Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen, and welcome to tonight’s group of Alcoholics Anonymous. We strive to provide you a safe environment where everybody can be themselves and there is no pressure and no judgment – in other words, totally opposite to the real world.

At this meeting – as in all meetings – we encourage you to speak up and share your addiction, so that we may understand you better and see what drives your life.

Any volunteers that want to share: Ok, yes, you. Please start with your name:

1. “Hi, I’m John.
I’m an alcoholic. It started when I was 9. I used to sneak down to the living room after my parents had had a party and drink all the left-over in their glasses. It would make me happy. Later, I got my older friends to buy me ABC Stout at the 7-11. We would sit behind the MRT station after school and drink. Now that I am working I am keeping a bottle of Vodka in my desk. Because you cannot smell it.

2. Hi, I’m Bridget.
I’m an addict. I take drugs. Any drugs. As long as they make me high. As kids, we met at the playground back in the US – someone brought glue and a plastic bag. We’d pass it around, inhale deeply and wait for the pain to hit. The headache, The stomach cramps. But also the feeling of being high. Somewhere else. Another planet. At least for a while. Later I took ecstasy pills at rave parties. First one, then three. Then five. Once I passed out from dehydration. Now I am snorting cocaine. It keeps me awake and alert and it makes me feel strong and good. Without it, I would die.

3. Hi, I am Jason.
I love money. Because I love nice things. I am forever looking at magazines to find out what’s new, what’s nice. I like to impress my friends with the newest car, the latest watch. I do anything to get more money. Because for me, money doesn’t just buy me nice things. It buys me happiness. Yes, money makes me happy.

4. Hi, I am Hui Min.
I have nothing against other races. --- Well, ok, as long as they stay away from me. Because sometimes, when you get really close – you can smell them. Don’t you agree? They stink…a bit. Sorry but that’s the truth. And honestly, I can’t tell the difference. To me, they’re all black. It’s ok, they can be here. Do their own thing. I don’t have to have them as friends, right?

5. Hi, I am Adil.
I like to stay fit. That’s why I take good care of my body. Extra good care. Yes, I go to the gym every day. So? Other people gamble. I work out. I have a strict routine. One musclegroup per day. Cardio. No fatty foods. Do I measure? Of course. I want to know my progress right? And compare to the others. Sometimes, at work, I am thinking about what to do in the gym today. Who may be there. And, every time I pass a mirror – well, nothing wrong with a quick glace or two, right?

6. Hi, I am Sandy.
I almost didn’t make it here tonight. Because of work. You know, I have a very stressful job. Long hours. Got to write an important presentation for my boss. Prepare for that business trip to Hong Kong. Write an outline for the new business pitch. Brief the team. There are never enough hours in a day. I get up at 6, to be at work by 7.30. 90 minutes of blissful silence before the phones start to ring. That’s when I get the most work done. Once I finish – could be 9, 10 or later -, I just stop by Maxwell market to pick up some food. No time to cook. My husband, he’s used to it. Fortunately, his mother lives close by. She drops in to bring him food. So, yeah, it’s tough, but I’m not complaining. I love my work. A lot.

7. Hi, I am Robert.
For me, well… How to say? It’s just that I… Ok. I’ll just say it. I love sex. There you go. I love sex. That’s normal right? Everybody does, right? So, yes, I get a lot of it. Quite easy actually. Get online and chat someone up – then meet at their place or mine. Or go sauna. No, I don’t have one partner. I have a few. I like the thrill of the first touch. Discovering a new body. Not just anybody. I AM choosy. Well, kind of. At work, in the afternoon, I plan my evening. Which sauna to go to or which buddy to call. Sometimes friends invite me to orgy parties. That’s the best.

8. Hi, I am Stanley – you can call me Stan.
Do you mind if I light up? Oh no smoking in church, is it? Too bad. You know, they are really making our lives miserable. Cannot smoke here. Cannot smoke there. No smoking indoors. And now even outdoors – in my favourite foodcourt! Only got one smoking table! What’s up with that? At work, we used to meet in the emergency staircase. 5 of us, every hour, on the dot. But then security chased us out. Now we have to go ALL the way downstairs to take a puff. So ma fan! We should form a society that fights for our minority rights - SLU, Smokers Like Us.

9. Hi, I am Prudence.
You know, I hate George Bush. Yes, the US president. Don’t you? Doesn’t everybody? I mean, look at what he’s done. Irak – it’s a bloody mess now, and so many people died. For what? For oil. The people they caught – locked up in Guantanamo bay, without Red Cross access or basic human rights. And look at the environment – oil drilling in Alaska, no to the Kyoto protocol. I just hate him hate him hate him. Every time I see him on TV I start to yell at the screen. Until my husband changes the channel.

10. Hi, I am Alex.
When I get home from school, even before I do my homework, I go to my room, lock the door and switch on my computer. There are a few favourite websites that I go to. BarelyLegal. JapaneseTwinks. I go and find out whether they have any new movies. I check out all the clips. Yes, I love porn. It’s ok what? No harm done right? Can cannot get disease hehe. Japanese is the best. They are so … kinky. I barely hear when my mum calls me for dinner. I don’t want to stop and go but no choice la. Lucky I have my own room. So I can watch and watch and watch all night. Doesn’t matter if that makes me tired. I can always sleep in school.

11. Hi, I am Francis.
Years ago, when I was much younger, my friends invited me to play a game with them – it was called Dungeons and Dragons and it took place, well, in your mind. There were some figures and a notepad to remember your strengths and weaknesses – not yours, those of your characters, but that’s it. Then when I got my first computer, I started to play World of Warcraft. Wow, I was SO good! I would just play play play until I got to the next level. Then this email buddy of mine from the US told me about Grand Theft Auto. Wow – so cool. Illegal here, I think. Because you get to rob banks and shoot people. You get to be really mean! Hehe – not for real, of course. I am very tame in real life. But online I am the meanest guy! I kick ass! You should see me!”

Thank you Francis.
I think this is quite enough addiction for one night – more than we can take.

And it makes me wonder whether we should change our name. It’s no longer just about alcohol, is it?

It’s about things that make you dependent, addicted. So should it be Addicts Anonymous? Yes maybe that’s better – more inclusive.

But given the venue of our meeting tonight, maybe there is another word, stronger, that describes what we have all become?

If you are run by someone else, by something else, and your decisions are no longer your decisions, and you are helpless facing your Master, then you are …

… a slave.

So aren’t we all slaves anonymous, anonymous slaves?

Let’s recap the areas of our lives where we have given up control, where we have allowed ourselves to be enslaved:

ALCOHOL – that’s how we started. How many of us cannot enjoy a party unless there is alcohol? Cannot go out on a Saturday night without having a drink? Cannot relax after work without a glass of red wine?

DRUGS – so many ways to switch off. Feel good. Improve our performance. Dance all night, high on E.

MONEY – how many of us are serving Money, Mammon? Have our lives, our relationships ruled by the dollar sign? Believing that a 7-series BMW is a blessing from God?

RACIAL PREJUDICE – do we only mix with people of our own ethnic background? Do we – deep down – feel we’re more worthy, more clever, more refined than others? Are we making an effort to meet other races, to understand them and their customs, to invite them into our circle of friends, our church?

GYM – why are we working out so much? Is it just to be healthy? To look good? To look better than others? Does the gym run our lives?

WORK – how much time are we spending at work? Are we still in charge? Do we allow work to interfere with our social lives, our relationships, our families? Do we get our self-worth out of the title we have, only to find out we’re worth nothing without a business card?

SEX – what role does sex play in our lives? Do we constantly think about it, plan the next encounter? Do we care about the person behind the body? Want to know more about their lives, their hopes and dreams? Or is it purely physical, another form of workout?

SMOKING – nothing wrong with lighting up once in a while, is there? Makes us look cool. Feel good. Are we still in control of our habit? Or does the habit control us?

POLITICAL CONVICTIONS – how strong are our convictions? Have they become a prejudice? Are we still looking at issues, one by one, weighing up all the facts before we form an opinion? Or are we putting people into boxes, convenient drawers so that we won’t have to think any more? Are we giving our political opponents the benefit of the doubt? (Remember the card Bill Bernbach had in his pocket: “He could be right.”)

PORN – do we need our daily dose of porn from the net? Or from smuggled VCDs out of JB? And after we face our addiction and delete delete delete all content – how long until the download file is full again?

INTERNET and ONLINE GAMING – do we use the internet as a tool for work and recreation or is the internet ruling our lives? Is our email a way to stay connected and get instant feedback to our communication – or are we email junkies, compulsory checking our messages every few minutes, wherever we are? And if we’re playing games – what games are we playing? Are we more living in the real world or in cyberspace?

RELIGION – do we organize our religion in order to create a personal relationship with our God? Or are we hung up on procedures and rituals, songs and emotions? Are we following the law more than our hearts? Are we religious and superstitious at the same time?

You see, most of us, maybe all of us have given away our freedom. We have voluntarily allowed ourselves to be enslaved. We are no longer in charge of our lives – things and feelings and highs and status and bodies and fun … are running our lives. It all started as some harmless fun, but it grew – almost unnoticeable – into an obsession. And now we need to go for a meeting, need help, an intervention, because we see no way out.

In today’s passage, Paul is concerned about the Galatians. He says:

“Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?”

Paul’s concern about the Galatians is also his concern about us. Because we, like the Galatians 2000 years ago, even though we know God – we’re turning back to be slaves to things, to our obsessions, to those who are not God.

But there is a way out. Paul says:

“So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.”

We are God’s children, we can call him Father – and that means?

We are no longer slaves. We are free. He gives us freedom.

Freedom from what? Freedom from our worldly obsessions, our addictions that make our lives so enjoyable. Freedom from our rules and regulations that make our lives so comfortably easy. He breaks our yoke and sets us free. He gives us the strength to break our addictions.

So that’s the FREEDOM FROM.
And then? After we’ve become free, the next question is – FREEDOM TO…?

We’re free to do what?
First of all, we are free to return to Him, our first Love, make Him and his Word the number 1 priority in our lives. But there is more.

Freedom is contagious. It needs to be shared. It comes with obligations.

So we need to use our newfound freedom to set others free. We look around us and the world is full of slaves. Slaves like we used to be – before our liberation.

So how do we set them free? Two ways, I think.

Number One: We share with them what made us free. By preaching the gospel? Maybe, but there are more ways than one. If we’re truly free, it will reflect in our behaviour, the way we live our lives. We may go home earlier to spend time with our family and partner. We may stop smoking. We still work out but are not as obsessed as before. We work hard but even if we lose our job we’re still worthy, we’re still His Child.

People can’t help but notice. Some may ask WHY – what an opportunity to share. Some may know we’re Christians and make the connection. Or we may actively approach them to share. Whatever works right there and then. There are many ways to share the gospel, and not all of them include a preacher.

The Number Two way of setting them free? Actively working with their obsessions. Helping those that we see are trapped, enslaved. Getting involved in charities, in self-help groups, in social activities, as a Church and as individuals. Speaking up against the power of obsessions. Lending a helping hand and a listening ear to those that are addicted. If they haven’t realized that they are, maybe dropping a hint, asking a question.

Will we be able to help them out of their slavery? With God’s help, yes. Sometimes. Often, hopefully.

Will they always accept Who set us free and decide to follow Christ? Not always. Is there still value in our work even if they just lose their addiction but do not – for the time being – accept the Gospel? I think so.

We’re living in this world in expectation of the next. But that does not mean we cannot or should not try and make it a better place. Out of love for our neighbour. And maybe because our example can make them think, question and try and follow the same path that set us free. If they do, let’s help them and encourage them and welcome them into our lives – whoever they are.

Making this world a better place – one of the obligations that come from being set free. Allow me a small frivolous illustration at the end.

Those of you who are online gamers know a game called GRAND THEFT AUTO. It’s illegal in many markets, and it’s very violent. The meaner you are, the more people you kill, the more points you get. In a way it’s true to life – an exaggeration perhaps, but many of this world’s “values” are integrated here.

The world’s number one brand has just started a new campaign which is called “The Coke side of life” .

It has taken GRAND AUTO THEFT and given it … a twist.