No One Goes To The Altar Alone

It was like an unwritten rule at my last church. No one goes to the altar alone.

I loved that about them. It was one of the first things that pricked my heart about the church when I was visiting. No matter who you were, when you went to the altar, there was always someone who followed you up there to put their arm around you and just be. It wasn't creepy, it just happened. They crossed genders, ages barriers, and races. In seven years, I never once saw someone alone at the alter. And I was never alone at the altar.

We're at a new church now. It's a great church. There is a lady that frequents the second row pew with me. Last week, she'd gone up to the altar, and that's when I realized: nobody's with her. Nobody
attempting to make a move to put their arm around her. There were no prayer buddies. No Sunday School friends. Just a woman crying at the altar. And I'll admit... I didn't know what to do. I wanted to go, and put my arm around her. I wanted to pray over her. Hug her tight. Tell her it would be okay. 

But I didn't. I stayed in my pew and sang the invitation song, feeling guiltier by the stanza.

And I'm still not sure how I feel about that - not going with her. She was a stranger - I didn't know who she was. It could be because I still feel "new" there, and this lady might think I'm a weirdie. Mostly, it's because I looked around and saw not a single person moving and got the immediate impression that these people just don't encourage altar buddies. (That's not an official term, by the way.) It's odd. Why do we do things because it's the accepted thing to do? Status quo. Why don't we do it so that nobody has to go to the altar alone, walk up there alone... cry there alone... walk back alone? 

So what do you do when someone's at the altar? Do you go up with them? Only if they're a friend? Or do you sit quietly in the pew, hoping she'll hurry up so you can get started on lunch? Let me just tell ya, that's a hard habit to break after seven years, so fair warning, if you're at the altar, and a strange red-headed lady whose name you don't know comes up behind you to pray with you, it's okay. I don't bite. At least not the first time.

XOXO,

Karen