Here’s a little food for thought as you look toward Sunday lunch. If you are like Paula and me, you will be going out for lunch, or brunch after church Sunday morning. We usually go with a group of friends, and our group can turn out being eight to ten people any given Sunday. We always have a good time catching up on the past week, or talking politics, or national events. Sorry, I’m chasing a rabbit there, because it really doesn’t matter what the conversation is in regard to the point I want to make.

Here’s the point I want to make. I have heard from those who have the experience of waiting on tables in Restaurants, that the Sunday crowd is the pits. Say What? Yes, you read correctly. The Sunday crowd is the most demanding, least patient, most in need of coddling crowd, of the whole week. The good news is that the congregations/churches, that the Sunday crowd attend must be doing very well financially because by the time they arrive at the restaurant they have precious little left to leave as a tip for the server.

Conversely, the best crowd to serve is in (are you ready for this) the bar. Both of my kids waited tables while going to college. Josh spent about three years waiting tables at Cahoot’s in Abilene, and Miranda worked there for one year before she transferred to Texas Tech, and waited tables in Lubbock for a while. Both agree that the bar has the happiest, most carefree crowd. The patrons are friendlier, and much more forgiving if things aren’t perfect. The next best place to be assigned is the smoking section. I don’t know for sure why this is, but maybe it is proof that a nice smoke, even though it is killing you, does in fact at least allow you to die happy, and unstressed. The crowd least likely to appreciate good service, and tip well, is the no smoking, water drinking bunch.

So, there you have it folks. This is one of those things that makes me wonder what we as Christians portray to the world. Are we more demanding of others? Are we less forgiving of shortcomings? Are we more judgmental? Do we consider ourselves better, and therefore entitled to top-notch quality service with little appreciation toward those who gave it? I will confess, I am in need of pain medication at this very moment. My toes are nothing but bloody stubs. What I have just written has left me wounded. If your toes have been stepped on too please join me in making a change. Let’s make it a point to become the crowd that every server wants to see. Let’s make the After Church Sunday Brunch Bunch, “THE crowd” that wait staff looks forward to serving each week, not “the WORST crowd” they will attend too.

So, here’s what we do this coming Sunday after worship. We’ll all get together in a bar, get totally wasted on rot-gut whisky, while filling our lungs with tar, and nicotine. Hey, maybe we can even find a bull to ride. I’ve heard that will either take the edge off or kill ya, and either way the folks watching will get a good laugh, and the world will be a better place.

And now a quote from my five year old grandson, Major “just kidding.”    

Till next time,

Grump