Today’s Scripture
Reading (December 15, 2014): 1 Corinthians 16
A recent
article outlined the many ways that we annoy our servers in a restaurant
setting. As I read the list, I thought for sure offering a Gospel tract (you
know, those little brochures that some Christians like to hand out) instead of
a tip would make the list, but it didn’t. Personally, I think that if you must
leave a tract, you should probably double the tip so the server knows exactly
how much you value them, and that is why you are concerned. The list offered good
advice such as not saying you need something removed from your order because
you are allergic – if you need something off the item you are ordering, just
tell them to leave it off, or better yet, order something that comes without
things that you are allergic to on it (as someone with many life threatening
allergies, I was actually glad to see this one on the list. I know I annoy a
lot of people I have dinner with by not mentioning my allergies.) Sending your
food back without a good reason was also on the list. As was camping out at a
table after you have paid your bill. If you are no longer purchasing anything,
then it is time to go (I do admit that I am guilty here - I camp out way too
much.) Ignoring your server and calling them over to your table while they are
busy at another table also made the list. And the intent of the list seemed to
be that life could be so much better if we would just stop annoying the server
(or maybe it is that we would have less spit in our soup if we would stop
annoying our servers.)
Paul says “do
everything in love.” It is easy to see the need for love in some of the bigger
events of life. As the protests rage around our world over several issues, I am
a firm believer that even our protests need to be done lovingly. I really do believe
that love changes everything, and I believe that, in the end, love really does
win. But I also know that love is hard.
I have said
that in the abortion debate I am pro-choice. The comment is often a shock to
people. But the reality is that I feel I have been pushed over to the pro-choice
side not because I don’t believe that in the sanctity of life (which is
something that I do strongly believe in), but because I have witnessed too many
pro-life protests that have been devoid of love. None of us have a right to
hurl insults at a young girl who is making the hardest decision of her life,
and a decision that we know is going to cause debilitating guilt throughout the
rest of her life. She will pay a price for her decision, we don’t have to make
it a higher one. In the homosexual debate, again I have witnessed too much hate
directed at the homosexual community. As Christians, we have often said that we
“love the sinner, but we hate the sin.” I have to admit that I think that
statement is overly optimistic. The truth is that God seems to be the only one
able to ‘love the sinner while hating the sin.” Personally I think we should “love
the sinner – because that is who we all are – and leave God to deal with the
rest.” All of this is important to me because I believe in the tangible quality
of a love that wins and changes everything.
But in many
ways these are the big ticket items, the ones where love and hate is obvious.
Paul’s message is to do everything in love – big or small. His message is that
we need to react to every situation with love – the same way that Jesus did. It
means that we react with love on the big stage – the one with all the media
cameras pointed at us, and on the smaller ones. We react with love toward those
that love us – and toward those who want to make our lives just a little more
difficult. We even need to react with love to the server in the restaurant,
taking care of them as they take care of us.
So stop
annoying the servers in your life – and please throw your gospel tracts away.
The truth is that if you love, you will change your world. Love always draws
people towards you, and it makes them willing to listen to and hear everything
that you have to say – even about God.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2
Corinthians 1
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