The "After Church... Crush"

If you go to church on Sunday, you probably also go out to eat from time to time with friends. It makes for a nice social gathering. We don't have to prepare the meal, so we have more time to talk. I must admit, it is nice to not have to prepare anything on a Sunday afternoon. Yet, my perspective has changed a little bit. "Why," do you ask? Well, I now happen to be a Server.

My question is this: why is there such a negative view of "Christians" in the market place? After asking managers and co-workers it seems to be the same answer across the board. "Christian don't tip well; they are demanding; they are mean," and the list goes on. I have also learned that Sunday is the most difficult day to schedule, because every worker wants the day off. "It's not worth my time," says one of my co-workers.

Now is the answer to this problem "DON'T go out on Sunday." Well, I don't think it's as simple as that. You see if all of Christendom were to just "STOP," I don't know how that would help. What is to stop the same "Christ Following Family" from going to that restaurant on a Thursday night and be just as destructive? So the problem is more than just where and when we go, but rather how we represent the message we profess.

Let's put it this way. My family sits down to a meal at a nice Italian restaurant. Everyone is dressed in their Sunday best. Before the meal, we bow our heads in full knowledge that our server is probably waiting for us to finish. We enjoy the meal, but not without requesting our server to bring us more bread three times... or asking for four refills of soup and salad... or requesting more napkins... you get the idea.

At the end, we receive the bill from our exhausted server who probably isn't living a godly life. We are surprised at how expensive the meal turned out to be, so when it comes to tipping, we leavethem what we feel we can spare... even if it's only $2... at least it's something right? Smiling, we return the check to the server and we are careful to leave a "Come To Jesus" message on the table. As we leave the restaurant we feel we have done our part in witnessing to that poor, lost soul.

I only wish that was an exaggeration, but the truth of the matter is... that's reality. I've experienced first hand what it feels like to be that exhausted server. If I wasn't a believer already, I don't know if I would want to be after an experience like that. Would you?

Now, not all Christian tables are like these. I thank God for the genuine encounters I have had with His people where I work. But I think we all need to be aware about how we represent Christ wherever we are... especially on Sunday!