The Cream Always Curdles at the Top
Was talking with my brother the other day ... I love the fact that, having cell phone plans with the same company, I can call him on a whim if I have something funny happen, have a random let-me-bounce-this-idea-off-you thought, or just need to chat with my best friend. Thank you Cingular Wireless, I know you do it simply for altruistic reasons, never thinking of a profit ... and I thank you.
Anyway, in talking with him the other day I was forced to chuckle. He mentioned that at the church he ministers at, they had gone back to having just two services at their church instead of three that the church had been having. It gave him an extra half hour of sleep time. He also noted that the praise team/band he worked with probably appreciated the bit of extra time they would now have each Sunday. He admitted that having to be there at 7:30 am was difficult for some of them and thus, many were late for the Sunday morning rehearsals, rolling in between 7:35 & 7:45 am each week. Now, not having to be there until 8:00 am on Sundays, they would most certainly be on time, right?
As you may have guessed, he mentioned that some of the same ones arrived at 8:10 to 8:15 am. It begs the question ... why? I doubt that it is a lack of respect for Steve. On the contrary, when I have been there, they all seem to love and support him incredibly and enjoy his leadership in the ministry. Nor do I think it is necessarily a case of people going out of their way to selfishly say, "I'll show up 10-15 minutes late to emphasize that I am the one in control here."
Instead, it is simply a case of irresponsibility. I have even heard people in our own church say things like, "If you want me here at 8:00 am, you'd better say be here at 7:45 am or I won't make it." Again, the question comes to mind ... why? Why must the leader of a ministry, class, or event assume that participants will not show up on time? You may think I am being obsessive about this--making a "mountain out of a molehill" so to speak.
We don't put up with it in other areas of our lives do we? If we work and our boss/company pays us 80% of what was agreed upon, do we feel it is acceptable for the boss/company to shrug their shoulders and tell us, "If you wanted more than we agreed to pay, you should have negotiated more, because everyone knows we never pay as much as we agree to our workers." Or might you get a little worked up if you ordered a pizza and when it was delivered, it was missing two slices. You wouldn't simply laugh it off and say, "Oh well, next time I guess I need to order a pizza and two slices on the side so I get a whole pizza." Nope, you'd be on the phone to Bobo's Pizza telling them to get the driver back out here to make things right with your order. Why, because when you ordered a large pizza, the responsible, reliable, and, dare I say, ethical thing to do is to deliver a whole large pizza. If not, Bobo's would no longer get your business, would they?
The point is, in certain areas of life, we have an expectation of a person/company taking responsibility for dependability and commitment. Why should our ministry/service at the church be any different? Why should it be, as I mentioned Sunday in my message, that "no matter how high or low you want to set the bar, there are people that will always rise or fall with it, just so long as they can maintain their current level of mediocrity!"
Is this a small thing? Sure, but remember that it was the Lord who said in a parable,
If I can't handle being on time, following through reliably on minor responsibilities and commitments that I have made, why would the Lord seek to trust me with the more important spiritual matters? As we also talked about Sunday, approach all commitments and responsibilties with the mentality that God set forth through the apostle Paul:
Anyway, in talking with him the other day I was forced to chuckle. He mentioned that at the church he ministers at, they had gone back to having just two services at their church instead of three that the church had been having. It gave him an extra half hour of sleep time. He also noted that the praise team/band he worked with probably appreciated the bit of extra time they would now have each Sunday. He admitted that having to be there at 7:30 am was difficult for some of them and thus, many were late for the Sunday morning rehearsals, rolling in between 7:35 & 7:45 am each week. Now, not having to be there until 8:00 am on Sundays, they would most certainly be on time, right?
As you may have guessed, he mentioned that some of the same ones arrived at 8:10 to 8:15 am. It begs the question ... why? I doubt that it is a lack of respect for Steve. On the contrary, when I have been there, they all seem to love and support him incredibly and enjoy his leadership in the ministry. Nor do I think it is necessarily a case of people going out of their way to selfishly say, "I'll show up 10-15 minutes late to emphasize that I am the one in control here."
Instead, it is simply a case of irresponsibility. I have even heard people in our own church say things like, "If you want me here at 8:00 am, you'd better say be here at 7:45 am or I won't make it." Again, the question comes to mind ... why? Why must the leader of a ministry, class, or event assume that participants will not show up on time? You may think I am being obsessive about this--making a "mountain out of a molehill" so to speak.
We don't put up with it in other areas of our lives do we? If we work and our boss/company pays us 80% of what was agreed upon, do we feel it is acceptable for the boss/company to shrug their shoulders and tell us, "If you wanted more than we agreed to pay, you should have negotiated more, because everyone knows we never pay as much as we agree to our workers." Or might you get a little worked up if you ordered a pizza and when it was delivered, it was missing two slices. You wouldn't simply laugh it off and say, "Oh well, next time I guess I need to order a pizza and two slices on the side so I get a whole pizza." Nope, you'd be on the phone to Bobo's Pizza telling them to get the driver back out here to make things right with your order. Why, because when you ordered a large pizza, the responsible, reliable, and, dare I say, ethical thing to do is to deliver a whole large pizza. If not, Bobo's would no longer get your business, would they?
The point is, in certain areas of life, we have an expectation of a person/company taking responsibility for dependability and commitment. Why should our ministry/service at the church be any different? Why should it be, as I mentioned Sunday in my message, that "no matter how high or low you want to set the bar, there are people that will always rise or fall with it, just so long as they can maintain their current level of mediocrity!"
Is this a small thing? Sure, but remember that it was the Lord who said in a parable,
"Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities."
--Matthew 25:21 ... New Living Translation ( emphasis mine)
If I can't handle being on time, following through reliably on minor responsibilities and commitments that I have made, why would the Lord seek to trust me with the more important spiritual matters? As we also talked about Sunday, approach all commitments and responsibilties with the mentality that God set forth through the apostle Paul:
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men."
--Colossians 3:23 ... New International Version
I don't say these things to be a nag or because I am obsessive about the little things, but to illustrate the truth of our example to others. Being on time, making sure details are taken care of that you are responsible for, and showing up when you have promised to be there is more than courteous and dependable, it sets an example to others about the importance of the ministry and service that you have committed to doing ... not for me or anyone else, but for God!
Thanks, Dave, for the reminder. I've tried to make sure that I show up and start things on time, but even then, I still have problems at times. Perhaps this is part of the reason that it has become harder to bring non-Christians into the church. We Christians don't show that our ministry at the church is important by our actions.
Michelle
Posted by
Anonymous |
9:23 AM
We had a gentleman who attended a leadership gathering, arriving as much as a half hour late every month. One month he arrived in his usual late fashion, we had a very short meeting that month, as he walked in I asked him to have the closing prayer.
I think people who are habitually late must do some kind of translation with time where they figure on leaving home at the time they actaully should arrive at their destination.
You mention that we don't do this in other areas of our lives, but I'm not sure that's true with some people. It would be amusing in the military to see what would happen if you arrived late for some events. You might miss the boat or convoy or the palne coming home. I'll bet that last one is one time people are almost always on time.
Do you suppose that "rapture" will be delayed so everybody can be there?
Posted by
Anonymous |
6:21 AM
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