Distinguished Guest

When I was a vicar here, the English District President, Rev. David Ritt, came to visit our congregation.  One evening some of the current church leadership took him and his lovely wife out to eat.  The group was split up around a few separate tables, and Nicole and I ended up at the same table as Bishop Ritt, his lovely wife, and a few other people.

I had my elbows on the table.  My wife, who wouldn’t have cared at home, wanted me to show my best manners to give proper respect in the presence of our honored guest.  She discreetly and gently tapped my elbow to tell me, “Mind your manners.”  I completely missed the cue.  Later she told me what she was secretly signaling.  Now I know to pay attention to her cues.  And now I know to better mind my manners (even seemingly insignificant manners) in the presence of a distinguished guest.

Now, let me pose to you a hypothetical question.  What if Jesus came and stood among us in the Sanctuary?  What if He appeared and read to us from Scripture?  What if He stood in the pulpit to tell us what God has done and what the proper response of faith is?  What if Jesus himself went to each pew, put His hand on each shoulder and said, “My friend, these scars show that I love you.  Your sins are forgiven.  Follow me.”?  If He Himself were walking and talking in our sanctuary, how would we behave?

Well, first of all, we would certainly want to make sure we were there!  Nothing in life would be more important!  We would certainly want to make sure our children were there, too!  But now, what else would take place?  How would we mind our manners?  Would we do our best to stay awake and keep our teenagers awake?  Would we sing joyfully to Him, even if it’s not our “favorite” hymn?  Would we let our children talk loudly or carry on so that others couldn’t hear?  Would we let our kids play Nintendo instead of listening to Jesus?  What would we talk about in the Sanctuary, in the Narthex?  What would we say about other people, people who were just embraced by Jesus’ scarred hands?  Would we pray with Jesus as He interceded for us, or would we let our minds wander?

Friends, my hypothetical proposition is not hypothetical.  It is a reality.  Jesus promises, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them” (Matthew 18:20).  Other passages of Scripture inform us that when the means of grace are present, then Jesus is forgiving sin (John 20:23; Matthew 26:28), granting salvation (Mark 16:16), rescuing us from death and the devil (Romans 6:3, 5), and gifting us with His Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38-39), just to name a few.

So how are our manners in the presence of our Honored Guest?  We could all use some improving.  Please hear this as an encouragement to be mindful of Jesus’ presence, not a harsh rebuke or scolding.  I know that we have parents out there trying their best to teach their children to sit respectfully and listen.  I know that being respectful in church is harder for some children.  That’s OK.  That’s why we have a Narthex where parents can still hear, or even a nursery.  I am glad the children are there because a church without children in worship is a dead or dying church. 

I know it is also tough for teenagers to be alert in the morning.  I know it is hard for all of us not to be thinking about events later in the day.  I know it is easy to blame our lack of concentration on other things (kids, other worshipers, preachers) rather than to blame ourselves.  I know it is easy to become a distraction to others.  I know there are people with medical conditions that prevent them from sleeping well at night and do their best to stay awake (though sometimes unsuccessfully – but I understand).  I know there are a million other reasons, legitimate or not, why we have a hard time concentrating in church.  I know we all fall short.  God knows our hearts.  He is patient with our human weakness.  He is forgiving of our sin.  He is our strength to do better.

So again, please don’t become upset at this gentle tap on the elbow.  Rather, let us all seek to be mindful of what is happening in the Divine Service and intentionally develop our response accordingly.

After all, did dinner with the District President influence my dress, my speech, my etiquette, and all my actions?  You bet it did!  And he was gracious to overlook any bad manners I knowingly or unknowingly showed.  Well, so much more am I affected as I prepare, and come, and approach the Lord’s House and the Lord’s Table where Jesus is present.  You can be sure that Jesus overlooks all our faults, even (as some of our prayers like to put it), the “poverty of our worship.”

But while He is pleased to overlook our faults, don’t we still want to give Him our best?  Think about it.

                          A humble sinner redeemed by Christ,

              Pastor Jon