Step 12: "Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs."

This is not a step inward in our own journey of life and faith. It is a step outward which we take after we have recognized where God has led us in this journey. It is, in religious language, the call of the missionary. It is the call to share the good news. For some it is the good news found in sobriety. But it is a step for anyone caught in any trap in life, who has been set free by the redeeming power of God.

This message is at the core of Scripture: The prophet Isaiah spoke the great words of promise to an ancient people. The gospel lesson tells of the joy felt by Zacchaeus when he who was lost became a new person. It…