My name is Pete – and I AM NOT an alcoholic. But whilst I was working as a GP I did have the pleasure of knowing one or two. Which is how I know a little about Alcoholics Anonymous.
Previously I’ve written about how supportive those who attend such meetings can be of one another – because that is what I heard from one of my patients, who told me how she would regularly be asked if she needed a lift to meetings or, if she missed even one such gathering, there would be those who, struggling with alcohol themselves, would check in on her and make sure she was okay.
This is, I think, what good support looks like – and should be mirrored by all organisations that seek to look after its members.
And that includes the church.
And so I ask myself – why is that not always the case? Why is it that all too often, when folk stop coming to church, everyone in the congregation notices, some express a degree of concern, but few, if any, pick up the phone to find out if they’re okay.
Now I know there are many reasons – a lack of time and good old-fashioned British reserve to name but two – but I can’t help wondering if there may not be a more fundamental reason – one that gets to the real nub of the problem.
Which is, perhaps, that we don’t recognise just how desperate we are.
Because being a Christian isn’t, or at least shouldn’t be, about turning up each week in our Sunday best – be that the clothes we wear or the image we present. For whilst it is, of course, about delighting in, thankfulness for, and worship of the Saviour – and a whole lot more besides – going to church is never less than those in desperate need finding there the help they so urgently require.
Not unlike an alcoholic who confesses their dependence on drink, a Christian is someone who recognises that, in their fallen nature, they are enslaved to sin and unable to rescue themselves – someone who recognises that, without Christ, their life is every bit as hopeless as those who visit the off-licence daily.
Only more so.
Because, whilst an alcoholic may recognise how damaging their dependence is to their physical health and emotional wellbeing, the Christian recognises how perilous their spiritual condition is – and that, without Christ coming to their rescue, they face an eternal death in the life to come.
But how many of us feel that urgency on a Sunday morning?
How many of us make Sunday morning more about meeting our friends than an encounter with the Almighty Creator of the universe? How many of us attend services to listen to a spiritualised TED talk rather than to hear from the one who has the words of eternal life? How many of us see church as a form of entertainment rather than an appointment with God?
And so I ask myself: do I, as a Christian, recognise how desperately I am in need of help? Do I recognise how foolish it would be to give up meeting with other believers? And do I love my brothers and sisters in Christ enough that their non-attendance causes me more than mere concern?
I need to get real about how serious being a Christian really is. How desperately I need help. And how dependent I am on the support of the church.
And be prepared to admit it.
So my name is Pete – and I AM a Christian.
And if you need a lift on Sunday, please do let me know.
Related posts:
To read ‘Coming Clean’, click here
To read ‘Confession – good for the soul’, click here
To read “Hope comes from believing the promises of God”, click here
