rejoicing. Like a person having lost a coin: you never forget the value you once had and never give up the search until that value is recovered. Then it's joy for the entire community!
I have long admired the work of A. A. and I would like to highlight five things they do that the church can learn from:
A. A. sticks to their mission – facilitating recovery. Their twelve traditions prevent them from becoming sidetracked. The church needs to stay focused on our mission: making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. The best way to do this is by being disciples who allow our lives to be transformed by the Power that is greater than yourself. As John Wesley said, "When you set yourself on fire, people love to come and see you burn."
A. A. tells people there is a higher power and lets them discern their way into a relationship and conceptualization. Often the churches argue about God using scripture, theology and religious tradition. God is seen in caricature rather than Power. We need to have more confidence that God will help people discern and experience spiritual grace and power if we simply encourage those in need to open their hearts and minds to the One who so loves the world.
A.A. lets people be real. At A. A. you can retain some privacy by hiding your surname, but you are encouraged to share your real story. At church we do just the opposite. We wear name tags and hide our stories from one another. This behavior undermines both our fellowship and our wholeness.
A. A. holds people accountable with grace. They provide a sponsor to help you avoid harm as much as possible and pick you up when you do stumble and fall back. Today we view accountability in the church as intrusive and maintain a “this is my space...that is yours” distance from one another. It is no wonder that many people experience the church as “the only hospital that shoots its wounded.”
A. A. makes recovery a lifelong process. There are sobriety tokens from one month to fifty-five years. In the church we need to remember that discipleship is a lifelong process. We can become perfect in love in this life, but most likely toward the end of the journey.
In thanksgiving for the first 75 years of Alcoholics Anonymous, I encourage you to participate in both recovery and discipleship. How? By helping the lost be found and find themselves.
In the twelve promises of A. A. is the future awaiting each one of us who participates in recovery and discipleship (these are from an online version of the second edition of the book Alcoholics Anonymous which made its first appearance in April 1939, pp. 83-84).
We are going to know a new freedom
and a new happiness. We will not regret the past nor
wish to shut the door on it. We will comprehend the
word serenity and we will know peace. No matter
how far down the scale we have gone, we will see
how our experience can benefit others . That feeling
of uselessness and self-pity will disappear. We will
lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our
fellows. Self-seeking will slip away. Our whole attitude
and outlook upon life will change. Fear of people
and of economic insecurity will leave us. We will intuitively
know how to handle situations which used to
baffle us. We will suddenly realize that God is doing
for us what we could not do for ourselves.
Hear the Good News: The lost can be found and find themselves. Thanks be to God!
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